FALL SEASON
1 BIRD PER LICENSE YEAR
Bearded or unbearded birds. Season lengths vary by WMU. The fall season is closed in WMUs 5C & 5D.
NOV. 1-8
WMUs 1B, 3D, 4C & 4E
Sunday 11/2
NOV. 1-15 & NOV. 26-28
WMUs 2A, 2F, 3B & 3C
Sundays 11/2 and 11/9
NOV. 1-15
WMUs 1A, 2G, 3A, 4A, 4B & 4D
NOV. 1-21 & NOV. 26-28
WMUs 2B, 2C, 2D & 2E
Sundays 11/2 - 11/16
NOV. 1-4
WMUs 5A & 5B
ARMS & AMMUNITION
1) Manually operated and semiautomatic shotguns limited to a three-shell capacity in the chamber and magazine combined; 2) Muzzleloading shotguns of all types and gauges; 3) Long, recurve, compound bows (minimum draw weight of 35 pounds) or crossbows with a broadhead that has a fixed or mechanical tip affixed to the fore end of an arrow or bolt having sharpened cutting edges consisting of metal or naturally occurring stone. The broadhead must have an outside diameter or width of at least 7/8 of an inch, and the length may not exceed 3.25 inches.
Fine shot no larger than No. 4 lead, No. 2 steel or No. 4 of any other U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service-approved nontoxic shot.
Centerfire and rimfire rifles, handguns, muzzleloading rifles and handguns, slug guns, and single-projectile ammunition no longer are permitted for fall turkey hunting.
Fluorescent Orange
Turkey hunters are no longer required to wear fluorescent orange material, although it is strongly recommended that they do so.
MENTORED HUNTERS
Mentored hunters may participate. Birds taken by mentored hunters under the age of 7 must be tagged with harvest tag transferred from his or her mentor.
DOGS
Dogs may be used during the fall season.
SPRING SEASON
Closed on Sundays
UP TO 2 BEARDED BIRDS (1 PER DAY) WITH PROPER LICENSES
Spring turkey hunting is open statewide.
YOUTH HUNT
April 25
STATEWIDE
May 2-30Hunting hours vary
HUNTING HOURS
Hunting hours during the April 25 youth hunt, and from May 2 to May 16 of the statewide season begin one-half hour before sunrise and end at noon. Hunters are asked to be out of the woods by 1 p.m. during those periods. From May 18 to May 30, hunting hours begin one-half hour before sunrise and end one-half hour after sunset.
1) Manually operated and semiautomatic shotguns limited to a three-shell capacity in the chamber and magazine combined; 2) Muzzleloading shotguns of all types and gauges; 3) Long, recurve, compound bows (minimum draw weight of 35 pounds) or crossbows with legal broadheads (see broadhead requirements in fall season section).
Fine shot no larger than No. 4 lead, No. 2 steel or No. 4 of any other U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service-approved nontoxic shot. Rifle/shotgun combination guns may be used if ammunition is limited to shotgun shells. Carrying or using single-projectile ammunition, rifles, handguns, muzzleloading rifles and handguns, slug guns is unlawful.
Mentored hunters may participate. Harvest tags are provided to mentored hunters 7 and older. Birds taken by mentored hunters under the age of 7 must be tagged with a harvest tag transferred from the youth’s mentor. Each mentored hunter may take only one turkey during the spring.
Only junior license holders and properly permitted mentored youth (16 and under) may participate. Hunters under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. An adult accompanying a mentored youth may not supervise more than three hunters total, and must carry the sporting arm at all times when a mentored hunter is moving. Each hunter may harvest only one bearded bird during the Youth Hunt. Birds harvested by mentored youth under age 7 must be tagged with a harvest tag transferred to the mentored youth from their adult mentor.
NO STALKING
Hunting by calling only.
BEARDED BIRDS
Only turkeys with visible beards are legal. It is suggested, though, that hunters refrain from knowingly harvesting bearded hens because they nest and raise broods.
Dogs may not be used during the spring season.
BLINDS
The use of turkey blinds is legal under the following definition: Any artificial or manufactured turkey blind consisting of all manmade materials of sufficient density to block the detection of movement within the blind from an observer outside the blind.
Turkey blinds must be constructed of plastic, nylon, canvas, cotton cloth, plywood or other manmade materials. Blinds made by piling rocks, logs, branches, etc. are unlawful. The blind must completely enclose the hunter on all four sides and from above to block the detection of movement within the blind.
Turkey-hunting blinds that represent the fanned tails of turkeys are illegal to use in Pennsylvania because they do not hide all hunter movement from behind or within.
Portable hunting blinds left on state game lands and other Hunter Access properties under the Game Commission’s management now need to be conspicuously marked with a durable and legible identification tag that includes the owner’s first and last name and legal home address, or bears the CID number that appears on the owner’s hunting license or the Equipment ID number found within the hunter’s HuntFishPA profile.
TAGGING, REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
Successful turkey hunters must follow all instructions printed on tags supplied with licenses.
Separate tags are provided for fall and spring seasons. The turkey must be tagged immediately after harvest and before the carcass is moved. The tag must be securely attached to a leg until the bird is prepared for consumption or mounting. Once you have used your tag, it is unlawful to possess it in the field.
Also, please remember to discard your old hunting licenses and not carry them afield. It is unlawful to possess old licenses while hunting.
Within 10 days of harvest, turkey hunters must report harvests to the Game Commission, either by going online to www.HuntFish.PA.gov, calling toll-free, or by sending in a postagepaid report card received with this digest.
Hunters reporting their turkey harvests over the telephone call 1-800-838-4431. Hunters will need to have their license and information from the completed tag, including the tag number, beard length and spur length.
All hunters reporting harvests are asked to identify the WMU, county and township where the bird was taken as well as information regarding the breast and tail feathers of the bird.
Hunters who purchase a second spring gobbler license have a mandatory reporting requirement, regardless of whether they harvest a bird using this special license. For more details, see the “Tagging, Transporting & Reporting” section under “Big Game Regulations” in this digest.
LIVE DECOYS, DRIVES & ELECTRONIC CALLS
In both spring and fall turkey seasons, it is unlawful to possess or use live turkeys as decoys, or conduct drives for turkeys or use electronic callers or devices.
LEG-Banded Turkeys
The Game Commission regularly places leg bands and transmitters on a number of turkeys for research purposes. These birds are lawful to harvest and should be reported if harvested or found dead. Information should be reported by following instructions on the band.
2ND GOBBLER TAGS
A second spring turkey license can be purchased from any issuing agent or at the Game Commission’s website before May 2, 2026 — the start of the regular spring turkey season. Licenses purchased online are mailed to hunters and cannot be used before they’re received. While the second license allows hunters to harvest up to two gobblers, only one turkey may be taken per day.
In Pennsylvania, a device that represents a fanned turkey tail cannot be used to conceal a hunter. The unlawful use of such a device has led to a hunter being shot. Know the law and stay safe while hunting.