The Pennsylvania Game Commission is asking Pennsylvanians to report any sightings of turkey flocks from now until March 15.

The Game Commission will use the information to trap the birds for ongoing turkey projects.

Information is being collected online at https://pgcdatacollection.pa.gov/TurkeyBroodSurvey. Participants will be asked to provide the date of the sighting, location and other information.

Game commission crews will visit sites to assess the potential to trap turkeys.

Turkeys will not be moved; they’ll simply be leg-banded and released on site. Others will also be outfitted with GPS transmitters, released and monitored.

Trapping turkeys during winter is part of the commission’s ongoing population monitoring as well as a large-scale turkey study.

The Game Commission has done this study the last three winters.

Hunters who harvest one of banded turkeys, or people who find one dead, are asked to report the band number by either calling the toll-free number or emailing the commission using the email address on the band.

The study will continue next winter for both males and females.

“These data give us information on annual survival rates and annual spring harvest rates for our population model and provides the person reporting information on when and approximately where it was banded,” said Mary Jo Casalena, commission’s turkey biologist.

The studies are being done in partnership with Penn State University and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wildlife Futures Program will interpret the data collected. Biologists from Maryland, New Jersey and Ohio joined the study this year.

The study will continue next winter for both males and females.

, and continue through 2025 for hens, so that in the end, the commission will monitor more than 400 females and more than 200 males.

“It is the largest turkey project we’ve ever conducted, with the hope of answering many questions regarding current turkey population dynamics,” Casalena said.

Last winter’s survey helped staff to locate trappable flocks.

“The public was so helpful last year and even helped with monitoring sites and trapping,” Casalena said.

“We really look forward to it expanding this winter.”