Pennsylvania's spring gobbler hunting season gets underway May 2

Come Saturday morning May 2, there will be yelps, clucks and gobbles emanating from Pennsylvania woodlands. That’s because it’s the start of the spring turkey hunting season that was preceded by a one-day mentored youth turkey hunt on April 25. 

The spring turkey season runs until May 16 when hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour before sunrise to noon, and May 18-30, when hunting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. 

Hunters are allowed one gobbler with their general license and a second one may be taken (but not on the same day) with an additional spring gobbler tag. And there is no Sunday hunting for spring gobblers this year, but that will change in 2027.

According to Reina Tyl, PGC turkey biologist, this season should be a good one. And for a little history, back in 1968, the state’s first spring gobbler season, the total harvest was 1,636 birds. In comparison, last year hunters took an estimated 42,543 birds. That was not far off the all-time record of 44,639, set in 2009.

Spring gobbler popularity has also increased. In 2025 Pennsylvania has an estimated 170,265 spring turkey hunters of which 10,701 were junior hunters.

As far as hunt able birds, Tyl says that according to summer sighting surveys, there was a poult-to-hen ratio that increased from 2.0 to an average of 3.22. “Those males that hatched in 2024 will be 2-year-old gobblers this spring turkey season.” Tyl continued by reporting that nearly one in four hunters (23 percent) harvested at least one gobbler last year.

If you’re new to the state, and during spring turkey season, hunters may use manually operated or semi-auto shotguns limited to a three-shell capacity in the chamber and magazine combined. Muzzleloader shotguns, crossbows and long, recurve and compound bows are permitted. Hunters should refrain from knowingly harvest a bearded hen because they do nest and raise broods.

For those using blinds while turkey hunting, they must be manufactured with manmade materials of sufficient  density to block movement within the blind from an observer outside the blind. Blinds must completely enclose the hunter on all four sides and from above. It’s unlawful to hunt turkeys from blinds made of natural materials such as logs, tree branches and piled rocks. Blinds that are advertised representing the fanned tail of a gobbler do not hide all hunter movement and are unsafe, and therefore are unlawful to use in Pennsylvania. 

Another safety reminder is that hunters may only pursue birds by calling. It’s unlawful to stalk turkeys or turkey sounds. 

You’re also asked you report turkeys harvested or found with leg bands or radio transmitters. Leg bands can be reported by calling the toll-free number on the tag or on the PGC website or email address. 

If you’re new to spring gobble hunting, the PGC offers this advice. As gobblers want to be seen and heard by hens, they’ll often choose roost sites that maximize how far their gobbling will travel. They’ll often display near field edges and forest openings like logging roads that increase their odds of being seen. 
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Upon harvesting a turkey, hunters must immediately tag their bird before moving it from the harvest site and must report the harvest to the PGC within 10 days. Hunters can report turkeys three ways: by visiting https://HuntFish.PA.gov and clicking the blue “Report a Harvest” button near the top of the page; by calling 800-838-4431 or by filling out and mailing the harvest report card in the hunting digest that comes when buying a hunting license. 

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