HARRISBURG, Pa. (EYT) \u2014 Pennsylvania\u2019s fall turkey hunting season will begin Saturday, October 31, in 20 of the state\u2019s 22 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs), with hunters seeing slightly improved turkey reproduction numbers heading into the season.<\/p>\n
The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced the opening dates Tuesday, October 27, noting that season lengths vary by wildlife management unit based on local turkey population trends.<\/p>\n
Fall turkey hunting will remain closed in WMUs 5C and 5D.<\/p>\n
For WMUs 1A, 2G, 3A, 4A, 4B and 4D, the season will run from October 31 through November 15.<\/p>\n
Hunters in WMUs 1B, 3D, 4C and 4E will have a shorter season, running from October 31 through November 8.<\/p>\n
In WMUs 2A, 2F, 3B and 3C, the season will run from October 31 through November 15, with an additional hunting period November 25 through November 27.<\/p>\n
WMUs 2B, 2C, 2D and 2E will have a season running from October 31 through November 20, followed by an additional three-day period November 25 through November 27.<\/p>\n
The shortest season will be in WMUs 5A and 5B, where hunting will be permitted from October 31 through November 3.<\/p>\n
The additional Thanksgiving hunting period will run Wednesday, November 25, through Friday, November 27, only in designated WMUs.<\/p>\n
Hunters are reminded that single-projectile firearms are prohibited during the fall turkey season. Only shotguns using fine shot and archery equipment are permitted.<\/p>\n
Although fluorescent orange clothing is no longer required for fall turkey hunters, the Game Commission strongly recommends wearing orange, particularly when moving through wooded areas.<\/p>\n
According to the Game Commission, statewide turkey reproduction increased slightly in 2026 compared to the previous year.<\/p>\n
The agency\u2019s annual summer turkey sighting survey recorded 10,888 observations during July and August, compared to 10,674 in 2025.<\/p>\n
The statewide reproductive index reached 2.83 poults per hen, up from 2.67 in 2025, although still below the previous five-year average of 2.94.<\/p>\n
Only one wildlife management unit, WMU 4D, reported a reproductive index below 2.0 poults per hen.<\/p>\n
\u201cFall turkey hunters, in most WMUs, may find more or larger brood-flocks compared to last season,\u201d said Game Commission Wild Turkey Biologist Reina Tyl.<\/p>\n
Tyl explained that the length of each WMU\u2019s fall hunting season is determined by turkey population trends, with growing populations generally supporting additional hunting opportunities.<\/p>\n
The agency also noted that several fall turkey seasons have been extended through Sunday this year, providing additional opportunities for hunters.<\/p>\n
Every hunter who purchases a Pennsylvania hunting license receives one fall turkey tag and one spring turkey tag.<\/p>\n
During the fall season, hunters may harvest either male or female turkeys.<\/p>\n
Successful hunters must immediately tag their turkey before moving it from the harvest location. The tag must remain attached to the bird\u2019s leg until it is prepared for consumption or mounting.<\/p>\n
All turkey harvests must be reported to the Game Commission within 10 days.<\/p>\n
Hunters can report their harvest online at pgc.pa.gov, by calling 1-800-838-4431 or by mailing the prepaid reporting postcard provided with their license.<\/p>\n
Reports must include the wildlife management unit, county and township where the turkey was harvested, along with the bird\u2019s sex and age.<\/p>\n
Mentored hunters younger than 7 now receive their own fall turkey tags and no longer need to have a tag transferred from their mentor.<\/p>\n
The Game Commission is also reminding hunters to take precautions against highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has been detected in wild birds throughout Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
Although wild turkeys are considered at lower risk of contracting the disease than waterfowl and certain other bird species, hunters are encouraged to practice safe handling procedures.<\/p>\n
Recommended precautions include wearing gloves when handling harvested birds, avoiding contact with birds that appear sick, cleaning equipment and work surfaces after use, and changing clothing and footwear before coming into contact with domestic poultry.<\/p>\n
Hunters are also encouraged to dress harvested birds in the field and properly dispose of feathers and other remains.<\/p>\n
Sick or dead wild birds should be reported to the Game Commission at 1-833-PGC-WILD, while sick or dead domestic birds should be reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture at 717-772-2852.<\/p>\n
Additional hunting regulations and information are available through the Pennsylvania Game Commission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HARRISBURG, Pa. (EYT) \u2014 Pennsylvania\u2019s fall turkey hunting season will begin Saturday, October 31, in 20 of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316960,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[129170,28,9183,30,66662,29,129171,129172,33625],"class_list":["post-316959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-fall-turkey-hunting","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-game-commission","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-hunting","tag-pennsylvania-news","tag-turkey-hunting-season","tag-turkey-season-2026","tag-wild-turkey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}