Fall is an exciting time to turkey hunt and is a unique challenge compared to the spring hunt. Unlike the spring, turkeys are not as vocal. They’re not showing off, they’re interested in food. This challenges hunters to look for clues and find their food source and is a great opportunity to scout for deer while hunting turkey.
Youth day is Saturday, September 18 and the regular season is September 20 – November 6. We hope you have a great season! Before you go, here are a few reminders:
Fall wild turkey registration updates
A wild turkey harvested in the fall season does not need to be registered or have a label attached for transport. All wild turkeys harvested in the spring season must still be registered and have a label attached for transport.
As a result of a law passed during the 130th Maine Legislature, the requirement to secure a transportation tag and register wild turkeys in the fall of 2021 has been eliminated. Until this fall, in-person registration has been required since the inception of the turkey hunt in Maine. Over the past several years the Department has worked to update our turkey management system, including partnering with the University of Maine on a four-year research project with the goal of improving our understanding of wild turkey biology and population size at the Wildlife Management District level. The spring turkey registration system continues to be essential to successfully managing turkeys. The Department is studying alternative ways for the public to register wild turkeys for the future.
If you shoot a turkey with a band or transmitter, please report it using the contact information printed on the bird’s leg band or radio transmitter. All radio transmitters must be submitted to MDIFW. Hunters can keep any leg bands or wing tags as long as they have reported them to MDIFW.
Know the seasonal AND daily bag limit
The seasonal bag limit varies by Wildlife Management District (WMD), with some WMDs having a bag limit of 0, 1, 2, 3, or 5 wild turkeys. In addition to the seasonal bag limit, there is a daily bag limit of 2 wild turkeys. This means even if a hunter is hunting in a WMD with a seasonal bag limit of 5 wild turkeys, they may only harvest 2 turkeys in one day.
If hunting in a WMD with a season limit that is under 5 wild turkeys, the hunter may hunt in another WMD and harvest additional turkey, but cannot exceed the daily or seasonal bag limit.
