Spring gobbler season is under way! Hunters aged 16 and younger can take advantage of an early-season opportunity beginning a half-hour before sunrise on Saturday, April 25. Hunters of all ages then can participate in the May 2 opener of the statewide spring gobbler season, which runs through May 30.
Last spring, the statewide wild turkey population was estimated at almost 235,000 birds, which compares to the previous 5-year average of 169,000. Year in and year out, Pennsylvania ranks near the top for turkey harvests. In 2014, the state’s hunters harvested more than 41,000 turkeys during the spring season.
Hunting Hours
Hunting hours begin one-half hour before sunrise and end at noon for the first 2 weeks of the statewide season: May 2 through May 16. Hunters are asked to be out of the woods by 1 PM, after hunting hours end at noon. This is to minimize disturbance to nesting hens.
From May 18 through May 30, hunting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset. The all-day season allows more opportunity at the point in the season when hunting pressure is lower and nesting hens are less likely to abandon nests.
Licensing and Other Regulations
During the spring gobbler season, hunters may use manually operated or semiautomatic shotguns limited to a 3-shell capacity in the chamber and magazine combined. Muzzle-loading shotguns, crossbows, and long, recurve, and compound bows also are permitted.
There is no requirement for hunters to wear fluorescent orange during the spring turkey season, but KTA strongly recommends that all hikers and other secondary trail users continue to protect themselves by wearing a minimum of 250 square inches on the head, chest, and back combined and visible 360 degrees. Click here for an easy guide to the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s minimum requirements for wearing blaze orange during different hunting seasons.