CONTACT:
Dan Ellingwood: (603) 352-9669
Andrew Timmins: (603) 271-2461
May 19, 2025
Concord, NH – The Granite State’s spring turkey hunting season is now at its midpoint. The youth weekend took place on April 26–27, and the regular spring season, which began on May 1, will conclude on May 31. Reporting suggests that the season is off to a successful start for New Hampshire turkey hunters. Preliminary results show that 368 turkeys were harvested during the youth weekend, representing a modest decrease from last year’s total of 422 birds.
As of May 14, 3,503 harvested turkeys have been recorded, which is comparable (-3.2%) to the 2024 harvest of 3,618 turkeys at this point in the season. These preliminary results are conservative, representing online registrations and incomplete reporting from traditional in-person check stations. Results will be updated as registrations are received; final harvest numbers will be reported after the season closes.
“Rainy conditions over youth weekend, as well as the first 2 weeks of the regular season have likely had an impact on harvest totals,” said Dan Ellingwood, the NH Fish and Game Department’s Turkey Project Leader. “Many parts of the state saw over a tenth of an inch of rain per day during the first 10 days of the regular season, affecting both hunter activity and bird behavior. New Hampshire’s turkey population is also still rebounding from a poor nesting season in 2023, the carryover effects of which are reflected in reduced abundance of 2-year-old birds on the landscape.”
Hunters who successfully harvested a turkey in 2024 should have received a Turkey Hunter Survey in the mail this season. NH Fish and Game reminds hunters who received these survey cards to please fill them out and mail them back by June 10, 2025, to be entered into a raffle drawing. The information reported by hunters through this survey provides valuable insight regarding both turkey and furbearer species management. The survey is conducted in partnership with the New Hampshire Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, which generously donates raffle prizes in support of this continued wildlife-monitoring effort.
“The spring season has already been a successful one for many Granite State turkey hunters, but 2025 will probably not be a record-breaking year,” said Ellingwood. “There is still plenty of time to keep hunting, and the second half of the season is a great opportunity to use the State’s Apprentice Hunting License Program to mentor a new hunter.”
The Apprentice Hunting License allows those age 16 and older interested in trying hunting to do so under the guidance of an experienced hunter without first taking Hunter Education. Learn more by visiting www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/hunter-education/apprentice-hunting-licenses or calling 603-271-3422. All other hunters must have completed a Hunter Education class. To learn more visit www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/hunter-education.
Spring turkey hunters interested in harvesting two male or bearded birds may take one bird statewide and the other may only be taken in Wildlife Management Units (WMU) H1, H2, I1, J2, K, L, or M. The first bird must be legally registered before another bird can be harvested.
Turkey hunters who harvest a second bird during the spring season forfeit their chance to take a bird during the statewide fall archery and shotgun seasons. The fall shotgun season is restricted to designated WMUs. The fall season allows for the taking of one bird of either sex.
Turkey hunters continue to have the option to register their harvested birds online or in person at a local registration station. Regardless of registration method, all harvested birds must be affixed with the tag that is issued with the hunter’s turkey license immediately upon taking, and all birds must be registered within 24 hours.
With approximately half of New Hampshire turkey hunters registering their harvests online, Fish and Game would like to remind hunters to have a scale and ruler available to take accurate measurements of the weight, and beard and spur lengths of their birds. To learn more about registering your harvest, visit www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/turkey-hunting-new-hampshire/registering-turkey-online.
Wild turkey management is funded, in part, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Restoration Program.
