Turkey Hunting

What do I need to hunt Turkey in NJ?
Season	Hunting License	Turkey Permit	Non-electronic Calling Device*	Hunter Orange	Report Harvest
Fall	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not Required	Yes
Spring	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not Required	Yes
* Calling device MUST be in possession

Firearms, Bows and Ammunition Legal for Turkey Hunting
Weapon Type	Gauge, Caliber or Draw Weight	Projectile(s)	Weapon Transportation
Bow: long, recurve, compound or crossbow.	35 pounds pull at archer’s draw length (long and recurve bows) or peak weight (compound bow) or 75 pounds minimum draw weight (crossbow)	Arrows must be fitted with a well- sharpened metal broadhead with a minimum width of ¾"	All bows MUST be unnocked or uncocked
Shotgun: single or double barrel	Not smaller than 20 gauge and not larger than 10 gauge, capable of holding no more than three shells	No shot larger than #4 fine shot or smaller than #7 1/2 fine shot	Shotgun MUST be cased and unloaded while in or on a vehicle, including ATVs and UTVs

Turkey Hunting Seasons 2023–24
There is NO Sunday hunting for turkey. See General Hunting Regulations.
Season/ Period	Season Dates	Hunting Hours	Bag Limit	Regulations
2023 Fall, Either Sex Turkey Season
Period N	Oct. 28 and Oct. 30–Nov. 4, 2023	½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset	1 turkey (either sex) per permit Only one turkey may be taken per day regardless of the number of permits held. Report Harvest by 7 p.m. on the day of harvest.	Chasing or driving turkeys to put them in range of hunters is prohibited, though flocks may be rushed for the purpose of scattering during the fall season only. Dogs allowed during the fall only. See additional regulations below.*
2024 Spring Gobbler Season
Youth Turkey Hunting Day (ages 10–16)	April 20, 2024	½ hour before sunrise to noon	1 male turkey per permit (No bearded hens) Only one turkey may be taken per day regardless of the number of permits held. Report Harvest by 3 p.m. on the day of harvest.	On Youth Turkey Hunting Day, the youth hunter (aged 10–16) must be under the direct supervision of a properly-licensed, non-hunting adult (21 or older). For the remainder of the turkey season, a youth hunter aged 10–13 must be under the direct supervision of a properly-licensed adult (21 or older). Period Y permit is valid throughout the Spring Gobbler Season in the designated Turkey Hunting Area until a male turkey is harvested. Chasing or driving turkeys to put them in range of hunters is prohibited. Calling or stand-hunting only. See additional regulations below.*
Period Y (ages 10–16)	Apr. 20–May 12, 2024	½ hour before sunrise to noon	1 male turkey per permit (No bearded hens) Only one turkey may be taken per day regardless of the number of permits held. Report Harvest by 3 p.m. on the day of harvest; beginning May 13 by 9 p.m. on the day of harvest.
	May 13–May 24, 2024	½ hour before sunrise to sunset
Period A (M–F)	Apr. 22–26, 2024	½ hour before sunrise to noon
Period B (M–F)	Apr. 29–May 3, 2024
Period C (M–F)	May 6–10, 2024
Period D (M–F)	May 13–17 and May 20–24, 2024	½ hour before sunrise to sunset
Period E (Saturdays)	Apr. 27; May 4, 11, 18, 2024	½ hour before sunrise to noon On May 18 only: ½ hour before sunrise to sunset
* Additional Turkey Hunting Regulations for both Fall and Spring Seasons: Artificial decoys may be used; electronically-operated decoys are prohibited. Stalking a turkey is not legal. The use of a hand-held decoy or tail as camouflage to sneak up on a turkey (fanning/reaping) is prohibited. The maximum group size while turkey hunting is five hunters. While turkey hunting, a weapon may not be in possession within 300 feet of a baited area. You may hunt turkey from a blind or tree stand. Turkey hunters may harvest coyotes incidentally prior to harvesting their daily bag limit of turkey. Report coyote harvest by phone (1-855-448-6865) or online at NJFishandWildlife.com/licensesalessite.htm

Turkey Permits

A valid NJ hunting license and turkey permit is required to hunt turkey. Both are available online at NJFishandWildlife.com/licensesalessite.htm or at license agents. (Use this license agent locator at NJFishandWildlife.com/dfwlicenseagents.) Turkey permits are specific to the season (fall or spring), hunting period and Turkey Hunting Area (THA). See the turkey regulation chart above for season and timeframes.

Fall 2023 Turkey Permits

Fall turkey permits are available on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday, September 11, 2023. There is no lottery for fall turkey permits. Permits for specific areas (THAs) are available until the permit quota is reached or the season ends.

Spring 2024 Turkey Permits

Spring turkey permits are initially allocated by two separate lotteries, Lottery 1 and Lottery 2. Hunters who apply for permits in a lottery have a much greater chance of receiving their desired area and period choices than hunters who wait for over-the-counter sales of leftover permits. A non-refundable $2 application fee is charged for each lottery application. The following are the important deadlines and dates for the Spring Turkey Lottery, Award Pickup, and Over the Counter Sales of Leftover and unclaimed licenses.

