Pennsylvania
Not available
Wild Turkey Population
Easterns
Turkey Subspecies
165,000
Number of Licenses Sold Annually
$20.97 to $42.94
Hunting license, $20.97; resident special spring turkey license (allows the harvest of a second turkey), $21.97
Cost of Resident License and Permit
$101.97 to $143.94
Hunting license, $101.97; nonresident special spring turkey license (allows the harvest of a second turkey), $41.97
Cost of Non-Resident License and Permit
The hunting culture thrives in Pennsylvania. Turkeys. Deer. Small game. Even waterfowl.
Wear camouflage to a roadside diner during spring turkey season, and chances are someone with a smile on their face will ask if you managed to kill a bird.
About 165,000 licensed turkey hunters roam the woods — far higher than in most states. During spring 2022, they shot about 36,000 turkeys. The outlook for 2023 is good, too, thanks to above-average 2021 reproduction throughout much of the state. In fact, new data suggests that turkey numbers are stable to increasing in most areas of Pennsylvania.
Hunting pressure can make things difficult in some regions, especially for birds you see strutting from a distance while glassing from the road. Then again, if you walk far and long on public property, you will definitely have a chance at hearing turkeys, especially in mountain country.
North-central Pennsylvania counties and the vast state game lands there attract 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. WMU 4D (central Pennsylvania) puts up consistent harvest numbers, too.
Go here for more Realtree turkey hunting.
