CONTACT:
Dan Ellingwood: 603-352-9669
Andy Timmins: 603-271-2461
April 7, 2026
Concord, NH – The Granite State’s spring turkey season opens on May 1 and runs through May 31. The annual youth turkey hunt takes place the preceding weekend, Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department urges hunters to take advantage of the state’s weather, woodlands, and natural resources this year with hunting safety in mind.
During the 2025 youth weekend, young hunters harvested 388 turkeys, or 8.0% of the total spring harvest. To participate in the youth weekend, hunters must be aged 15 or younger and be accompanied by a properly licensed adult aged 18 or older. The mentoring adult may not carry a firearm or bow. Youth hunters do not need a hunting license, but they must have a valid turkey permit, which is $16 for residents and $31 for nonresidents. Accompanying adults must hold either a current New Hampshire hunting or archery license and a turkey permit.
In total, hunters harvested 4,846 turkeys statewide in 2025, representing a modest increase over the prior year. “New Hampshire saw normal nesting success rates in 2024 and 2025, laying the foundation for another productive spring season ahead,” said Dan Ellingwood, Fish and Game’s Turkey Project Leader.
New in 2026, hunters might encounter a leg-banded wild turkey while in the field this spring. Over the winter, Department biologists captured and banded male and female wild turkeys throughout the state as part of a multi-year study. “Data collected through band recovery will provide numerous insights into the state’s turkey population status, strengthening turkey management in New Hampshire,” Ellingwood said. Hunters play a key role in this data collection effort by reporting leg band numbers from birds they harvest. Band numbers must be reported during the mandatory registration of harvested birds. Band numbers may also be reported online at https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/wildlife-and-habitat/wild-turkeys-new-hampshire/turkey-surveys or by calling 603-271-2461. In addition to harvested turkeys, the public is asked to report the band number of any deceased banded turkey they encounter.
Hunters should be aware of and continue to take precautions to safeguard against the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) detected in avian species in New Hampshire and across the country. HPAI is a virus that occurs mainly in wild birds but typically does not cause high mortality. The main risk of the virus is to domestic poultry. In New Hampshire, the HPAI virus has previously been detected in numerous waterfowl species. No wild turkeys in New Hampshire have tested positive for the virus. Hunters, however, are encouraged to take extra precautions including:
- Do not harvest or handle birds that are obviously sick or found dead.
- Dress and dispose of game birds in an area away from domestic birds.
- Wear rubber gloves when field dressing your bird.
- Wash hands with soap and water or alcohol-based sanitizer after handling wild birds.
- Use dedicated tools for processing wild birds, or clean and disinfect tools that may also be used around domestic birds.
- Disinfect tools using a freshly mixed chlorine solution consisting of 1/3 cup of household bleach per 1 gallon of water.
- Avoid cross-contamination. Keep uncooked game in a separate container away from cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
- Cook game meat thoroughly. Poultry should reach an internal temperature of 165°F to kill disease organisms and parasites.
To learn more about HPAI, visit Avian Influenza | Wildlife | New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (state.nh.us).
Turkey hunters will 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 after take, and all birds must be registered within 24 hours. Hunters choosing to harvest two birds in the spring (where permitted) must register their first bird prior to taking a second bird. To learn more about registering your harvest, visit https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/check-stations-registration.
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 (WMUs) H1, H2, J2, K, L, or M.
Turkey hunters who harvest a second bird during the spring season forfeit their chance to participate in the statewide fall archery and shotgun seasons. The fall shotgun season is restricted to designated WMUs. Read about all regulations in the NH Hunting Digest by visiting https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh.
People who would like to try hunting turkeys this spring and were unable to complete Hunter Education in time should consider the Apprentice Hunting License. This 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 at https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/hunter-education or call (603) 271-3422 for more information.
