Fall turkey hunting season opened in most Pennsylvania WMUs

Pennsylvania hunters have an added species to pursue since the fall turkey season kicked off Nov. 1 in most WMU’s of the state with the exception of WMUs 5C and 5D.

The remaining units, the season lengths are as follows: WMUs 1A, 2G, 3A, 4A, 4B, and 4D which are Nov. 1-Nov. 15; WMUs 1B, 3D, 4C, and 4E – Nov. 1-Nov. 8; WMUs 2A, 2F, 3B and 3C that run Nov. 1-Nov. 1 and Nov. 26-28; WMUs 2B, 2C, 2D and 2E Nov. 1-Nov. 21 and Nov. 26-28; and WMU 5A and 5B – Nov. 1-Nov. 4. Hunters should be aware that the three-day Thanksgiving season will again run Wednesday, Thursday and Friday only in applicable WMUs 

In addition, for this fall, Sunday hunting is open for turkey if they fall within the established season dates for an WMU. 

During the fall season, both male and female turkeys can be harvested. 

As for the prospects, Pennsylvania wild turkey biologist Reina Tyl said hunters could find more challenging conditions compared to last season. This is due to below-average turkey poult recruitment per a turkey sighting survey, likely due in part to wet spring conditions which can compromise nest success. 

The survey in July and August showed 2.7 poults per all hens observed compared to the previous five-year average of 3.0 poults per hen. At the WMU level, the numbers ranged from a low of 1.7 to a high of 4.8 poults. 

Reproductive success varies due to many factors, particularly spring and summer rainfall, temperature, habitat conditions, predators, insect abundance and hen condition. Tyl explained that this is an index of reproductive success over time. 

If taking a mentored hunter turkey hunting, the PGC says a mentored hunter with a mentored permit, allows hunters ages 7 and older receive their own tags whereas hunters under 7 must receive a tag from their mentor. 

Turkey hunters should keep in mind that you must report your turkey harvest within 10 days of harvest either by reporting it online at www.Hunt.Fish.PA.gov, or by calling the PGC toll free at 800-838-4431 or mailing with the prepaid postcard that comes with the 2025-26 Hunting and Trapping Digest when purchasing your hunting license. 

If phoning in your report, hunters need to provide their license and harvest tag information, and to write down the confirmation number you’ll get when completing the harvest report. All hunters reporting harvests are asked to identify the WMU, county and township the bird was taken. And if the turkey had been leg-banded or equipped with a transmitter for research purposes and to follow the instructions on the band or transmitter. 

Last winter the PGC leg-banded almost 950 turkeys (over 4,000 since 2020) and placed backpack-style transmitters on 142 of them (over 700 since 2022) in an effort to track turkey populations. 

As a precaution, the agency recommends not handling harvested birds that appear sick or are found dead from disease. Any sick or dead wild turkeys should be reported to the PGC at 833-PGC-WILD. 
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