There are big changes planned for the 2027 Spring Gobbler Season. The boards will likely be adding Sundays to the May hunt which is great but it comes at a price.

They are planning on eliminating the second gobbler tag.

The PGC has a new turkey biologist, Reina Tyl. She admits that adding Sundays and taking additional longbeards won't impact the overall population but is concerned about the impact it might have on "hunter experience." She thinks it would result in hunters seeing more Jakes and less longbeards the following season.

So she is proposing eliminating the 2nd Spring Gobbler tag for a minimum of three years and likely permanently.

My opinion is that it is too high a price to pay for Sunday hunting. I love the 2nd tag. Even though I don't always fill it, it keeps me hunting after I kill that first longbeard.

I would much rather keep things the way they currently are rather than add a few days to the season at the cost of the 2nd tag.

If you have an opinion on this, contact the PGC and let them know.

More than happy to see the 2nd tag go away. I love hunting em as much as you do but with that, the population in a lot of areas isn't what it was or even close. Where I went to college we'd see 6-8 longbeards in a field in the weeks before season and now you are lucky to see 1-2.

I think trapper's need to make a come back and get rid of all these darned coons and possum, which would likely help the turkey's in a big way and then we can go back to hunting 2 of em!

How long is your season? I wish we had more time here. We have a lot of birds though.

After tag out it IS legal for you to
participate as the caller for others.
Calling is the thrill.
Steady workers and students may like this.
If about meat the farm is cheaper and way better.
(We have a good local one)

^^ This, I don't care about shooting them honestly. It's more about hearing that first gobble off the limb and seeing them strut their stuff

Do they have a figure on what percentage of hunters kill a second gobbler?
If they don’t then they aren’t sharing some valuable information.

Missouri just limited nonresidents to 1 gobbler. Residents can still take 2.

The turkey population is in trouble in most areas of the country due to declining numbers. And a lot of studies show the problem is reduced survival of the hatch. Lots of theories as to why and predators are certainly one of those factors but not the only one. Bottom line, the survival rates are not replacing them as fast as we can kill them so until we understand the many factors affecting the survival issues, reducing the kill seems reasonable.

Many states have reduced the limits in recent years and I expect more will do so. One state has gone from 5 to 2 and is making adjustments to season dates. Others have reduced tags in other ways. This is not just a PA problem.

I keep hoping someone will figure out the missing link causing the low survival issues. Reducing nest predators is certainly not going to hurt the turkey population but it is not going to solve the problem either.

It's usually about a month long.

They do and it's always been minimal.

From 2021-2025 took an average of 36,436 spring turkey annually. That averaged to 29,488 taken by adult hunters, 1,657 taken by youth hunters and 5,290 by folks who bought the $22.00 second tag.. That's about 14% of the annual kill.

Killing male turkeys after the hens have been bred has very little impact on the population. that's why the season is set up the way it is.

Turkey populations have been down across the state for 6-7 years due mostly to several harsh winter/springs and the high predator population. The PGC says the population has increased the last two years.

They also admit that both the second tag and the added Sundays will not impact the population.

The new biologist is simply concerned about "hunter experience." She's worried we won't see as many longbeards.

I do plenty of calling for my buddies but that is definitely the thrill for me.

For me it's all about working an educated three or four-year-old longbeard, sometimes for many days until I can finally call him in close and seal the deal. It's one of my favorite things to do.

I'll gladly call two-year-olds in for my buddies and that makes them happy but...

Good points.

In PA, especially northern PA we had a series of very cold and rainy/snowy springs several years ago that really negatively affected brood survival rates. The population has been recovering from that for the last two years.

And that really is what it is all about, the percentage of hatchling survival is what directly affects population numbers.

It is a known fact that killing male turkeys after the hens have been bred does very little to negatively impact the following year's population numbers.

They could do what they are planning and eliminate harvest of jakes except for kids.

Back in the 80’s when coons were worth $25 our poult counts - even in mediocre habitat - were north of 4 poults per hen. We have not had poult counts anywhere near that since the fur market crash in 1988 - now 1.5 poults per hen. A $25 coon in 1980 is the equivalent of a $100 coon in 2026. If coons were worth $100 today, the turkey population would be on the increase - and so would quail, ducks, rabbits, etc.

In my life the turkey #s followed the
furbearer harvest exactly.

Perhaps With a license increase to compensate the
monies lost to the extra tag we can get a politician
to explain this in a way that no-one will understand.

How is the tail bounty doing in the Daks?
In relation to the ringnecks?
Lemme guess, more warm rain.

Some traction for ya Lug lol.