Kentucky Turkey Season 2026–27: Fall Dates, Bag Limits

The earliest 2026–27 opener is September 5, 2026. See the tables above for each segment.

The latest 2026–27 closing date is January 18, 2027. Individual segments and zones close on their own dates.

Fall turkey · archery opens September 5, 2026 (Statewide).

2026–27 bag limits: Fall — Up to two turkeys for the whole fall season, but only one a day, and you may mix methods. Two birds taken in the spring do not count against it. Beard rule — Of the two fall birds, only one may have a beard 3 inches or longer, and only one may have no beard or a beard under 3 inches. License — Hunters 16 and older need an annual Kentucky hunting license and a fall turkey permit, which covers the archery, crossbow and shotgun seasons alike. The resident Sportsman's, Senior, Disabled and Senior Lifetime Sportsman's licenses already include both. One-day and seven-day hunting licenses are not valid for turkey. Youth — Under 12 needs neither license nor permit, but the season limits, harvest rules and supervision rules still apply. Ages 12 to 15 carry a youth hunting license and a youth turkey permit, good for one bird in either the fall or the spring; a Youth Sportsman's License covers two birds each season. Children under 16 must be with an adult close enough to take immediate control of the firearm. Recording — Fill in the harvest log as soon as the bird is down and before you move it, then report through Telecheck by midnight on the day of recovery — 1-800-245-4263 or the My Profile tab at fw.ky.gov — and write the confirmation number on the log. Dogs — Dogs may be used to locate and flush turkeys in the fall season. Kentucky allows this in the fall only. Baiting — No baiting, including sites baited for deer. Stay more than 600 feet from a baited site, and for 30 days after the bait is removed. Agricultural practices and planted food plots are exempt. Prohibited — Shooting a roosting turkey, live turkeys as decoys, and electronic calling devices. Hand and mouth calls are fine, and so are artificial decoys. Equipment — Shotguns from 10 gauge down to .410, breech- or muzzle-loading, breech-loaders plugged to three shells. Lead or non-toxic shot no larger than No. 4. Longbows, recurves, compounds and crossbows of any draw weight, with non-barbed broadheads cutting at least 7/8 inch. Some WMAs restrict methods further. Hunter orange — Turkey hunters are exempt, except in areas where deer, bear or elk are being hunted with a firearm. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.

On opening day (September 5, 2026) legal light runs 06:45 to 20:33. The rule is: 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset — Kentucky's general rule, which turkey follows. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Kentucky sun times for any other date.

Kentucky resident farmland owners — or their spouse or dependent children — may hunt (not trap) and fish that land without a license; resident tenants living there and their dependent children get the same right. Season dates, zone rules, bag limits, and telecheck reporting still apply.