The clinic will be conducted by Fish and Game Hunter Education Instructor, Dave Priebe, who is a member of the professional staff of Quaker Boy, a turkey call manufacturer. The seminar will cover turkey hunting, turkey calling and turkey hunting safety. Participants are encouraged to bring their own turkey hunting guns and ammunition. There will be an opportunity to pattern the guns, during the class, at two different yardages so you can see the difference in pattern density. For those who have not chosen an ammunition for their hunt, there will be a selection of 12 and 20 gauge shot shells to try. Fish and Game’s Wildlife Programs supervisor, Mark Ellingwood, will talk about turkey natural history and behavior. There will also be door prizes awarded to participants.

During the 2007 Spring Turkey season, one male or one bearded turkey may be taken by shotgun or bow and arrow per hunter. Hunters are, however, encouraged to pass on bearded turkeys. The Spring turkey season runs as follows:
May 3 to May 31: in Wildlife Management Areas (WMUs) B,C1, C2, D1, D2, E, F, G, H1, H2, I1, I2, J1, J2, K, L and M.
May 3 to May 17: WMU A

There is a limit of one male or one bearded turkey. Hunting hours allowed are ½ hour before sunrise until 12:00 noon. The legal method of hunting is by archery or by shotgun (10, 12, 16 or 20 gauge) using shot sizes 2, 4, 5 or 6. Also, registration of your turkey is required. The fully feathered, intact turkey must be registered and sealed within 24 hours of the time of taking.

Tom turkey

The 2007 New Hampshire Youth Turkey Hunt Weekend will commence April 28 through April 29 in WMUs A through M. During that weekend, youth hunters are allowed to take one male or bearded turkey by archery or shotgun. Youth hunters are required to have a turkey permit in order to participate, although they do not need to possess a hunting license. However, they must be of age 15 or younger and must be accompanied by a properly licensed adult (age 18 or older) who is unarmed during the hunt. The Youth Turkey Hunt Weekend was first offered in 2004. During the 2006 youth weekend, 438 turkeys were taken, or 12.3% of the total Spring turkey harvest.

Historically, wild turkeys were plentiful in southern areas of New Hampshire in the 1600s, with an estimated population of 5,550 birds. Between 1830 and 1860, two-thirds of the state’s forested lands were cleared for agricultural use or for timber products. The remaining woodlands were too small to be of interest to turkeys. Additionally, during this period, there were no regulations governing turkey hunting activities. 

The last known turkey in New Hampshire was reported in Weare in 1854. After some unsuccessful attempts at turkey restoration by our Fish and Game Department, a successful trap and transfer program was begun in 1975. Twenty-five wild turkeys were trapped in New York state and transported to the town of Walpole, New Hampshire, in Cheshire County. From this nucleus, the state’s turkey population today has grown to over 30,000 birds with flocks existing in all 10 counties of the state.

The first turkey season in New Hampshire was held in 1980, more than 100 years after the decimation of turkeys in the state. That year, 750 hunters were selected by lottery to receive permits that allowed them to take one male turkey during a nine day May turkey hunting season. Thirty-one turkeys were harvested. Nineteen years later, 1999, nearly 7,000 hunters bought permits that allowed them to hunt in both the Spring turkey season and the Fall, either sex, archery only turkey season. 

Bob Harris can be reached via e-mail at: outwriter2@aol.com