Spring turkey hunting is here – here’s what to know about the season

Spring turkey season is here, and with it a number of people have already purchased turkey tags from the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Spring turkey season runs April 15 through May 31 statewide.

So far this year, more than 21,000 turkey tags, which are required to hunt turkeys, have been purchased in Washington. To hunt turkeys, everyone must purchase a primary turkey tag, but additional tags can be purchased as needed or through different packages that the department offers.

Sam Montgomery, department spokesperson, said it’s hard to tell how many people have purchased tags each year because they can do so in different ways, such as in a package with other things or on their own.

Hunters need a valid hunting license as well as an unaltered, unnotched transfer tag to hunt turkey.

Immediately after killing a turkey, hunters are required to mark on their tag the month and day of kill and securely attach the tag to the carcass, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Hunters can purchase up to three tags during the spring season, but only two can be used in Eastern Washington, except in Spokane County where three can be used. Only one can be used in Western Washington, except in Klickitat County where two can be used, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Hunters are required to make complete reports for each turkey tag purchased by Jan. 31, 2023. Hunters can submit reports at fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov.

The number of people purchasing turkey tags has gone up in recent years, according to data from the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In the last 10 years, the number of primary turkey tags purchased hit a high in 2021 with more than 56,500 tags purchased. That’s a big jump from the more than 42,000 tags bought the year prior.

Montgomery said she wasn’t sure why there was such a big jump in 2021 or how something like the pandemic could have affected sales.

Spring is when turkeys’ breeding behaviors tend to progress, according to Kelly Riordan, at the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Male turkeys begin their breeding rituals, often strutting and gobbling in early spring. During March and April, hens begin finding their preferred nesting areas, often in secluded covered areas. They then find roost trees, which have open limbs that are easy for turkeys to fly and land in.

Riordan writes in a hunting highlights blog that finding large groups of conifer trees with an open field or strutting area is a perfect spot for hunters. Before even leaving their homes, hunters can use online mapping tools to find areas that would be preferable to turkeys, she wrote.

If you’re trying to find the best part of the state for turkey hunting, Eastern Washington is likely your best bet.

Most of the turkeys harvested in the 2020 spring season came from the northeast region of the state with 68% of the turkeys harvested statewide. The southeast and Klickitat regions were next, each having 10% of the state’s turkeys harvested.

Spring turkey season ends May 31. Fall hunting season will begin in September.