I’m guessing that the two most popular species being hunted in Pennsylvania are white-tailed deer, and likely, turkeys are next in line. As we begin to move towards fall, a lot of talks with my hunting friends involve questions about deer antler sightings and how many young turkeys and gobblers we are seeing. I’ll be honest: when I’m on my way to have coffee in the morning, I’m always on the lookout for deer, turkeys, and other wildlife as I drive into town.

Well, it is not surprising that the Pennsylvania Game Commission is also very interested in what we are seeing, especially since they have a turkey survey underway, and they are asking the public to report sightings.

The Annual Pennsylvania Wild Turkey Sighting Survey runs from July 1st-August 31st, and the Game Commission is asking participants to report all turkeys seen — be they gobblers, hens with broods, hens without broods, and even turkeys of unknown sex and age.

Sightings can be reported through the Game Commission’s website or directly at https://pgcdatacollection.pa.gov/TurkeyBroodSurvey. If you are interested in taking part, your report should include how many wild turkeys are seen, the county and township, and the wildlife management unit where they were spotted. They would also like a date and contact information should a biologist want to contact you. The Game Commission uses this information to better understand turkey reproduction and to help monitor turkey productivity.

The news regarding our most hunted game animal is not something we like to think about but nevertheless must be dealt with, and that’s Chronic Wasting Disease. CWD is a serious threat to our deer population and, heaven forbid, to our elk population if it spreads further into northern Pennsylvania.

As you probably already know Disease Management areas have been established in several areas across our state. A map of these areas can be found on the Game Commission’s site. Due to new detections of the disease, several of the state’s Chronic Wasting Disease Management Areas (DMAs) have been expanded. Game Commission testing results that date back to July 2023 show that nearly 11,000 samples were taken from deer, and 7,000 of those deer were taken by hunters. CWD was detected in 440 deer, up from 426 the year before; of those, 291 were taken by hunters. CWD is always fatal to any animal that gets the disease.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you are hunting in a DMA. It is unlawful to remove or export deer or elk high-risk parts, including the head, spinal column, and spleen, unless they are going to a Game Commission-approved cooperating processor. Nor should you leave high-risk parts anywhere on the landscape outside of the harvest location.

Remember, too, that you cannot use or possess deer or elk urine-based attractants.

Well, that’s some of the latest news and updates from the Game Commission. I hope you are spotting some turkeys, and let’s hope we can keep the CWD under control.