Pennsylvania Game Commission asks for wild turkey sightings to be reported

Harrisburg — The Pennsylvania Game Commission is again asking the public to report sightings of all wild turkeys they see this summer. The annual Wild Turkey Summer Sighting Survey runs July 1 through Aug. 31.

Public participation is important for wild turkey population management. These reports allow the agency to estimate how good the wild turkey “hatch” was and compare long-term reproductive success within Pennsylvania and across states, as this is a standard methodology used across the country.

Data also are used in a population model to track trends in wild turkey numbers.

Wild turkey sightings can be reported through the Game Commission’s website at https://pgcforms.pa.gov/TurkeySightingSurvey. The mobile app no longer is available.

Participants are asked to report the number of wild turkeys they see, along with the county, township, wildlife management unit, date of the sighting and their contact information so agency biologists can reach out if they have any questions about the report.

MORE TURKEY COVERAGE FROM OUTDOOR NEWS:

Wisconsin’s initial ’26 spring turkey kill 8.6% over 5-year average

Minnesota turkey hunters take third most birds in state history

Illinois hunters set new turkey harvest record for third straight year

Participants may also simply drop a “pin” on the map for the location data to automatically populate. Location data are used only for the survey, not for law enforcement, and are not shared publicly.

Viewers can also access wildlife management unit- and state-level sighting report summaries from previous years.

“The summer sighting survey enhances our agency’s ability to monitor wild turkey productivity and is used in our turkey population model,” said Game Commission Turkey Biologist Reina Tyl.

“Participants should report all turkeys seen, whether gobblers, hens with broods, hens without broods, or turkeys of unknown sex and age.”

Many factors, including spring weather, habitat conditions, previous winter food abundance, predation risk, and last fall’s harvest affect wild turkey productivity.

The statewide reproductive success index from last summer – the average ratio of young turkeys (poults) seen per hen – was 2.7, which was down a bit compared to the average productivity observed across the previous five years (3.0 poults per hen from 2020-24).

At the wildlife management unit level, the number of poults per hen ranged from a low of 1.7 in Unit 5D to a high of 4.8 in Unit 4D during 2025.

This survey includes input from both agency personnel and the public.

“Thanks to the great public participation we’ve had so far, we have been able to increase our confidence in the survey results,” Tyl said.

“Your continued participation in this survey will ensure we have the best information to manage our wild turkey population.”