For the first time since 1993, when turkey hunters walk into the woods for spring gobblers (April 26), the Pennsylvania Game commission will not require them to wear fluorescent orange.

At their January meeting, the agency's commissioners voted to drop the requirement for spring hunters to wear 100 square inches of orange while moving or changing locations. Orange regulations for the fall turkey seasons remain in force.

Mandatory orange was the Game Commission's response to a higher rate of turkey accidents compared to deer, small game and other kinds of hunting.

Accident data, though, shows the rule hasn't made much difference over its contested 15-year life. The average annual shooting incident rate before mandatory orange was 8.75 incidents per year, and 4.3 per 100,000 turkey hunters. Since 1993, when orange became mandatory, the average annual incident rate has been 10.38, and 4.5 per 100,000 hunters.

Many of the state's 240,000 turkey hunters objected to mandatory orange because wild turkeys are known to have acute color vision. Veteran hunters maintained that mandatory orange changed the nature of turkey hunting, which demands stealth and concealment. Others said the rule undermined the most basic of hunting principles: to safely identify the target. Suggesting that all humans moving in the woods would be wearing orange, they said, placed those who ignored the rule, or non-hunters such as hikers and mushroom pickers, at risk.

Whether orange is mandatory or not, hunters are responsible for their own safety and for the safety of others. The Game Commission still encourages hunters to consider wearing orange voluntarily, and the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (PANWTF) agrees.

"PANWTF has always supported hunter's choice, the voluntary wearing of orange material while hunting," said the group's vice-president Don Heckman. "If a turkey hunter feels safer wearing orange, he can still do so."

Heckman said turkey hunting accidents could be reduced if hunters practiced "defensive hunting."

"Defensive turkey hunting means being aware of surroundings and thinking about possible dangerous scenarios, then making decisions to prevent them," Heckman said. "If a turkey is gobbling, another hunter could be drawn to your exact location, and you need to be aware of that possibility while calling, before you move and before you pull the trigger. It's necessary to think analytically, especially in the excitement of the moment."

Heckman advised that hunters follow three rules of defensive hunting:

"First, always positively identify your target," he said. "Second, remember that even though stalking a turkey or turkey sound is unlawful, some hunters do it, and that rustling sound you hear approaching could be a human. Finally, always assume that every noise you hear, and movement you see, is another hunter."

The Game Commission recommends additional defensive tactics, such as sitting with a large tree or rock behind the back, shouting loudly to warn approaching hunters, and avoiding wearing red, white or blue colors. Strutting gobblers display those colors on the head and neck.

Defensive hunting need not detract from the turkey hunting experience or decrease a hunter's chance of tagging a bird. In fact, hunting defensively can complement spring hunting tactics. In addition to having color vision, a wild turkey's eyes command a 270-degree field of vision. An alert gobbler can quickly spot a moving hunter, even one wearing full camouflage.

"Once in place in a calling location, we need to stay put long enough for a gobbler to approach," said Illinois turkey-hunting expert John Trout Jr. "I will not say that once you set up you should never move. On the contrary, moving to a new location can reassure a gobbler that you are what you're pretending to be -- a hen turkey. But moving to a new ambush site should be done carefully and only at the right time. Never move when a bird suddenly stops gobbling; he's probably coming in to you. Never move when a bird is hung up at 100 yards or closer, and never move when a bird is also moving. Spring gobblers rarely forgive errors. Make one little mistake and it's all over."

The orange rule is gone, but the importance of discipline and self-control while turkey hunting are not.A special one-day youth turkey hunt occurs Saturday. A junior hunting license is required and the young hunter must be accompanied by an adult. Bearded birds only, bag limit 1. Check details in the Hunting and Trapping Digest or go to www.pgc.state.pa.us.