• Application Period: January 25–February 22.
• Award notifications: Begin when the lottery is held, on or before February 26.
• Permit pickup: begins February 26. All permits awarded in the lottery must be claimed by 11:59 p.m. on March 20, 2024. Unclaimed awarded permits will be redistributed during over-the-counter sales. Application fee(s) will not be refunded for unclaimed permits.
• Over-the-counter sale of leftover permits: 10 a.m. Monday, March 25, 2024 until permits sell out or the season ends, whichever occurs first.

Application Process

Apply at a license agent or online. Have your Conservation ID number (CID) available. Hunters may file only one application which allows for up to two permits, one from each part of the spring turkey lottery. Hunters have the option to enter up to three choices for each part, Lottery 1 and Lottery 2. If you will accept a permit only for one particular hunting area and period, then complete only a first-choice selection. Entering a second or third choice is optional and may be left blank.

Carefully consider your area/period requests for each lottery! If you request the same turkey hunting area and period in Lottery 1 and Lottery 2, you might receive two permits for the identical area and period combination. Any choice entered for Lottery 2 should be different than your choice(s) for Lottery 1 to prevent receiving two permits for the exact same area/hunting period. Permits will not be exchanged if you receive the permits requested on your application.

There is no requirement to select a second or third choice; these are optional. When an applicant’s first choice cannot be filled, the computer will check for the second choice listed. If this selection is also sold out, the computer will check for a third choice listed. Lottery 1 and Lottery 2 are completely random and each lottery awards only ONE permit — not three. Your chance of winning a permit in the lottery depends on the number of applicants and the permit quota (number available) which is displayed on our website.

Hunters who win a permit in both lotteries MUST claim BOTH awarded permits.

Permit Application via the Internet—Before You Start, Have Ready Your:

• Conservation ID number (CID).
• Hunting area number with season time period.
• Payment as credit card or e-check with checkbook and bank routing number.

Enter information carefully. Each step allows for making corrections. Once a transaction is complete, there will be NO refunds or exchanges.

Permit applicants will have the opportunity to edit their application at any time during the permit application period. Remember, entering a second and third choice is NOT required; those may be left blank if a hunter will only accept a permit for one specific turkey hunting area and period.

Applicants are responsible to make their application choices carefully. When the process is complete, print the confirmation page or note the transaction number for your records.

Permit Application at License Agent Locations—Know Before You Go

• Know your Conservation ID number (CID#) or Social Security Number and date of birth (DOB).
• Know your desired time period and hunting area. The store proprietor or clerk is not responsible to know the hunting area for your hunting property. Be sure to review the map and hunting area descriptions at home before you arrive at the license agent. See NJFishandWildlife.com/hunt for interactive hunting area maps.
• To speed your transaction, write down your information (CID, DOB, first, second and third choices) and hand it to the license agent.
• NOTE: Agents are not able to print a receipt. It's important to have the clerk orally verify your application choices and to provide your transaction number. Keep this transaction number; it can be helpful should a problem occur with your application.
• Types of payments accepted vary between license agents. Learn this in advance, then have the correct payment ready when you arrive.

Lottery 1

• Selects applicants from the spring season Lottery 1.
• All youth applicants aged 10 to 15 (16 for those still eligible to hunt using their Youth License) are guaranteed to receive their first-choice permit request in the first lottery for the spring Period Y season. Youth permits are not counted among the permit season quotas. Period Y Permits are also available during the over-the-counter sales period.
• Hunters possessing a Permit to Shoot from a Standing Vehicle are guaranteed one Lottery 1 permit for spring Turkey Season only. Any additional permit purchased is taken from the available permit quota and is not guaranteed.

Lottery 2

• Assigns unissued Lottery 1 permits (leftover) to applicants who applied for a permit in the Lottery 2.
• Youth permit requests for Lottery 2 are not guaranteed. A youth’s second permit (or more) is valid only for the one designated hunting period A, B, C, D or E.

Lottery Results

Applicants will be notified of their results. Those who select email notification are reminded to set your junk/spam folder to accept this notification. IMPORTANT: the notification may fail to arrive due to email issues (email filters, data storage capacity) or postcard delivery delays. It is the customer's responsibility to know the deadlines and check their profile or contact NJ Fish & Wildlife if they are unsure of their award status.

Claiming Your Lottery Permit

Lottery permit winners may claim their permit(s) at any license agent or online. See the lottery permit claim dates callout box below, right for spring turkey permits. At the time of application, the hunter paid only the non-refundable $2 application fee; the balance of the actual permit fee must still be paid. Internet-claimed permits are subject to an additional convenience fee.

Purchasing Unclaimed Lottery or Non-lottery Permits

Leftover (unclaimed) lottery permits and nonlottery permits are available at license agents and online. During every transaction there are several opportunities to review your information for accuracy. A complete review at each step will allow you to make corrections, if necessary. Note: Once a purchase transaction is complete there will be NO refunds or exchanges.

IMPORTANT: If a hunter is awarded permits from both Lottery 1 and Lottery 2, the hunter must claim (purchase) both permits, even if they are for the same area/hunting period. If both permits are not claimed, the hunter may only choose not to claim any awarded permit. The hunter can then attempt to purchase permits during over-the-counter sales on April 1, 2024, sold first-come, first-served.

