Turkey Hunting

Licensing and permit costs are listed in General Info. Specific laws and regulations for each turkey season are below.

Spring Turkey Seasons

Season Dates

• April 24 – May 25 State Land
• April 24 – May 25 Private Land
• April 24 – May 25 Landowner

Bag Limits

• State Land Permits: 2 Bearded birds
• Private Land Permits: 3 Bearded birds

Hunting Hours ½ hour before sunrise to 12 noon.

License & Permits Firearms hunting license or Small Game and Deer Archery Permit and a spring turkey permit. You may obtain both a private land (either Private Land or Free Landowner) and a state land spring turkey permit.

Legal Firearms Shotguns, 20 gauge or larger, with #4, 5, 6, 7 or 7½ shot. Shotguns must not be capable of holding more than 3 shells.

Legal Bows See Hunting Laws & Regulations for a description of legal bows and arrows for turkey hunting. Mechanical string release devices are permitted.

Special Conditions

• State Land Hunting: See Litchfield – Hartford Counties, Middlesex – Tolland Counties, Windham – New London Counties and Fairfield – New Haven Counties for state lands open for spring turkey hunting.
• Tagging and Reporting: See Tagging & Reporting section for information on tagging and reporting.
• Private Land Permission: Signed written consent of the landowner on official forms for current season must be carried while hunting.
• Decoys: Decoys may be used, but live decoys are prohibited.
• Free Landowner Permits: Only available to persons owning 10 or more contiguous acres of land.
• Junior Hunter Training Day: Saturday, April 13, 2013 and Saturday, April 20, 2013. See 2013 Junior Hunter Training Days for details.

Fall Archery Turkey Seasons

Season Dates

• Jan. 1 – Jan. 31 Private Lands (Zones 11–12)
• Sept. 16 – Dec. 31 Private Lands (All Zones)
• Sept. 16 – Nov. 19 State Land
  Dec. 25 – Dec. 31
• Sept. 16 – Dec. 31 State Land Bowhunting Only Areas

Bag Limit 2 Either Sex

Hunting Hours ½ hour before sunrise to sunset.

License & Permits Small Game & Deer Archery Permit and Fall Archery Turkey Permit. You may obtain only one type of fall archery turkey permit (either a state/private land permit or a free landowner permit).

Legal Bows See Hunting Laws & Regulations for a description of legal bows and arrows for turkey hunting. Mechanical string release devices are permitted.

Special Conditions

• Tagging and Reporting: See Tagging & Reporting section for information on tagging and reporting.
• Private Land Permission: Signed written consent of the landowner on official forms for current season must be carried while hunting.
• Decoys: Decoys may be used, but live decoys are prohibited.
• State Land Hunting: See Litchfield – Hartford Counties, Middlesex – Tolland Counties, Windham – New London Counties and Fairfield – New Haven Counties for listing of lands open to fall bow hunting.
• Free Landowner Permits – only available to persons owning 10 or more contiguous acres of land.

Fall Firearms Turkey Seasons

Season Dates

• Oct. 5 – Oct. 31 State Land
• Oct. 5 – Oct. 31 Private Land
• Oct. 5 – Oct. 31 Landowner

Bag Limits

• State Land: 1 Either Sex
• Private Land: 2 Either Sex

Hunting Hours ½ hour before sunrise to sunset.

License & Permits Firearms hunting license and a Fall Firearms Turkey Permit. You may obtain both a private land (either Private Land or Free Landowner) and a state land fall firearms turkey permit.

Legal Firearms Shotguns, 20 gauge or larger, with #4, 5, 6, 7 or 7½ shot. Shotguns must not be capable of holding more than 3 shells.

Special Conditions

• State Land Hunting: See Litchfield – Hartford Counties, Middlesex – Tolland Counties, Windham – New London Counties and Fairfield – New Haven Counties for open state land hunting areas.
• Tagging and Reporting: See Tagging & Reporting section for information on tagging and reporting.
• Private Land Permission: Signed written consent of the landowner on official forms for current season must be carried while hunting.
• Decoys: Decoys may be used, but live decoys are prohibited.
• Free Landowner Permits – only available to persons owning 10 or more contiguous acres of land.

Turkey Hunting Prohibited Activities

• The use of bait, electronic calling devices, live decoys or animals (including dogs) to hunt wild turkeys is prohibited.
• You may not call turkeys for another hunter. Exceptions:
• — If you have a current state land permit with or without unused tags remaining, you may call for another hunter hunting with a state land permit.
• — If you have a current private land permit with or without unused tags remaining and a signed consent form for a private land parcel, you may call for another hunter hunting on that private land parcel.
• You may not attempt to take turkeys by participating in a cooperative drive.
• You may not shoot turkeys from a building or other permanent structure.
• You may not shoot turkeys roosting in trees.

Tagging & Reporting Turkey Kills

Immediately upon killing a turkey, complete and sign a Harvest Tag and keep it with the carcass at all times. The Harvest Tag must remain with the turkey until it is cut up for consumption. See Tagging & Reporting for more information on Harvest Tags and reporting.

Turkey Hunter Surveys

Anybody who obtains a turkey permit, may be asked to respond to a survey concerning their turkey hunting activities. Even if you did not hunt, you should complete the survey. Information gathered from the survey is important to the management of Connecticut’s wild turkey population. Surveys may be conducted by mail, telephone, or the internet.

Turkey Hunting Seminars

Turkey hunting seminars are held each spring. Watch your newspaper and www.ct.gov/deep/hunting for times and locations, or contact the Wildlife Division (860-642-7239) for further information.