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Several states — including Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida — are expected to produce good turkey hunting during Spring 2026. Photo by Images by the Wildside.

Turkey hunting tradition runs deep in the Southeast, from the hardwoods of Kentucky to the swamps of Florida. Some states in the region have experienced tough times recently, with lower turkey numbers and sagging harvests. Overall, however, Southeastern hunters have much to look forward to in 2026.

Here’s what to expect this spring.

ALABAMA

This traditional powerhouse might have faded a bit in recent years, but biologists believe the Spring 2026 season should be moderate to good.

“Considering a ratio of 2.00 poults per hen from the 2024 summer brood survey, we are optimistic that hunters could see an increased number of 2-year-old gobblers on the landscape,” said Caleb Blake, upland game-bird coordinator with the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.

Blake said the Southeastern Plains, Ridge and Valley and Southwestern Appalachian eco-regions reported the highest harvests in recent years. Poult-per-hen numbers were also higher in those areas. Top counties include Jackson, Cherokee, Barbour, Clarke, and Baldwin. Limestone, Lawrence, and Morgan counties, in the Interior Plateau, reported lower numbers, as did Mobile, Geneva and Houston counties in the Southeastern Plains. That’s likely because of urban sprawl and the dominance of row-crop agriculture in those regions.

The state’s post-season hunter survey estimated that about 70,330 hunters harvested 41,417 turkeys in Spring 2025, which was an increase from about 67,380 hunters taking 35,655 gobblers in Spring 2024.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Alabama

ARKANSAS

David Moscicki, turkey program coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said the outlook for Spring 2026 is favorable. The state has experienced several years of good reproduction, which should equate to excellent hunting opportunities this year.

“In 2025, we saw a 22% increase in harvest, which suggests populations are increasing,” he said. “Additionally, for Arkansas’s 2026 season, turkey zones have been increased from two to five, and season opening and closing dates will vary depending on the zone. This change should offer more opportunities for hunters to pursue and harvest at least one turkey.”

Historically, the northern part of Arkansas has seen the best turkey numbers and the highest harvest. The Delta region typically has low harvest numbers, but there are several areas that still offer a good opportunities.

“Overall, all of Arkansas’s eco-regions have seen good reproduction the last few years, which has led to an increase in harvest rates as well,” Moscicki said. “This suggests that populations are responding positively to management and regulations.”

During Spring 2025, Arkansas hunters took 11,332 turkeys.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Arkansas

FLORIDA

This popular early-spring destination state just seems to keep chugging along with solid turkey hunting opportunities, and Spring 2026 looks no different.

“While it might vary by region, our data suggests that this year’s harvest overall will be favorable,” said Juliana Ofalt, wild turkey and furbearer program coordinator. “Our statewide brood survey has maintained sustainable hatches over the last few years, with a statewide poult-per-hen ratio of 2.0 in 2024, indicating we should have another successful spring of turkey hunting in Florida.”

Northeastern and north-central Florida have seen high harvest and reproduction for several years, with Osceola County leading the state in Spring 2025 with 944 reported harvests. Ofalt said data suggests that success might be lower in the northwestern and southern regions, but several public hunting areas in southern Florida still see very high hunter success rates, and northwestern WMAs lead the state in total harvest.

During Spring 2025, Florida hunters shot about 12,066 turkeys.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Florida

GEORGIA

“The 2026 statewide outlook is positive,” said Emily Rushton, state wild turkey biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’s Wildlife Resources Division. “Harvest should be up this spring after strong poult production in 2024. This should translate to an increased population of 2-year-old gobblers on the landscape.”

Rushton said most of Georgia experienced strong production, but the Piedmont Region had the biggest increase from 2023 to 2024, with almost two poults per hen across the region. The Coastal Plain showed strong production but generally remained level with 2023 production estimates.

In 2025, Georgia hunters took about 12,511 turkeys.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Georgia

KENTUCKY

Spring 2026 turkey hunting prospects in the Bluegrass State look bright. Data from state surveys and research projects indicate that nesting success and brood survival have been surprisingly good.

“Good summer poult production has been affirmed by high numbers of jakes captured during winter banding efforts over the past two winters,” said Zak Danks, turkey program coordinator with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “Those guys will be vocal 2-year-olds this spring.”

Danks said the biggest improvements in Summer 2024 production occurred in Kentucky’s western and eastern counties, where poults per hen jumped from 2.6 to 3.1 and 1.8 to 2.3, respectively. In several western counties, the production boost was partly fueled by the emergence of 13-year periodical cicadas, which provided abundant food for hen and poults and, perhaps more important, served as alternative prey for predators.

