Pennsylvania's fall turkey season opens statewide Saturday, and because hunters have diverse opportunities available on that day, turkey hunters won't be the only sportsmen in the woods. Archers are still pursuing deer, the waterfowl seasons are in force, and small game hunters will be afield for squirrels, rabbits, pheasants and grouse.

Thousands of grouse, pheasant, rabbit and waterfowl hunters will enjoy the day outdoors with their dogs. But none of the state's 200,000 or so turkey hunters will have a canine companion. Pennsylvania is among a minority of states that prohibits the use of turkey hunting dogs.

A small but determined group is mounting an educational and promotional effort to convince the legislature to change state law so that hunters here could use specially trained turkey hunting dogs to pursue the big birds.

"There's a certain degree of misconception about turkey hunting dogs," John Plowman, turkey dog enthusiast and former Game Commission legislative liaison, said. "There is nothing unsporting or unfair about using these dogs. The dog's role is finished as soon as it finds and scatters the turkeys. After that, it is still a matter of the hunter's skill."

In states surrounding Pennsylvania, and especially in the central and southern Appalachian regions, hunting turkeys in the fall with dogs is an honored tradition. Turkey dogs take advantage of the wild turkey's flocking instinct. They find a flock by scent or by sight, then rush into the flock to scatter the birds as human hunters often do now in Pennsylvania.

After the scatter, the hunter calls the dog. The hunter then imitates turkey assembly calls to lure a bird back into range. After the shot, some turkey dogs retrieve the kill or can follow up and find a wounded bird.

Advocates say that the hunt is much like conventional fall hunting except that hunters can enjoy the assistance and companionship of dogs.

"This is not a revolutionary thing," Plowman said. "This is just a natural extension of what we already have. You can use dogs for ducks, geese, grouse, pheasants, even for raccoons and squirrels, but not for turkeys, even though this is a perfectly acceptable way to enjoy the outdoors in our neighboring states.

"Here's another case where Pennsylvania needs to catch up with the rest of wildlife and outdoor recreation management."

Some sportsmen, who would like to keep the turkey dog prohibition, fear hunters using dogs might threaten turkey populations. But a survey of state wild turkey biologists by the National Wild Turkey Federation, the leading wild turkey hunting and conservation organization in the nation, indicates that the number of hunters using dogs in other states is small, and their success rate is no different from other turkey hunters.

"None of the biologists reported concerns about the impact of dog hunting on turkey populations," wrote Bob Eriksen, National Wild Turkey Federation regional biologist.

There is also concern among archery hunters that turkey dogs in the woods during late October and November could disrupt their deer hunting opportunities.

Plowman said that the nature of hunting with dogs would prevent most conflicts with bowhunters. "Most bowhunting is done early in the morning and late in the day, when turkeys are on the roost," he said. "Turkey dogs display little interest in roosted turkeys. There is no point in taking them into the woods until later in the morning, after the birds have put some scent on the ground.

"It's not like there will be a groundswell," he said. "There are probably less than 100 trained turkey dogs in Pennsylvania. Their owners deeply enjoy hunting with these dogs but are forced to go to other states to hunt with them."

Scott Bashore of Denver, Lancaster County is one of a handful of Pennsylvanians who have invested time, effort and money training turkey dogs.

"I have been an avid turkey dog enthusiast for many years, traveling to New York, West Virginia and Virginia to pursue my sport," Bashore testified before the Game Commission last January. "Through the years I have found myself carrying a gun less and less, preferring to take someone new or friends who have hunted with dogs before and love it. There have been many times I've taken my dog just for the pleasure of watching her work."

The Game Commission, however, cannot permit and regulate the use of turkey dogs until the state legislature first amends Subchapter E of the Game and Wildlife Code, authorizing the Commission to do so.