The 2023 Turkey Season is still on and will open May 1 (youth weekend April 29-30)

Vermont boasts the best wild turkey hunting in New England. Considered "Big Game" under Vermont law, you will easily understand why after hunting them. Flocks of up to 100 can be counted in late winter and they are highly visible most of the year. But when hunting season comes in May, their prowess in avoiding the hunter puts them way ahead of any small game species and certainly on a par with deer and bear.

Dates

The area that a turkey lives in is called its home range. A turkey's home range may be from 400 to 4,000 acres. A turkey needs several types of habitat within its range:

Forests which include trees that produce nuts for food, large trees for roosting, and evergreens for winter cover. Southern slopes are preferred because they are warmer in the winter and have less snow accumulation.

     Open fields provide nesting sites and insects during the summer.

     Croplands provide forage for food.

     Tall grass and shrubs provide both feeding habitat as well as areas for hiding nests.

     Southeastern and southwestern Vermont are dominated by hardwood stands and openings that provide the best habitat for turkeys in the state. The Champlain Valley also features excellent turkey habitat. Far northern Vermont has extremely cold winters and high snow fall that can limit the survival of turkeys. This is also true of the higher elevations of the Green Mountains.

Seasons, Dates, Limits