In Pennsylvania, the turkeys are making noise and the trout are biting. Because both trout season and spring gobbler season are open, right now is the best time to go to the big forests in the Commonwealth to hunt for a turkey in the morning and fish for trout in the afternoon. Early in spring gobbler season, hunting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise until noon until May 18. After that, the hours are from one-half hour before sunrise until one-half-hour after sunset from May 20 until the season ends on May 31.
Even though the outdoors in our part of the state have a lot to offer, including great trout fishing, there are things to see and hear in our northern counties that our area just can’t match this time of year, not to mention the many miles of state game lands available for hunting in the most rural parts of the state.
For example, a few years ago, I went to the wilderness of Tioga County to try my luck at catching rainbow, brook, and brown trout. There, I went to Tioga’s famous Pine Creek hoping to catch some fish from the Salmonidae family. The scenery along the popular Pine was amazing, and I was able to catch quite a few trout. Another good thing about trout fishing in these upper tier counties is the many little streams that have healthy populations of native and generally small brook trout.
If you pay attention when you are in the northern part of the state, you might hear the sounds of drumming grouse. Just like turkeys strut and make noise to attract a female, male grouse will puff up their feathers and beat the air with their wings making a sound like a two-stroke engine starting up. Drumming in the air is the main part of our state bird’s ritual for attracting a mate. On that trip, I was fortunate to hear a male grouse drumming one morning on a nearby hillside. Even though I wasn't hunting for turkey on that trip, I should have been, as I often heard lovestruck male turkeys gobbling both nearby and far away throughout the weekend. I also saw quite a few female turkeys, young male turkeys, and adult male turkeys walking around in the fields and forests.
And although we do have a small number of wild turkeys living down here in our part of Penn’s Woods, you are much more likely to encounter them in the northern 'big woods.' If you want to hunt for turkey in the morning and fish for trout in the afternoon with a good chance of success in both activities, now is the time to go to a campground or hotel in the northern part of the state to test your turkey hunting skills and trout fishing ability.
WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY AT MIDDLE CREEK
If you’re not interested in going to the northern part of the state for turkey and trout this weekend, there is another great outdoor destination a little closer to home when the people at Middle Creek celebrate World Migratory Bird Day this Saturday, May 11. There, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and conservation partners will host a fun, family-friendly day of learning and exploration to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day. You may have seen the recent animated movie “Migration.” Now you can experience the real thing.
Just picture if every spring and autumn your life depended on traveling long distances over land and water in all kinds of weather and in the face of endless potential dangers to reach places that may or may not be as welcoming as when you last left.
This is the challenge for migratory birds. The incredible fact that millions upon millions of birds of various types, species, and sizes manage to make such impressive journeys each year is a reason for celebration like the one planned this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area Visitors Center located at 100 Museum Road in Stevens, PA.
The event, which is free to the public, will include guided bird walks led by members of the Lancaster County Bird Club, banding demonstrations of live songbirds including American Kestrels by permitted professionals, lessons in how the Game Commission creates bird-friendly habitat, opportunities to meet with biologists and other conservation professionals, and information about fascinating bird research happening right here in Pennsylvania.
Also, there will be opportunities for self-guided exploration. Visitors to Middle Creek – a unique 6,000-acre tract owned by the Game Commission – can expect to see a wide variety of plants and animals across the wildlife management area and surrounding state game lands. Tuning your radio to 1620 AM provides the chance to hear an informative and educational audio tour.
And, of course, there will be chances to see lots of birds. Middle Creek was established for the protection, conservation, and management of wildlife and wildlife habitat and educating the public about wildlife conservation. World Migratory Bird Day, meanwhile – which began in 1993 as International Migratory Bird Day – is scheduled to occur during the peak of migration for many bird species.
For more information about Middle Creek. World Migratory Bird Day or bird migration and conservation around the world, call 717-733-1512 or email [email protected]
SPRING GOBBLER PHOTO CONTEST
It’s time for the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s 2024 Spring Gobbler Photo Contest. Submit any photo taken during the 2024 Pennsylvania Spring Gobbler season for a chance to win a custom Pennsylvania made turkey call and other Game Commission merchandise. Photos can include a successful harvest, your experience, fellow hunters, landscape, nature, or any elements related to the hunt.
Game Commission staff will choose our finalists. Then it is up to our Facebook followers to select our winners! This year, we will be awarding TWO winners the grand prize, one youth and one adult entry. The photo with the most likes, in each category, will be deemed the winner. Finalists will be posted to Facebook for voting the week of June 17, 2024.
The Spring Gobbler Photo Contest from Friday, April 26, through Friday, June 7, 2024. All entries must be emailed to [email protected] with the subject “2024 Spring Gobbler Photo Contest.” Please be sure to include the first and last name of the photo owner, the first and last name(s) of anyone featured in the image, the county in which the photo was taken, and any other information important to the photo.
TROUT STOCKINGS THIS WEEK
The Fish and Boat Commission is almost finished stocking trout in our area, but a few streams will still get new batches of fish this week. In Berks County: Spring Creek and Tulpehocken Creek (5/9). In Chester County: East Branch Brandywine Creek (5/8) and Pocopson Creek (5/13). Delaware County: Darby Creek (5/7).
Tom Tatum writes about outdoor activities for the MediaNews Group. You can contact him at [email protected].
