Pennsylvania Game News - May 2021 - 15

loads, a 20-gauge works well. The lighter
weight of the 20 is awesome and recoil is
negligible. At 40 yards a 20-gauge 3-inch
shotshell stuffed with No. 6 shot and a
good choke system does the job and does
it well. Many hunters experiment with
different types of chokes and shot intent
on extending their shotguns' range to long
distances. That's fine for some, but I want
a gobbler at 20 yards or closer. That's just
how I like to play the game.
The other plus side to a 20-gauge is
that anyone can pick up my gun and have
fun shooting it. The mild recoil of a 20
makes it an ideal gun for a youngster or
new hunter. "

fan of hunting in the mornings, when
permitted, I take advantage of afternoon
hunting. I've had some success hunting in
the afternoons, but if nothing else it can
provide a plan for the following morning. "

W

" To a degree yes. No doubt early
season there is more gobbling, a lot of
pecking order mayhem and 2-year-old
birds that can be vocal and cooperative.
They are the most fun turkeys to hunt.
Oftentimes in the early season, I'll use a
gobbler or jake in the decoy mix.
" Later in the season, you are more apt
to be dealing with older gobblers. I tend
to get less aggressive with calling and
eliminate any gobbler talk and gobbler
decoys from my equipment. The good
news is older birds are still out looking
for hens, and the last two weeks of the
season can be incredible. You need to be
patient, however, because they usually
don't come in easy as the season moves
on. The biggest advantage, though, is the
later in the season it gets, more and more
hens go to incubating their eggs, and those
old hook-spurred gobblers are still looking for a date. "

hat is your preferred method of
scouting for spring gobblers?

" Summing it up in a few words - get
out there! No matter if there is snow on
the ground, with the longer daylight hours
there's more time to get out, look, listen
and strategize. As spring gets closer those
gobblers that have flocked together all
winter disperse to find hens. I spend many
mornings just listening. Things change a
lot; turkeys move a lot. The more time you
can spend pre-season, especially when
turkeys are vocal, mostly at first light,
the more you can learn and have them
dialed-up before opening day. Obviously,
if you are hunting new dirt, learning the
terrain can be the best way to spend some
scouting time, especially in late winter. "

D

o you hunt the afternoon part of the
Pennsylvania spring gobbler season,
and have you harvested birds then?
" Growing up, you turkey hunted in the
spring until noon. After traveling to different states, though, I learned the ropes of
afternoon hunting. Although I'm a huge
MAY 2021	

D

o you purchase a second Pennsylvania spring turkey license?

" I always buy that second tag, but
only filled it a few times. I would rather
someone else get that adrenaline rush, so
I usually take others hunting. "

D

o you change your tactics as the
spring season progresses?

C

an you describe a hunt where you
called in and harvested a particularly challenging Pennsylvania gobbler?
" There are a ton of those hunts! There
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