For information on permits for disabled veterans, see Disabled Veteran Licenses, Stamps, & Permits section in License Information. For information on farmer turkey permits, see Farmer Hunting & Permit Information.

Turkey Hunting Areas

Map for general reference only. For a complete description of the Turkey Hunting Area boundaries, visit our website at NJFishandWildlife.com/hunt.

Public Turkey Hunting Land in New Jersey

New Jersey has more than 750,000 acres of state land available to the turkey hunter. This list is arranged by turkey hunting area for public land open to turkey hunting.

Turkey Hunting Area 1

• Delaware Water Gap Nat’l Recreation Area
• Flatbrook-Roy WMA
• Hainesville WMA
• Stokes State Forest

Turkey Hunting Area 2

• Bear Swamp WMA
• Delaware Water Gap Nat’l Recreation Area
• Flatbrook-Roy WMA
• Paulinskill WMA
• Stokes State Forest
• Swartswood State Park
• Trout Brook WMA
• Walpack WMA
• White Lake WMA

Turkey Hunting Area 3

• Columbia WMA (partial)
• Delaware Water Gap Nat’l Recreation Area
• Worthington State Forest

Turkey Hunting Area 4

• Allamuchy Mountain State Park
• Beaver Brook WMA
• Columbia WMA (partial)
• Honey Run WMA
• Jenny Jump State Forest
• Stephens State Park
• Whittingham WMA

Turkey Hunting Area 5

• Kittatinny Valley State Park
• Paulinskill WMA
• Wallkill River NWR

Turkey Hunting Area 6

• Abram Hewitt State Forest
• Hamburg Mountain WMA
• Long Pond Ironworks State Park
• Norvin Green State Forest
• Ramapo Mountain State Forest
• Ringwood State Park
• Wawayanda State Park

Turkey Hunting Area 7

• Berkshire Valley WMA
• Farny State Park
• Hamburg Mountain WMA
• Rockaway River WMA
• Sparta Mountain WMA
• Weldon Brook WMA
• Wildcat Ridge WMA

Turkey Hunting Area 8

• Alpha Grasslands WMA
• Buckhorn Creek WMA
• Clinton WMA
• Musconetcong River WMA
• Pequest WMA
• Pohatcong Creek WMA

Turkey Hunting Area 9

• Black River WMA
• Hacklebarney State Park
• Ken Lockwood Gorge WMA
• Musconetcong River WMA
• Pequest WMA
• Rockport WMA
• South Branch WMA
• Voorhees State Park

Turkey Hunting Area 10

• Black River WMA

Turkey Hunting Area 11

• Alexauken Creek WMA
• Lockatong WMA
• Six Mile Run Reservoir State Park (bow only)
• South Branch WMA

Turkey Hunting Area 12

• Assunpink WMA
• Turkey Swamp WMA

Turkey Hunting Area 14

• Brendan T. Byrne State Forest
• Colliers Mills WMA
• Double Trouble State Park
• Forked River Mountain WMA
• Edwin B. Forsythe NWR (Spring)
• Greenwood Forest WMA
• Manasquan WMA
• Manchester WMA
• Medford WMA
• Pleasant Run WMA
• Prospertown Lake WMA
• Whiting WMA

Turkey Hunting Area 15

• Penbryn WMA
• Wharton State Forest
• Winslow WMA

Turkey Hunting Area 16

• Absecon WMA
• Bass River State Forest
• Hammonton Creek WMA
• Edwin B. Forsythe NWR (Spring)
• Makepeace Lake WMA
• Penn State Forest
• Port Republic WMA
• Stafford Forge WMA
• Warren Grove Recreation Area
• Wharton State Forest

Turkey Hunting Area 20

• Abbotts Meadow WMA
• Cohansey River
• Elmer Lake WMA
• Featherbed Lane WMA
• Gum Tree Corner WMA
• Harrisonville Lake WMA
• Mad Horse Creek WMA
• Maskells Mill Pond WMA
• Raccoon Creek WMA
• Salem River WMA
• Thundergut Pond WMA

Turkey Hunting Area 21

• Buckshutem WMA
• Cedar Lake WMA
• Clarks Pond WMA
• Cohansey River WMA
• Dix WMA
• Egg Island WMA
• Glassboro WMA
• Great Egg Harbor River WMA
• Millville WMA
• Nantuxent WMA
• New Sweden WMA
• Parvin State Park
• Union Lake WMA
• White Oak Branch WMA
• Winslow WMA

Turkey Hunting Area 22

• Beaver Swamp WMA
• Belleplain State Forest
• Cape Island WMA
• Cape May NWR
• Cape May Wetlands WMA
• Cox Hall WMA
• Dennis Creek WMA
• Gibson Creek WMA
• Great Egg Harbor WMA
• Hammonton Creek WMA
• Heislerville WMA
• Higbee Beach WMA
• Makepeace Lake WMA
• Maple Lake WMA
• Menantico Ponds WMA
• Peaslee WMA
• Tuckahoe WMA