A3f—Lancaster F«mdng, Sitawhy, Woyt«btr29,l9to
SINNEMAHONING -
Pennsylvania hunters have
concluded a three-week
statewide turkey season
thought to have been one of
the most successful on
record, with a harvest figure
that will probably exceed
30,000.
Game managers credit
this year’s turkey bunting
success to over two decades
of planning and development
aimed at establishing
sizeable turkey populations
throughout the state’s turkey
range.
Although wild turkey
population were at a low
mark just a few decades ago,
sound game management
HalloweU to Washington?
HARRISBURG - Is
Pennsylvania Secretary of
Agriculture Penrose really
the dark-horse candidate for
a position as Ronald
Reagan's U.S. Secretary of
Agriculture?
In addition to the top job,
there is a position as deputy
secretary and five openings
as assistant secretary of
agriculture to be filled by the
new administration.
At least three published
reports said Hallowed had
been approached by the
Reagan transition team.
In none of the cases did the
reports indicate HaUoweU
was adverse to the idea.
HalloweU did say Monday,
when asked if he were going
to be accepting a post in
Washington, “I don’t see it.”
Nevertheless, HaUoweU
could offer reasonably good
credentials for the USDA
post
He is a Republican. While
his service as Pennsylvania
Agriculture Secretary is
relatively short, he did serve
a number of years as Penn
sylvania Director of USDA’s
Farmers Home Ad
ministration. Although be
recently gave up his part
nership in his Bucks County
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Hunters conclude heavy turkey harvest
practices, coupled with a
long-range “trap and
transfer” program, have
produced record numbers of
the prized game birds (over
100,000) in most of the
mountainous sections of
Pennsylvania.
Wild turkey populations
throughout the United States
started to decline m the 1700 s
and by the Nineteenth
Century the birds had almost
been eliminated in their
original 39-state range.
Nationally, the number of
turkeys in 1942 was believed
to have been only 20,000 to
30,000 birds, most of them in
southeastern states and
central Pennsylvania.
Game management
farm, he has a strong dairy
fanner background.
Sources close to the
Secretary confirm there is
no doubt HaUowell’s name is
being talked about, if not for
the top spot for one of the
assistant secretary
positions.
“I know he is under con
sideration,” one source
confirmed.
As far as the Northeast is
concerned, HalloweU is the
prime ag secretary with the
correct party ties.
But, a number of people
pointed out the Secretary
has it nice in Pennsylvania
and they say the Governor is
not anxious to lose a cabinet
member he can trust and
work with.
Should HaUoweU accept
any Washington post,
another can of worms would
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professionals responsible for
the development of the
Game Commission’s “trap
and transfer” program are
elected that the wild turkey
has made such a dramatic
comeback - even faster than
was estimated when the
procedures were introduced
in the mid-fifties.
Commenting on the wild
turkey population. Game
Commission Executive
Director Glenn L. Bowers
noted, “This certainly
proves that the ‘trap and
transfer’ method is working.
We now have probably the
largest wild turkey
population ever - and it’s
even more significant when
be opened: who would be his
replacement as Penn
sylvania Secretary?
In a wide-open game of
guessing and speculation
names ranging from both
current deputy secretaries
in Pennsylvania; to hog
farmer Reno Thomas,
former ag committee
chairman who lost his house
seat in the latest election; to
Robert H. Williams, editor of
Pennsylvania Farmer
magazine; to Lancaster
County representative and
farmer Noah Wenger; have
been advanced.
Like all other political
guessing games, the entire
show may have to be taken
with a grain of salt.
On the other hand, it costs
the ringside king-makers
nothing to speculate.—CH
.... v ul.alUei * that W 6
haven’t stocked a farm
raised bird in the nor
thcentral counties for almost
-20 years, and we haven’t
released a farm turkey in the
southcentral area since the
early 19705.
“The flocks we’re seeing
today are the direct result of
the ‘trap and transfer’
technique,” fie said.
Responding to these
dramatic growth patterns,
the Game Commission,
during its October meeting
in Ene, voted to discontinue
production of farm-raised
turkeys and convert the
facility in Lycoming County
to the production of nngneck
pheasants. For several
years, the Game Com
mission has been under
increasing pressure to phase
out the turkey farm and the
stocking of farm-raised
birds.
A number of years ago the
Game Commission adopted
a policy which prohibited the
release of game farm
turkeys in areas where
populations of wild birds
existed. The policy was
developed when it became
obvious that the mingling of
pen-raised birds with
purebred wild turkeys
caused problems.
Commenting on the
conversion, Game
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Management Chief Dale
Sheffer said, “We were at a
point in tune when the Game
Commission recognized that
we simple bad too few areas
in which to stock farm
turkeys where they wouldn’t
be in conflict with wild
birds.”
According to Sheffer,
“Stocking farm-raised
turkeys was one of the least
effective propagation
programs ever undertaken
by the Game Commission.
The wild populations we now
enjoy are not the result of
stocking farm birds • and
that’s an indisputable fact.”
For the most part, the
Game Commission’s action
has been hailed as timely,
even long overdue. On the
other hand, the decision has
met with resistance in some
quarters where sportsmen
contend the Game Com
mission promised a three to
five-year 1 ‘phaseout. ”
Addressing the possibility
of future depressed
populations resulting from
disease and/or successive
hard winters, Bowers ex
plained, “If that situation
arises, we can concentrate
our efforts in trapping and
transferring birds from
unaffected areas to the
depressed range. Just as we
created whole new flocks in
southern counties by
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(215)691-3070
bringing in turkeys from the
north, we can reverse that
procedure by establishing
new flocks in the north with
birds from the south.
“We realize that
populations can be depleted
by severe winters, and we
recognize that birds can fall
victim to disease. However,
we seriously doubt that
Pennsylvania will ever
again be in a position where
we cannot quickly rein
troduce wild birds into those
areas threatened by either
disease or winter mortality.
It’s highly improbable that
either disease or severe
weather would affect the
entire state.”
Bowers concluded, “The
decision to cease production
of farm turkeys has already
been acclaimed by both the
Pennsylvania and National
Wild Turkey Federations
and the state Wildlife
Society. Viewed in its proper
perspective. I’m sure
Pennsylvania sportsmen
will recognize the wisdom of
the Game Commission’s
action. When the conversion
of the game farm is com
plete, we’ll be raising an
additional 40,000 or more
nngnecks annually. To the
hunter, that’s a far better
return on his investment and
will increase his enjoyment
in the field.”