As spring rolls to an end and summer approaches I find myself on the lookout for the new additions to our local wildlife populations.

As usual, one of the first to show up are fawn deer, and over the past couple of weeks, I am finally starting to see a fawn or two each week in my travels. What’s interesting, too, is that I frequently spot adult deer standing in fields or crossing the road right in front of me, and this is happening at almost any time of the day or evening.

Another wild game animal I’m on the lookout for is the turkey. A hen turkey will spend about 28 days on her nest site, and the poults will hatch around early June. On some occasions, some poults may not hatch until further into the summer. As usual, I’ve been catching sight of mature turkeys quite frequently over the past few weeks, but I’ve yet to spot a brood of youngsters following a hen. Of course, much of the reason for not seeing those young turkeys is the high grass and other cover that makes spotting a young bird next to impossible.

Another game animal I am always on the lookout for come spring is our black bear. Bears have been holing up all winter in dens, but come spring, new food sources are becoming available, and males, especially, are on the move. Females are denned up with their newborns, but come spring, they are out and about as well.

Like a lot of our wildlife, spring and early summer is when the new young move about, and litter sizes can range from 1-5, but three is probably the most common.

I’m sure some folks are not at all interested in sighting a black bear, but they are captivating and interesting critters to spot.

Sure, I would rather catch sight of them somewhere other than in my driveway or walking by my front door in broad daylight. Another place that’s not exactly ideal for a bear sighting is at your bird feeder in your backyard. I’ve had bears show up in all of these spots. Come spring and early summer, you never know where they might show up. Several years ago, I photographed a bear up a tree that had just run across the parking lot at the Muncy Hospital. The Game Commission had to come and remove it from a tree next to the highway.

Spring, of course, offers a lot of new food sources, such as an assortment of wild berries, but guess what else might attract them? Your bird feeder. In years past, we always put out a couple of bird feeders loaded with sunflower seeds and other good bird food. After watching bears pull the feeders down and take them apart to get at the seeds, I quit putting them up. I may consider putting some back up, but I definitely plan to hang them high enough from a tree limb that bears cannot reach them.

While on the usual lookout for deer, turkeys, bears, and their newborns, I got a surprise glance at a young red fox running into some brush along the highway on my way into town.

You can bet I’ll be on the lookout for what other wild game I can spot in my travels.