Despite the arrival of avian influenza in Pennsylvania, there is no evidence the state's wild turkeys are infected a week before the one-day junior and mentored youth gobbler hunt April 23, and two weeks prior to the monthlong season that begins April 30.
Since the discovery weeks ago of a bald eagle found dead in Chester County from highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI has been confirmed in other birds in Pennsylvania's south-central and northwestern counties. It can infect domestic and wild birds, including Eastern wild turkeys.
Known to have jumped to humans years ago in Asia, HPAI is currently "an animal health issue" that poses minimal risk to humans and health of the general public, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. People who handle infected birds without gloves and masks are at a higher risk, including spring gobbler hunters, but no human cases related to this avian influenza virus have been detected or reported in the United States.
That comes as good news to some 150,000 hunters expected to try to call in the big birds in Pennsylvania this spring.
Game Commission turkey biologist Mary Jo Casalena said the statewide flock is bigger than in recent years. Arrival and survival of poults was unusually high in 2021 due to a warm, dry spring and, in places, the timely emergence of one of the largest cicada broods. Casalena said surveys revealed an average of 3.1 poults per hen, the highest ratio since monitoring began.
Management decisions further boosted turkey populations, resulting in a light 2021 spring harvest. The statewide elimination of rifles from the fall hunt and shorter fall seasons in some wildlife management units contributed to higher turkey numbers this spring.
Casalena said the birds are generally healthy.
"We have not detected HPAI in wild turkeys to date," she said. "We did not test for it during winter turkey trapping because it had not been detected in Pennsylvania then. Trapping had already been completed when we had our first case."
But as the season approaches, Casalena said the Game Commission is watching closely.
"We do collect any unhealthy-looking turkey that is called in — or any of our study turkeys with transmitters that are killed — and test for HPAI," she said. "If it is positive the carcass [would be] disposed of according to our protocol. Of the few tested, we conducted a full necropsy to determine cause of illness or death."
There were no positives.
Turkey touching
The Game Commission recommends some common-sense turkey hunting precautions.
—Harvest only healthy-looking birds.
—Wear gloves when handling any wild birds, and change gloves and disinfect hands after touching.
—Change clothes as needed, especially if they're visibly soiled or a bird made contact with your clothing.
—Change clothing, including footwear, and wash hands well before coming in contact with any pet birds or domestic poultry.
Hunters who find a bird that looks unhealthy — perhaps stumbling, circling, exhibiting tremors, with a twisted neck or unable to fly — should contact the Game Commission at 610-926-3136 or pgc-wildlifehealth@pa.gov.
CWD continues to spread
Last week, the Game Commission opened a new chronic wasting disease management area and expanded two existing DMAs.
DMA 7 was created after CWD recently was detected at a captive facility in Lycoming County. It includes portions of Lycoming, Northumberland, Montour, Columbia and Sullivan counties, and is the fifth DMA to be created due to problems at a captive facility.
DMA 4, which included portions of Berks and Lebanon counties, was expanded into Lancaster County following detection of CWD at the third captive facility within that management area. CWD has not been detected among free-ranging deer in DMA 4.
DMA 2 continues to grow. Its boundary was stretched north to include Rothrock State Forest and the State College area following confirmation of CWD at a captive facility and in a road-killed adult male deer. The largest disease management area, DMA 2 includes all or parts of Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clearfield, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Juniata, Mifflin, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Somerset, Union and Westmoreland counties.
Inside DMAs and zones designated CWD Established Areas, special regulations ban the import and export of specific deer parts, use or possession of attractants that included deer or elk urine, and feeding or rehabilitating wild free-ranging deer or elk.
CWD has not been documented in humans, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends not eating the meat of a CWD-positive deer.
Fishing tournaments
Two of the region's hottest annual fishing events will spotlight one of Pennsylvania's best lakes. The Pymatuning Lake Association will host its Crappie Tournament April 23. The Walleye Tournament is three weeks later on May 14. Both are open to the public.
Two person crappie teams cast off at the Espyville Boat Launch on South Lake Road, and live weigh-ins start at 2:30 p.m. at the launch area's Pymatuning Lake Association Pavilion. Preregistration and event details are posted at Facebook Pymatuning Lake Association. Late registration is open 6-8 a.m.
Walleye Tournament forms and rules will be posted closer to the event date.
