Maryland · Turkey · 2026–27 Edition
Maryland Turkey Season 2026–27: Fall & Spring Dates, Bag Limits
01 — Fall turkey
| Season | Zones | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Season | Allegany, Garrett & Washington counties only | Oct 31 – Nov 8 |
| Winter Season | Statewide | Jan 21 – Jan 23 |
02 — Spring gobbler
| Season | Zones | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Junior Turkey Hunt Days | Statewide (Apr 17); certain counties add Apr 18 for Sunday hunting | Apr 17 – Apr 18 |
| Spring Season | Statewide | Apr 19 – May 24 |
03 — Bag limits
| Spring — daily | 1 bearded turkey |
|---|---|
| Spring — season | 2 bearded turkeys |
| Fall & Winter — combined season limit | 1 turkey of either sex, total across both seasons |
| Junior Hunt Days | 1 bearded turkey per day — counts toward the spring season limit above |
04 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (October 31, 2026) 06:03 — 17:36
Rule: Spring: half an hour before sunrise to noon (Apr 19–May 10), then half an hour before sunrise to sunset (May 11–24). Fall & Winter: half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. Junior Hunt Days: half an hour before sunrise to sunset (per Maryland DNR). Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Maryland sun times for any other date.
05 — License
A Maryland hunting license and turkey permit are required. Spring and fall permits are often sold separately, and some states cap the number of gobblers per hunter per year across both seasons.
Maryland hunting license cost & turkey permits →
Where to hunt public land in Maryland — WMAs by county & access rules →
06 — Scouting gear
Patterning a gobbler's roost and strut zone before Maryland's opener usually means glassing from a distance and running a trail camera through late winter and early spring.
- Hunting binoculars on Amazon →
- Trail cameras on Amazon →
- Trail camera SD cards — class, capacity & format explained →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. These are category links, not a single named pick — we run no product tests of our own.
07 — FAQ
When does turkey season start in Maryland?
The earliest 2026–27 opener is October 31, 2026. Fall and spring seasons run separately — see the tables above.
When does turkey season end in Maryland?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is May 24, 2027. Individual segments and zones close on their own dates.
When does spring turkey season start in Maryland?
Junior Turkey Hunt Days opens April 17, 2027 (Statewide (Apr 17); certain counties add Apr 18 for Sunday hunting).
When does fall turkey season start in Maryland?
Fall Season opens October 31, 2026 (Allegany, Garrett & Washington counties only).
How many turkeys can you shoot in Maryland?
2026–27 bag limits: Spring — daily — 1 bearded turkey. Spring — season — 2 bearded turkeys. Fall & Winter — combined season limit — 1 turkey of either sex, total across both seasons. Junior Hunt Days — 1 bearded turkey per day — counts toward the spring season limit above. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting turkey in Maryland?
On opening day (October 31, 2026) legal light runs 06:03 to 17:36. The rule is: Spring: half an hour before sunrise to noon (Apr 19–May 10), then half an hour before sunrise to sunset (May 11–24). Fall & Winter: half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. Junior Hunt Days: half an hour before sunrise to sunset (per Maryland DNR). Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Maryland sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt turkey on my own land in Maryland without a license?
A Maryland resident landowner — plus their spouse, child, and child's spouse — doesn't need a license on land they hold title to; the same goes for a tenant and their family. Deer and turkey still need a free DNRid and Big Game Harvest Record, and nonresident owners generally don't qualify.
Verified · Maryland Department of Natural Resources · Last verified 2026-08-16
Publisher's note. Dates read off DNR's own 'Maryland Hunting Seasons Calendar for 2026-2027' bar-chart calendar (verified by rendering the page as an image and reading the date bars — same document used for Maryland Deer). Fall turkey is NOT statewide — it's open only in Allegany, Garrett and Washington counties, the three westernmost counties. Winter and Spring are both statewide. Spring shooting hours change mid-season: half an hour before sunrise to noon from April 19 through May 10, then half an hour before sunrise to sunset for the remainder of the season (May 11-24) — reflected in the shooting-hours note here since the site's schema only carries one rule. Re-verified 2026-08-16 against eRegulations (Maryland DNR's own designated season-table source, per the pattern already confirmed for Maryland Deer/Duck): all dates match exactly, and Fall/Winter's previously vague 'check current DNR hours' is now resolved to a firm ½-hour-before-sunrise-to-½-hour-after-sunset rule — this also corrected the file's top-level endOffsetMin, which had been left at 0 (matching Spring's noon-cutoff period) even though the season containing the file's 'opener' date (Fall, Oct. 31) actually runs on the +30 rule.