Minnesota · Turkey · 2026–27 Edition
Minnesota Turkey Season 2026–27: Fall & Spring Dates, Bag Limits
01 — Fall turkey
| Season | Zones | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Fall season · archery or firearm | No lottery — licenses on sale from August 1 | Oct 3 – Nov 1 |
02 — Spring gobbler
| Season | Zones | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Archery-only license | Statewide, whole season — vertical bows or crossbows, no firearms | Apr 14 – May 31 |
| Youth, 17 and under | Statewide, whole season — firearms or archery | Apr 14 – May 31 |
| Firearms · time period A | Adults 18+ hunt only their selected period | Apr 14 – Apr 20 |
| Firearms · time period B | Adults 18+ hunt only their selected period | Apr 21 – Apr 27 |
| Firearms · time period C | Adults 18+ hunt only their selected period | Apr 28 – May 4 |
| Firearms · time period D | Adults 18+ hunt only their selected period | May 5 – May 11 |
| Firearms · time period E | Adults 18+ hunt only their selected period | May 12 – May 18 |
| Firearms · time period F | Open to anyone who drew F, and to firearms hunters who took no bird in their own period | May 19 – May 31 |
03 — Bag limits
| Spring | 1 wild turkey with a visible beard |
|---|---|
| Fall | 1 wild turkey of either sex |
| Time period rule | Firearms hunters 18 and over are tied to the period they chose at purchase, but may also hunt the final period F if they took no bird in their own |
| License rule | You cannot hold both a firearms and an archery-only turkey license in the same spring |
| Registration | Every turkey must be registered online, in the DNR app or at an agent within 24 hours of harvest |
04 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (October 3, 2026) 06:49 — 18:52
Rule: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset, for every turkey season and every license type. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Minnesota sun times for any other date.
05 — License
A Minnesota 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.
Minnesota hunting license cost & turkey permits →
Where to hunt public land in Minnesota — WMAs by county & access rules →
06 — Scouting gear
Patterning a gobbler's roost and strut zone before Minnesota'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 Minnesota?
The earliest 2026–27 opener is October 3, 2026. Fall and spring seasons run separately — see the tables above.
When does turkey season end in Minnesota?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is May 31, 2027. Individual segments and zones close on their own dates.
When does spring turkey season start in Minnesota?
Archery-only license opens April 14, 2027 (Statewide, whole season — vertical bows or crossbows, no firearms).
When does fall turkey season start in Minnesota?
Fall season · archery or firearm opens October 3, 2026 (No lottery — licenses on sale from August 1).
How many turkeys can you shoot in Minnesota?
2026–27 bag limits: Spring — 1 wild turkey with a visible beard. Fall — 1 wild turkey of either sex. Time period rule — Firearms hunters 18 and over are tied to the period they chose at purchase, but may also hunt the final period F if they took no bird in their own. License rule — You cannot hold both a firearms and an archery-only turkey license in the same spring. Registration — Every turkey must be registered online, in the DNR app or at an agent within 24 hours of harvest. 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 Minnesota?
On opening day (October 3, 2026) legal light runs 06:49 to 18:52. The rule is: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset, for every turkey season and every license type. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Minnesota sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt turkey on my own land in Minnesota without a license?
Minnesota's exemption is narrow: it covers small game only, and only on land that is your actual principal residence — owning land you don't live on doesn't qualify. Deer, bear, and turkey always need a license and tags, even at home.
Verified · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources · Last verified 2026-08-17
Publisher's note. Read from the official 2026 Minnesota Hunting Regulations booklet, the edition running through June 30, 2027. Spring firearms hunters aged 18 and over are locked to the time period they picked when buying the license, with one exception: if they do not take a bird in that period they may also hunt the final period F. Archery-only license holders and youth of 17 and under ignore the periods entirely and hunt statewide for the whole spring season. You cannot hold both a firearms and an archery-only license. NOTE A CONTRADICTION IN THE SOURCE: the season table prints period F as May 19–31, while a bullet further down the same section prints it as May 20–31. The table is used here. No dogs while hunting or assisting. No electronic devices except red dot scopes, rangefinders and hearing aids, no live decoys, no baiting, and guiding for compensation is illegal. New this year: a durable site harvest tag is no longer required, but harvest must still be validated at the kill site, and every turkey must be registered online, in the DNR app or at an agent within 24 hours. Re-verified 2026-08-17 by re-downloading and re-extracting the same PDF: all dates and the table/bullet F-period contradiction confirmed unchanged. The 'zones' field on each method row genuinely holds eligibility/time-period text rather than a geographic zone — Minnesota's spring turkey season has no geographic zones, only license-type-based time periods, so this is correct as-is, not a data-quality gap.