From the MassWildlife 7/12/2019–> The Fisheries & Wildlife Board recently approved turkey hunting changes affecting bag limits, fall season dates, shot size, and the Youth Hunt. *NOTE: Regulation changes will NOT be effective until 2020. There are no changes to turkey regulations in 2019.

The Fisheries and Wildlife Board recently voted to approve changes to turkey hunting regulations affecting bag limits, fall season dates, shot size, and the Youth Hunt. PLEASE NOTE: These regulation changes will take effect with the 2020 season. There are NO CHANGES to the 2019 fall turkey hunting season. Click here to view current turkey hunting regulations.

Summary of the turkey hunting regulation changes (beginning in 2020) 

The summary below provides an overview of the changes. To review the regulatory language and redline version, please click here.

Increase the annual limit to three birds (2 bearded turkeys in the spring and 1 of either sex in the fall). Currently, hunters may harvest either two bearded birds in the spring with no fall birds or one bearded bird in the spring and one bird of either sex in the fall, for an annual limit of two birds. The change allows all hunters to take two bearded birds in the spring and an additional turkey of either sex in the fall, increasing the annual bag limit to three birds.

Increase the daily bag limit to two per day during the spring season. Currently, turkey hunters may harvest one turkey per day during the spring season. Increasing the daily bag limit to two allows hunters to take their spring season limit in a more efficient manner.

Expand the fall season (ARCHERY ONLY) to coincide with the archery deer season. Currently, the fall turkey hunting season begins the second to last Monday in October and ends the second Saturday thereafter, during which hunters may use a shotgun, muzzleloader, or archery equipment. This change allows turkey hunters to harvest turkeys with archery equipment during the entire duration of the archery deer season (6–8 weeks depending on zone). Turkey hunters would continue to be permitted to use shotgun, muzzleloader, or archery equipment during the traditional 2-week season from the second to last Monday in October through the second Saturday thereafter. 

Allow no larger than #4 shot size. Currently, turkey hunters may only use #4–#7 size shot for turkey hunting. The change removes the minimum shot size restriction. Due to advancements in ammunition technology, there are now shotshells available that are made of lead alternatives like tungsten which are denser than lead. These alternatives can utilize small shot sizes (#7 or #9) while still maintaining lethal ballistics down range to effectively and humanely harvest a wild turkey at common hunting ranges. These types of ammunition allow hunters greater flexibility when choosing ammunition/shotgun combinations for turkey hunting, including the use of smaller gauge shotguns that may be easier or more convenient for hunters to carry and shoot.

Expand Youth Day turkey hunting hours to ½ hour before sunrise until 5 p.m. The Youth Turkey Hunt Day occurs on only a single day the Saturday before the last Monday in April; approximately 250–285 young adults ages 12–17 participate each spring. This change provides young hunters the opportunity to hunt on a special day before the start of the regular spring hunting season. The expansion of the hunting hours will greatly increase the total time available for hunting.  

Allow Youth Turkey permits issued to youth aged 12–14 for use in the fall turkey hunting seasons. At this time, youth 12–14 years old who successfully complete the mandatory training program for the Youth Day are issued a free Youth Turkey Permit with two turkey tags and must always hunt with a licensed adult mentor hunter. These tags are currently only valid on the Youth Day and the remainder of the regular spring turkey hunting season. When hunting turkeys in the fall, these young hunters must currently use their accompanying mentor’s turkey tags and license. Because young adults who complete the mandatory training workshop for the Youth Day demonstrate significant initiative to earn the Youth Turkey Permit and must always hunt with a mentor, it is unnecessary to restrict the use of their tags to the spring season only. This change provides additional opportunity for young hunters with the Youth Turkey Permit to use their own tag during the fall season by providing them with 2 spring tags and 1 fall tag. (Note: Under current regulations, youth aged 15–17 are required to have their own hunting license and turkey permit, which allows them to hunt in the spring or fall seasons.)

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Author: mkmcst

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