45,000 (NWTF estimate)
Wild Turkey Population
Easterns
Turkey Subspecies
16,424
Number of Licenses Sold Annually
$51
Hunting, $28; turkey license, $23.
Cost of Resident License and Permit
$140
Hunting, $102; turkey license, $38.
Cost of Non-Resident License and Permit
According to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, turkeys were extirpated there by the mid-1800s. As with many Northern turkey hunting states, trap-and-transfer efforts have established huntable flocks.
Restoration began in 1969 and 1970, when the state's wildlife biologists live-trapped 31 New York turkeys and released them in Pawlet and Hubbardton. Vermont now has turkeys in most regions of the state.
There is a two-bird limit (both can be taken in one day), and license prices are fair. Public land is abundant, and private land access can often be negotiated.
Vermont hunters took 5,529 birds during spring 2022. Youth hunters added 619 birds. Poult production was up this past year, too, so hunters can expect to see more jakes on the landscape in 2023.
The Connecticut River region (the Vermont/New Hampshire border), White River Valley and Lake Champlain Valley are typically turkey hunting hotspots.
Want a low-pressure hunt with lots of room? The Green Mountain National Forest, with more than 400,000 acres and the largest tract of contiguous Vermont public land, is open to hunting. Plus, the state has 134,000 acres of wildlife management areas.
Go here for more Realtree turkey hunting.