Licensed junior hunters and mentored youth can head afield April 22 to participate in Pennsylvania’s annual youth spring turkey hunt. A week later on April 29, all hunters can head into Penn’s Woods in pursuit of spring gobblers.
There’s an increasing interest among hunters, said Mary Jo Casalena, wild turkey biologist.
A light turkey harvest last fall and a mild winter have set the stage for what could be a fast-starting spring gobbler season.
“Fall mast last year was spotty and turkeys responded by moving to those food sources, which in some cases meant they moved away from areas frequented by hunters,” Casalena said. “The fall turkey harvest dropped as a consequence. And while that might have been bad news for fall turkey hunters, it’s likely good news for spring turkey hunters because unfilled fall turkey tags typically lead to increased availability in the spring.
“Even though the Game Commission is not currently conducting any large-scale turkey research, there are still leg-banded turkeys remaining throughout the state from recently completed projects,” Casalena said. “If you are lucky enough to harvest a leg-banded turkey please call the toll-free number on the band and we will provide details of when and where the bird was tagged.”
All participants in the youth hunt must be accompanied by adults. A complete list of regulations applying to mentored youth and junior hunters can be found in the Hunting & Trapping Digest, issued at the time hunting licenses are purchased, and available online.
Hunting hours during the youth hunt end at noon.
Junior hunters and mentored youth may also participate in the statewide spring gobbler season. Hunting hours begin one-half hour before sunrise and end at noon for the first two weeks of the statewide season, April 29 through May 13. Hunters are asked to be out of the woods by 1 p.m. when hunting hours end at noon to minimize disturbance of nesting hens.
From May 15 through May 31, 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.
Hunters may use manually operated or semi-automatic shotguns limited to a three-shell capacity in the chamber and magazine combined. Muzzleloading shotguns, crossbows and long, recurve and compound bows also are permitted. For a complete list of regulations, consult Page 42 of the Hunting & Trapping Digest.
Successful turkey hunters must immediately tag the bird before moving the bird from the harvest site, and are required by law to report the harvest. For most hunters, harvests must be reported within 10 days. Mentored youth hunters must report harvests within five days. Hunters can report harvests by mailing the tear-out harvest report cards in the Hunting & Trapping Digest or report by phone at (855)724-8681.
To report a harvest online, click here.