On May 7, 2015

Vermont’s spring turkey hunting gets underway

What makes Vermont’s spring gobbler season special? Vermont’s turkey hunting is statewide for the entire month of May, and our turkey population is one of the highest in New England.

During regular spring turkey hunting season, May 1-31, shooting hours are one half hour before sunrise to noon. A shotgun or bow and arrow may be used in regular spring turkey hunting. Shot size must be no larger than #2 and no smaller than #8.

“Last year’s brood production was right around average,” said Vermont turkey project leader Amy Alfieri. “Even though turkey flocks are being seen across the state, the long winter with deep powder may result in a slightly lower than average harvest.”

Vermont’s wild turkey restoration program is a tremendous wildlife management success story, funded entirely by hunters through the sale of hunting licenses and a federal tax on hunting equipment. Vermont was the first New England state to reestablish wild turkeys when it released 31 wild birds from New York in 1969 and 1970. Today, the Green Mountain State has an estimated 45,000-60,000 turkeys.

As a result, hunters are reaping the benefits by seeing excellent turkey hunting in Vermont. In 2014, hunters took 5,160 turkeys in both the youth weekend and regular seasons, and 1,232 turkeys in the fall season. And all Vermonters are enjoying watching the big birds as they roam hillsides they had been absent from for almost a century.

You can buy a turkey hunting license without having to go through a lottery. The turkey license comes with two spring tags for two bearded birds and one tag for a turkey of either sex in the fall season. Plus, you get to hunt all weekend, because hunting is allowed on Sundays.

Please note that landowner permission is required to hunt on private land.

To find out more about wild turkey hunting in Vermont, contact the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department at 802-828-1000 or www.vtfishandwildlife.com. The 2014 Turkey Harvest Report, available on the website, has details to help you plan your hunt, including the number of turkeys taken in each town.

Licenses are available on their website and from agents statewide.

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

How Killington became The Beast Part 13

June 4, 2025
By Karen D. Lorentz Editors’ Note: This is part of a series on factors that enabled Killington to become the Beast of the East. Information is from author interviews for the book Killington, “A Story of Mountains and Men.” The rapid learning with GLM was made possible in part by the use of top-of-the-line equipment.…

How Killington became The Beast, Part 12

May 28, 2025
By Karen D. Lorentz Editors’ Note: This is part of a series on the factors that enabled Killington to become The Beast of the East. Quotations are from author interviews for the book “Killington, A Story of Mountains and Men.” The most radical development at Killington was to experiment with the short ski and a…

How Killington became The Beast, Part 11  

May 20, 2025
By Karen D. Lorentz Editors’ Note: This is part 11 of a series on the factors that enabled Killington to become The Beast of the East. Quotations are from author interviews in the 1980s for her book “Killington, A Story of Mountains and Men.” From 1954 to 1963, the focus was on getting Killington open,…

Killington resort celebrates muddy finish to ski season, looks ahead to summer

May 14, 2025
Staff report May rains washed away the remaining snow at Killington, forcing the resort to shut down Saturday, May 10.  Just a week prior on Sunday, May 4, the resort had been hopeful for a longer spring season, posting on Facebook: “We’re keeping the stoke alive with daily operations through Sunday, May 11. After that, lifts…