Further, banding research has shown that Kentucky’s jake harvest rates aren’t excessive. State hunters take just less than 30% of the gobblers in the population, and the jake harvest is far lower, at 6%. Most jakes (76%) survive to become adults, making jake harvest restrictions unnecessary.

In Spring 2025, Kentucky hunters shot 30,661 turkeys.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Kentucky

LOUISIANA

Thanks to increased production in recent years, Louisiana’s Spring 2025 turkey hunting outlook is moderate to good.

“We’ve seen good reproduction in the last two years in southeastern, northwestern, and western regions of the state, which should translate to increased sightings and encounters for turkey hunters in those areas,” said Cody Cedotal, resident small-game and wild turkey program manager for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “Turkey populations in management regions along the Mississippi River continue to struggle a bit.”

During Spring 2025, Louisiana hunters took about 8,400 turkeys.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Louisiana

MISSISSIPPI

Overall spring hunting prospects for the Magnolia State are very positive, according to Caleb Hinton, wild turkey program coordinator with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

“We’ve had strong hatches since 2022 so there should be plenty of gobblers for hunters to chase across the state,” he said.

The outlook for most regions of the state looks good, other than the Delta, where hatches have been somewhat low the past two years. Hinton expects that many gobblers in that area will be older age-class turkeys.

In Spring 2025, Mississippi hunters shot 32,142 turkeys.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Mississippi

NORTH CAROLINA

Tar Heel State hunters can likely expect another good season in Spring 2025, according to Hannah Plumpton, upland game-bird biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

“North Carolina has turkeys in every county of the state, several million acres of public Game Lands, and a well-timed hunting season that offers great opportunity for hunters to get afield for turkeys,” she said. “The results from our various turkey surveys combined with the continued high harvest numbers suggest that the statewide turkey population remains stable.”

Surveys and harvest data indicate that the eastern portion of the state has the most robust turkey populations. “That’s not to say that good hunting doesn’t exist in the Piedmont and Mountain regions, but in general, those regions have not been as productive in recent years,” Plumpton said.

During Spring 2025, North Carolina hunters took 22,736 turkeys.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in North Carolina

SOUTH CAROLINA

Turkey Hunting Nation downgraded the Palmetto State to a C grade this year. Why? The outlook for Spring 2026 is only fair, based on continued poor reproduction, which has led to lower turkey numbers and harvest figures for more than 10 years.

Charles Ruth, big-game program coordinator for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, said prospects in many — if not most — areas of the state will likely be down this spring.

In Spring 2025, South Carolina hunters took 10,419 turkeys.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in South Carolina

TENNESSEE

Volunteer State hunters can likely expect a solid Spring 2026 season.

“I think we should have a pretty good harvest — at or maybe a bit above average,” said Roger Shields, wild turkey program coordinator with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. “We had a pretty good hatch in 2024 and really good hatches for several years prior to that (not counting 2023). That should have put a good number of older-aged birds in the woods, although they can be harder to bag.”

Shields said the state’s central region is always strong, and he expects that to continue this spring. “The Northeast Management Unit should also be strong,” he said. “On the flip side, the Southeast unit might be down this spring due to a few years of below-average productivity.”

In Spring 2025, Tennessee hunters took 29,037 turkeys, which was 13% below the five-year average.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Tennessee

VIRGINIA

Mike Dye, forest game-bird biologist with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, said he expects the Spring 2026 harvest to drop a bit because of decreased summer reproduction in 2024 and 2025.

“There will likely be some older birds in most areas, but there might not be as many gobblers as in the past few years,” he said. “Be prepared to move around to find birds. They will likely not be widespread and are likely to be in better pockets of habitat.”

Eastern Virginia will probably produce more birds. Dye said areas east of Interstate 95 should provide the highest chances of encountering good turkey numbers. The Shenandoah Valley and western Virginia are still below turkey population objectives, although biologists have seen some improvement in those areas.

During Spring 2025, Virginia hunters shot 20,565 turkeys.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in Virginia

WEST VIRGINIA

Mountain State turkey hunters might see a somewhat lower harvest in Spring 2026, according to Michael Peters, wild turkey and migratory game-bird project leader with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.

“Overall, the 2024 poult-per-hen ratio was below the 2023 poult-per-hen ratio,” he said. “Assuming that poult production two years prior to the spring hunting season is an indication of harvest, the 2026 spring harvest may be below the 2025 harvest. Of course, this does not include all the other variables (winter mortality, mast and weather during the hunting season).”

Peters said southwestern West Virginia saw a good cicada hatch, which might have increased turkey survival in that area. Mast production was good statewide in 2025, which likely increased winter survival, even with the extreme winter patterns the state experienced.

In Spring 2025, West Virginia hunters took 10,694 bearded turkeys.

Read More: Turkey Hunting in West Virginia