Image: turkey_forecast_northeast

Solid turkey production in many northeastern states has hunters and biologists optimistic about action this spring. Photo by Lucinda Jayne.

The Northeast varies from tiny states to massive turkey hunting powerhouses, but two things remain consistent: First, the region is rich in hunting tradition. Also, most Northeastern states should have plenty of 2-year-old gobblers this spring, which points to a solid season.

Here’s a state-by-state breakdown on what you can expect.

CONNECTICUT

Spring hunting opportunities in the Constitution State should be similar to those in 2025, with high hunter success rates.

“Through time, Connecticut’s hunter numbers and turkey harvests have declined, but hunter success has increased,” said Howard Kilpatrick, supervising wildlife biologist with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Wildlife Division. “Brood production remains consistent. The farmlands of northeastern and northwestern Connecticut always provide good turkey hunting opportunities.”

As a bonus, Sunday hunting is now allowed. In Spring 2025, Connecticut hunters took 1,186 turkeys.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Connecticut

DELAWARE

“The Spring 2026 outlook is positive after having a record-high harvest of 801 in Spring 2025,” said Jenna Brown, turkey, quail and upland-game biologist with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Fish and Wildlife. “There are more opportunities for public-land hunters, with Sunday hunting now open for game birds and opportunities for hunting at Bombay Hook and Prime Hook national wildlife refuges (through the state’s public land lottery).”

Brown said most Delaware turkey zones typically have similar harvest rates year to year, with higher success at the inland areas of Kent and Sussex counties. A special permit is required to hunt turkeys on public land in Delaware.

During Spring 2025, Delaware hunters shot 801 birds.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Delaware

MAINE

The overall outlook for Spring 2026 looks promising, according to Kelsey Sullivan, game-bird specialist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Maine had good turkey production in 2024 and a mild winter in 2025, so survival was good. “At this point in the winter, we have good numbers of 2-year-olds,” Sullivan said. Overall turkey numbers should be similar to those of 2025. “No areas stand out as more or less promising than others. Central Maine (south of Bangor) is the core area, and densities are higher, so that area will have the best numbers.”

In Spring 2025, Maine hunters took 6,696 turkeys.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Maine

MARYLAND

“I would expect the turkey harvest in Maryland to be slightly above average this spring,” said Bob Long, wild turkey and upland game-bird project manager for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. “Moderate reproduction in the summer of 2024 in most regions should translate into a good number of 2-year-old gobblers.”

Long said turkey populations continue to do well in the western part of Maryland, and this year should be no exception. Also, turkey numbers have increased in central and southern Maryland during the past several years. Some areas, particularly in the eastern region, have declined from previous highs.

During Spring 2025, Maryland hunters took 4,851 turkeys.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Maryland

MASSACHUSETTS

David Scarpitti, wildlife biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, said he expects the state’s Spring 2026 turkey harvest to be similar to that of the past few years.

“Regional harvests have been stable across all of our wildlife management zones,” he said.

In Spring 2025, Bay State hunters took 2,689 turkeys.

Read More: Turkey hunting in Massachusetts

NEW HAMPSHIRE

“The outlook for Spring 2026 is positive,” said Dan Ellingwood, turkey biologist with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. “We saw above-average productivity in 2024, which should be reflected in the abundance of 2-year-old birds on the landscape this spring.”

Ellingwood said hunters typically find success statewide, but turkey densities are highest in the southern third of the state, including wildlife management units H1, H2, I1, J2, K, L and M.

New Hampshire turkey hunters took 4,864 birds during Spring 2025.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in New Hampshire

NEW JERSEY

Biologists anticipate a good turkey harvest this spring. Tim Ruth, assistant biologist for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection-Fish and Wildlife, said trapping studies the past couple of years have caught mostly jakes and jennies, which is indicative of a good hatch.

“Southern New Jersey continues to have excellent turkey hunting, which becomes apparent when looking at harvest data, and 2026 will be no different,” Ruth said. “Northern Jersey has shown a decreasing trend in harvest but has great poult counts from 2024, the most recent year for which counts are available.”

Ruth encouraged hunters to take advantage of the state’s public lands. Southern New Jersey has a large array of wildlife management areas with lots of turkeys.

In Spring 2025, New Jersey hunters shot 2,468 birds.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in New Jersey

NEW YORK

With good poult production in 2024, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation expects more 2-year-old gobblers on the landscape during Spring 2026.

“Parts of the Catskill Mountains and St. Lawrence River Valley remain strongholds for turkeys in the state,” said Mike Muthersbaugh, wildlife biologist with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. “Anecdotes continue to suggest smaller, sparser flocks in the central New York region south of Syracuse.”

New York hunters took almost 19,000 turkeys during Spring 2025.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in New York

PENNSYLVANIA

Spring 2026 hunting prospects in the Keystone State look good, according to Reina Tyl, wild turkey biologist with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

“We saw consistently good productivity across the state in 2024, with our summer sighting survey indicating that all of our wildlife management units had poult-to-hen ratios at or above 2.0. And the males produced that year will be 2-year-old gobblers this spring. So there should be good hunting opportunities across much of the state this spring.”

Tyl said WMUs 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E and 3C have led the way in spring turkey harvest per 100 hunter-days in recent seasons. Pennsylvania hunters shot 42,543 turkeys during Spring 2025.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Pennsylvania

RHODE ISLAND

“We expect the 2026 season to be similar to the past few years,” said Lizzi Bonczek, upland game-bird biologist with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. “From observations during the 2025 summer brood survey, we estimated an average of 3.41 poults per hen, which is on par with the past several years, in which we have also recorded high harvests.”

Bonczek said all areas of the state look good. In Spring 2025, Rhode Island hunters took a record 368 turkeys.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Rhode Island

VERMONT

The outlook for Spring 2026 is good for most of Vermont and moderate in some areas.

“We had a successful breeding season in most of the state in 2025 and a moderate harvest during the fall season,” said Toni Mikula, upland game-bird biologist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. “Statewide, there was strong mast production in the fall for beech and oak. However, we are experiencing the coldest winter we have had in years, with some regions having persistent snow cover almost since Thanksgiving.”

Mikula said traditional hotspots look especially promising for Spring 2026. Those include wildlife management units B (Franklin County), J (southern Washington and Orange counties), and O (the lower Connecticut River Valley).

“I also expect the Champlain Valley to be a good bet this spring because it receives little snow, and the agricultural landscape insulates turkeys from shortages of natural food,” she said.

Vermont hunters took 4,777 turkeys in Spring 2025.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Vermont