With spring turkey season not far off, every time I head down the road, I’m checking nearby fields for feeding turkeys.

I must say that I have been spotting a fair number of birds, and of the ones I’m seeing, a pretty good number of them have been sporting some good, long beards.

According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s observations and studies, our turkey population overall has been pretty stable, and success rates have increased a bit over recent years; however, some wildlife management units have declined some. As expected, commission biologists are keeping a close eye on the turkey population in hopes of maintaining numbers and even improving numbers in areas where they are below expectations.

Our 2026 spring turkey season gets underway on May 2 and runs to May 30. There is also a special youth- and mentored-day on April 25.

As these seasons approach, the Game Commission has been looking at some possible changes.

At their January meeting, the commission proposed eliminating the second spring gobbler tag, a tag that has been available to hunters for nearly two decades. The reason for eliminating the second tag is “to offset possible additional harvest due to the inclusion of Sundays and ensure that harvest rates remain within sustainable levels.”

The Game Commission will vote on the second tag issue at their upcoming spring meeting set for April 10-11.

Last year, 27,384 second-spring gobbler tags were sold, and an estimated 12,597 hunters got out to hunt that second gobbler, taking 6,362 birds for a 50 percent success rate. Over the past five years, that success rate has ranged from 50 percent to 69 percent.

Of course, now that we have Sunday hunting days, that means that more hunters will have more time to hunt spring gobblers, which will very likely result in an increased harvest.

Add to that thought, those hunters who purchase a second spring gobbler tag are likely very dedicated hunters and are also more likely to be in the more experienced category. Put all of that together, and you may be looking at a higher success rate and a greater number of gobblers being taken in the spring.

Of course, there are other factors that could influence the number of gobblers taken, and one big factor I suspect would be weather. We’ve certainly had some interesting weather conditions this year, and who knows what to expect come spring turkey season.

Certainly, heavy rains will cut down on those going out to hunt, and high wind velocities don’t make finding and calling a spring gobbler any easier.

On the other hand, if the weather is mild and calm, finding and calling turkeys may be much more successful, resulting in a higher success rate, and adding Sunday hunting increases those chances.

I highly suspect the Game Commission will vote in April to eliminate that second spring gobbler tag in hopes of maintaining our populations. I’m sure the biologists are waiting to see what effect Sunday hunting might have on turkey populations as well.

In the meantime, I’ll be happy to get out and nab one gobbler.