HARRISBURG -- Another opportunity awaits Pennsylvania hunters. The state’s fall turkey season, which is held in 20 of 22 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs), kicks off Saturday, Nov. 1.
“Fall turkey season is a special time for Pennsylvania hunters,” said Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith. “It’s an opportunity to be out during one of the most beautiful times of the year, matching wits with one of Pennsylvania’s most-challenging game birds. And for those willing to put in the effort, it’s incredibly rewarding.”
The fall season is closed in WMUs 5C and 5D. For the remaining WMUs, the season lengths are as follows: WMUs 1A, 2G, 3A, 4A, 4B and 4D – Nov. 1-Nov. 15; WMUs 1B, 3D, 4C and 4E – Nov. 1-Nov. 8; WMUs 2A, 2F, 3B, and 3C – Nov. 1-Nov. 15 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 are advised that the three-day Thanksgiving season again will run Wednesday, Thursday and Friday only in applicable WMUs.
This fall, Sundays are open for turkey hunting if they fall within the established season dates for a WMU. In state parks, though, only three Sundays – Nov. 16, Nov. 23 and Nov. 30 – are open for hunting.
As a reminder, no single-projectile firearms may be used in the fall turkey seasons. Hunters may use shotguns with fine shot and archery gear only.
While fall turkey hunters no longer are required to wear fluorescent orange, the Game Commission highly recommends the use of orange, especially while moving.
Season outlook
Every licensed hunter receives one fall turkey harvest tag and one spring turkey harvest tag.
During the fall season, both male and female turkeys can be harvested.
The inclusion of Sundays into this year’s fall turkey seasons have added between one and three additional days for turkey hunters to take part, depending on the season length for the WMU.
Game Commission wild turkey biologist Reina Tyl said turkey hunters could find more-challenging conditions afield this fall compared to last, given the 2025 summer turkey sighting survey showed below-average turkey poult recruitment this year, likely due in part to wet spring conditions, which can compromise nest success.
The 2.7 poults per all hens observed in the annual survey conducted during July and August is below 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 per hen, indicating quite a bit of variation in reproductive success across the state.
Reproductive success varies due to many factors, particularly spring and summer rainfall, temperature, habitat conditions, predation, insect abundance and hen condition.
“This annual summer survey allows us to estimate the number of turkey poults seen per hen throughout the state during July and August,” said Tyl. “It is an index of reproductive success over time. We use this in our turkey population model and to assess trends in populations, and as part of our fall turkey season recommendation process.”
Harvests and reporting
Successful fall turkey hunters must tag their birds according to instructions provided on the printed harvest tags supplied with their licenses, then report harvests.
While licensed hunters and mentored permit holders ages 7 and older receive their own tags, mentored hunters under 7 must receive a tag from their mentor.
The turkey must be tagged immediately after harvest and before it is moved, and the tag must be securely attached to a leg until the bird is prepared for consumption or mounting.
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 to 1-800-838-4431 or mailing in a prepaid postcard found within the 2025-26 Hunting & Trapping Digest.
Hunters phoning in their turkey harvest reports will need to have their license and harvest tag information in front of them when they make the call. Hunters should also write down the confirmation number associated with their completed turkey harvest report.
All hunters reporting harvests are asked to identify the WMU, county and township where the bird was taken as well as other information.
Additionally, hunters harvesting a turkey that’s been leg-banded or equipped with a transmitter for research purposes should follow the instructions on the band or the transmitter. Last winter, the Game Commission leg-banded almost 950 turkeys (over 4,000 since 2020), and placed backpack-style transmitters on 142 of them (over 700 since 2022) in a continuing effort to track turkey populations.
Handling harvested birds
While wild turkeys are highly susceptible to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), their behavior and habitat use place them at less risk of contracting the disease compared to waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors and avian scavengers.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses can be carried by wild birds and have been found across the Pennsylvania landscape. To protect themselves and to reduce the risk of spreading this extremely contagious disease to other birds, hunters are advised to practice the following precautions:
- Have dedicated footwear, clothing, and tools that are only used for handling or dressing harvested wild birds.
- Do not handle or harvest wild birds that appear sick or are found dead.
- Wear gloves when handling or dressing harvested wild birds.
- Do not eat, drink, or smoke when handling or dressing harvested wild birds.
- Dress harvested wild birds in the field.
- Double-bag any offal and feathers that will be removed from the field.
- Wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer immediately after handling or dressing harvested wild birds.
- Wash all tools and work surfaces with soap and water after using them, then disinfect with a 10% household bleach solution. Allow to air dry or rinse after 10 minutes of contact time.
- Change footwear and clothing before coming in contact with any domestic poultry or pet birds.
While influenza viruses can infect humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared that currently in the United States “viruses circulating in birds are believed to pose a low risk to the general public.”
Any sick or dead domestic birds should be reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture at 717-772-2852.
Sick or dead wild birds should be reported to the Game Commission at 1-833-PGC-WILD.