Legal Considerations for Wild Turkeys Hunting at Maine
Wild turkeys hunting is a very popular activity on all states with wild turkeys populations, so its regulation is very detailed and strict in order to keep turkeys populations stable; then if you are not familiar with legal regulations regarding wild turkey hunting, it's easy to infringe the law and find troubles.
Laws and regulations change from state to state, so you must be aware of local rules before going out to hunt wild turkeys; furthermore, regulations may vary from season to season, so be sure to be regularly updated about even if you are a regular hunter on a particular area and your knowledge of current regulations is good.
As a model, here you will find an excerpt of Maine regulations regarding wild turkeys hunting for the Fall/Spring Season 2018:
1. License and Permit
To hunt turkeys in Maine it's necessary to have a valid small or big hunting license plus a fall/spring wild turkey hunting permit. The cost of such permit is US$ 20.
No one can hunt without a valid licence and permit, however it's possible to help on the hunting raid whenever the assistent person don't have means to kill
(firearms, bows, etc).
2. Bag Limits
During spring season the maximum bag limit is two barbed wild turkeys while in spring the bag limit is two turkeys regardless the sex.
3. Hunting Hours
Turkeys hunting is allowed during the season only half hour before sunrise and half an hour after sunset.
4. Tagging
Once a turkey is killed, the hunter must immediately secure a tag on a visible area with his/her name, address and hunting license. In case of a gift turkey, the label must state the name and address of the person who registered the turkey as well the year of registry.
5. Registration
All killed turkeys - or turkey parts, except viscerae - must be registered within 18 hours after the hunt on a registration station. The fee for such mandatory registration is 5 US$.
6. Transportation
A wild turkey must be transported by the person who killed it towards the registration station within the first 18 hours after the kill. No one besides the hunter who shoot down the turkey is allowed to transport the game for registration. No one is allowed to keep a turkey on his/her home or any other storage place without previous registration and notification to a game warden.
7. Landowners privileges
Landowners and their relatives may hunt without a license if the comply with the following requirements:
a) Posses a land of 25 acres or more located within the turkeys hunting zone.
b) The hunter has his/her permanent residence on such land.
c) The land is used to breed dairy or beef cattle as well dairy products.
d) The land is open to hunt, including huntin with permissions.
With this information you probably will comply with the laws (at least in Maine), however be aware of Wild Turkey Hunting Prohibitions, which will be detailed on our next post.
