Georgia hunters are getting ready for spring turkey season, with the statewide opener on private land set for Saturday, March 28, 2026.
According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division, turkey season on public lands, including Wildlife Management Areas and National Forest land, will open a week later on Saturday, April 4. The season will close statewide on May 15 on both private and public lands.
State wildlife officials say this spring could offer improved hunting opportunities.
“If we look back to 2024, the statewide turkey reproduction rate averaged 1.8 poults per hen, which was tied with 2021 for the highest production year in the past decade,” said Emily Rushton, WRD wild turkey project coordinator. “This means that hunters should see a bump in the number of 2-year-old birds in the woods, and we would expect to have an increase in hunter success this season.”
Rushton said turkey production was above average across all regions of the state in 2024, with the Piedmont region posting the strongest estimate at 1.9 poults per hen. That is especially encouraging, she said, because the Piedmont is home to many of the state’s turkey hunters and has seen production lag behind other regions over the past 20 years.
Rushton also addressed questions from hunters about whether regulation changes adopted in 2022 have affected turkey numbers.
“Since the season date and bag limit adjustments in 2022, hunters often ask if there has been a change in poult production,” Rushton said. “We have seen a record high reproductive year in 2024, and a slight bump in harvest rate since 2022, though it is still too soon to say how those regulation changes have affected the population. We need a few more years of data, because highly variable factors like weather, mast crop and insect availability also affect poult production, to get a better, science-driven understanding of the turkey population’s trajectory.”
The daily bag limit remains one gobbler per hunter per day, with a season total of two gobblers. On Wildlife Management Areas and National Forest land outside of WMAs, the limit is one gobbler per area.
State officials also reminded hunters that all turkey hunters, including those younger than 16, landowners, and holders of honorary, lifetime, and sportsman licenses, must obtain a free harvest record each season. Before moving a harvested turkey, hunters must immediately record the date and county on the harvest record. The harvest also must be reported through Georgia Game Check within 24 hours.
Resident youth hunters younger than 16 do not need a license. Hunters age 16 and older, including adults accompanying youth hunters, must have a hunting license and a big game license unless they are hunting on their own private land.
Licenses are available at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com, through retail license vendors, or by calling 1-800-366-2661.
Wildlife officials noted that hunting license purchases and turkey hunting equipment also help support conservation work in Georgia through the Wildlife Restoration Program. Funds generated through those purchases are used for habitat management, species research, and wildlife management efforts across the state.
More information, including the Hunting and Fishing Regulations Guide, is available at GeorgiaWildlife.com/hunting/hunter-resources.