Your guide to wild turkey hunting season in New Hampshire
What you need to know about spring wild turkey hunting in New Hampshire, from rules and regulations to top locations.
It’s spring in New Hampshire. That means the sound of spring peepers in the air, the smell of lilacs blooming, and, of course, wild-turkey hunting season.
The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) has a fascinating history in the Granite State; once all but extinct, they’re everywhere now, prancing around front lawns, crossing busy streets, and roosting in backyard trees. They’re noisy, messy, not particularly good-looking, but undoubtedly kind of cool unless you’re one of the people who have been chased and chastised by the boisterous birds.
Last year, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department estimated there were 40,000 to 50,000 turkeys gobbling around the state. But there was a time when sighting one of the awkward, wild creatures was rare in these parts. In the mid-1850s, turkeys all but disappeared from New Hampshire, due to too much hunting and a loss of natural habitat, according to NH Audubon.
In 1969, New Hampshire Fish and Game tried to reintroduce the species into the state, starting at Pawtuckaway State Park. That effort failed, but another worked for more than expected when rangers released the birds in the Connecticut Valley 50 years ago. It was thought the state’s long winters and heavy snow cover would limit the amount of and access to the seeds and nuts found on the ground that wild turkeys thrive on. Not so much. These tough cookies manage not only to find other food, like corn, but also to ride out winters made milder by climate change.
Since 1980, the state has allowed wild turkey hunting. The spring season runs from now until the end of May, and in the fall from September 15 through December 8.
Rules & regulations
Here’s what you need to cull this now-ubiquitous Granite State bird, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. A wild turkey permit from Fish and Game, good for the spring and autumn wild turkey hunting season, is required and can be purchased online, $16 for residents and $31 for non-residents.
New Hampshire residents also have to have a current state hunting, archery, or combination hunting and archery license. Non-residents also need a big-game hunting or archery license. Hunters 15 years or under need a wild-turkey license, but don’t require a hunting license.
The state also has a set of rules and laws that turkey hunters must follow. Here are some of them (for a complete directory of the rules for the 2025 season, visit eregulations.com):
- It’s illegal to hunt turkey with any rifle, air rifle, or handgun.
- It’s illegal to kill a turkey perched in a tree.
- Hunters can’t use a dog to hunt turkeys except during the fall turkey season if the dog is used only to scatter a flock. They’re also not allowed to use electronic calling devices or live decoys.
- Bows are only allowed if they’re at least a 30-pound-pull bow. The hunter’s name and address have to be legibly printed on each arrow.
- Hunters can have a helper on their quest, but that helper can only assist by calling the bird and is not allowed to have a firearm or a bow and arrow with them.
- Hunters who take one turkey in the spring may take another turkey during either the fall archery or fall shotgun season. Hunters who harvest two birds in the spring can’t take another during the fall season.
- The turkey must be tagged immediately after harvest and registered within 24 hours, either online or in person at a registration station.
Top hunting locations
So you’ve got your licenses, your rules and regs. Now, where do you go for the best turkey hunting?
White Mountain National Forest is a federal park with over 751,000 acres of wooded land. According to New Hampshire Fish and Game, except for campgrounds and tourist spots, most of the forest is open for hunting.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it doesn’t get much better than the Great Bay Wildlife Refuge. This 1,000-acre area on the shore of Great Bay is situated in the town of Newington. With its swamps, ponds, streams, and forests, it is home sweet home to all kinds of wildlife, including turkeys. The Wildlife Service has this map of the refuge’s spring firearms turkey hunt area. The Wildlife Service has a list of Great Bay Hunter regulations on its site.
Turkey hunting is also allowed in Pawtuckaway and Bear Brook State Parks within certain sections. Each also has a state game-checking station nearby to register catch.
Is it safe?
There’s been a lot of news about bird flu, so is it safe to hunt wild turkeys?
According to the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services, avian influenza is “a virus that exists naturally in wild birds” and rarely infects humans. But some caution is advised, even though cases in wild birds are on the decline.
The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife advises that to avoid bird flu, you should steer clear of any turkeys that might look sick or appear dead, dress wild turkeys in the field after the hunt, and wash your hands with soap and water after touching the bird.
Can you eat them?
Wild turkeys are safe to eat if cooked to a temperature of 165 degrees. But don’t expect wild turkeys to cook or taste like that frozen Butterball you get for Thanksgiving. These wild birds have a lot of flavor but way less fat, and have mostly dark meat.
For directions and recipes on how to serve up these free-range gobblers, check out directions at fromfieldtotable.com.
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