North-central Pennsylvania counties
, where I’m originally from, and the vast state game lands found there, draw Keystone State hunters. This region is one of the truly wild places left in the United States. Elsewhere to the northwest, Allegheny National Forest (517,000 acres) usually has birds.
Where are turkeys in PA?
The wild turkey is a shy, permanent resident of Pennsylvania’s
woods and mountains
.
Where is the best place to turkey hunt?
Tennessee
is at the top of many turkey hunters’ lists, mostly because it’s a beautiful state with liberal limits, lots of public land, and accessible to most anyone in the eastern half of the US.
Can you hunt turkey in PA?
(Second spring gobbler may be only taken by persons who possess a valid special wild turkey license.) From April 30-May 14, legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until noon; from May 16-31, legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset.
Where are turkeys in the Big woods?
If an area is devoid of acres of fields, turkeys live in the woods. But they still gravitate to edges of openings like cleared power lines and blueberry barrens, and are often found lingering in
selectively cut parcels and woodlots that are still relatively open
.
How many turkey hunters are in Pennsylvania?
The Pennsylvania Game Commission expects
more than 100,000
hunters to pursue wild turkeys in the fall season, which opens Saturday. Hunting license sales are up, but the number of turkey hunters likely will be about the same as last year, when an estimated 100,100 hunters took part in the fall turkey hunting season.
Can you hunt turkey all day in PA?
From May 17 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.
Can you hunt turkey with a 22 in PA?
HARRISBURG, Pa. —
Pennsylvania’s Game Commission is eliminating the use of rifles from fall turkey hunting
. The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners voted to make the change at a meeting Saturday.
Can you turkey hunt on Sundays in Pennsylvania?
The license year begins July 1 and ends June 30. SUNDAY HUNTING:
It is unlawful to hunt on Sundays except foxes, crows and coyotes
. Other exceptions are included with species seasons below.
What time of day is best to hunt turkey?
General Weather Conditions: As a general rule of thumb, turkeys are most active during calm, clear days in
morning and early afternoon hours
. Turkey activity generally decreases with bad weather conditions including wind and rain.
How early should I be in the woods for turkey hunting?
Most states allow hunting a half-hour before sunrise so be in the woods early. How early? Get to your setup site
at least 30 to 45 minutes before shooting light
.
How do you find a turkey in the woods?
- Proximity to water. The old hunter’s adage suggesting, “Turkeys love to roost where they can hear their droppings hit water,” rings true here.
- Heavy, mature timber. …
- Open areas. …
- Evergreens. …
- Shelter sites. …
- Look for sign. …
- Use your ears. …
- Use your eyes.
Can you hunt turkey from a tree stand in PA?
Yes you can hunt them from a treestand
.
Can you reap turkeys in PA?
It’s also
illegal in Pennsylvania
. Fanning, sometimes also called reaping, is the technique of belly-crawling across an open field or pasture behind a turkey’s fanned tail feathers. Some hunters use an actual turkey fan; others use one of the many fan decoys on the market.
Can you hunt spring turkey with a rifle in PA?
(2) Prohibitions. While hunting turkey during the spring turkey season,
it is unlawful to: (i) Use or possess a centerfire, rimfire or muzzleloading firearm that propels single projectile ammunition
, except as authorized under section 2525 of the act.
Do turkeys like open woods?
Cover – Although turkeys use forests for cover and roosting in the tall hardwood trees at night,
they also like open and brushy areas for feeding, mating, nesting and rearing their young
. Turkeys actually depend on a mix of open fields, pasture and forested for their survival.
Do turkeys like thick woods?
This gobbler is avoiding thick dense young tree growth to stay in a more open woods with older trees. Turkeys have keen vision, both long-range and peripheral. They use it daily to detect danger from predators.
If tree growth is too thick, they feel insecure and won’t use the area.
Will turkeys come down hill?
Turkeys walk downhill as well as uphill
, and I’ve called them up and down many times.
Can you bait turkeys in PA?
Aside from a few, very narrow exceptions,
hunting through the use of bait is illegal in Pennsylvania
. Yet, each year, it remains one of the top violations for which Game Commission wildlife conservation officers file charges.
Can you use dogs to hunt turkey in PA?
Fall turkey hunting with dogs is still so new in Pennsylvania (it was legalized in 2007) that few hunters here have adopted the practice
. In addition, the statewide one-bird fall limit cools hunters’ incentive to acquire and keep a dog for limited use.
Can you hunt turkeys with a crossbow in PA?
Hunters have been permitted for years to use crossbows during spring gobbler; fall turkey
; firearms bear; elk; and two week firearms deer season. There has been no changes made to these regulations. Crossbows may not have a draw weight less than 125 pounds.
When can you hunt spring gobbler all day in PA?
Beginning Monday, May 16, Pennsylvania turkey hunters will be permitted to hunt
from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset until the end of the spring season, Tuesday, May 31
.
Can I hunt on my own land without a license in PA?
In Pennsylvania,
you may not hunt private property without the permission of the landowner
. Written permission is not required, but it is advisable.
What Sundays are you allowed to hunt in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania still has only three Sundays open to hunting (
Nov. 14, 21 and 28
), but the species that you can hunt during those days has been expanded. Last year, Sunday hunting was only open for deer and bear.
Can you hunt turkey with an AR 15?
A standard AR-15 is a perfect rifle to take a turkey with
. And you can be the head of your local chapter of “. 223’s for Tom’s”, with a few basic considerations if you live in one of those states above (we may have missed a couple, thanks to newer regulations passed during the past year of lockdown mayhem).
How do you hunt fall turkey in PA?
- Infiltrate a Roost. Like spring hunts, fall outings often begin in the dark. …
- Find a Flock. After fly-down time, walk quietly, looking, listening, and occasionally yelping. …
- Lay an Ambush. …
- Goad a Gobbler.
