Hunting enthusiasts throughout the state prepare for the much anticipated Montana Turkey Season of 2024 as the winter snow melts and the clean spring air fills the valleys and mountains. With its breathtaking surroundings, varied turkey population, and historic hunting tradition, Montana provides experienced and novice hunters with a distinctive and exhilarating hunting experience. We’ll explore more on this page, including its dates, licensing requirements, bag restrictions, and other rules.
Montana Turkey Season 2024
Spring season runs from April through May, with a youth season in the same month. Fall hunters may use rifles, pistols, shotguns, and archery gear but must follow safety rules. Hunters may contact Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, or the official hunting rules for information on permits, tags, and hunting laws.
| Opportunity | Dates | Locations |
| General Turkey | ||
| Male Shotgun/Archery only. | Apr. 15 – May 31 | |
| Either-sex | Sep. 01 – Jan. 01 | Not valid in Region 4. |
| Region 1 | ||
| Male Shotgun/Archery only. | Apr. 15 – May 31 | Valid in Lincoln, Flathead, Sanders, and Lake counties and those portions of Sanders and Missoula counties within Region 1. Not valid on the Flathead Indian Reservation. |
| Either-sex | Sep. 01 – Jan. 01 | |
| Female or beardless | Sep. 01 – Jan. 01 | |
| Region 2 | ||
| Male Shotgun/Archery only. | Apr. 15 – May 31 | Valid in Missoula and Ravalli counties |
| Either-sex Wild | Sep. 01 – Jan. 01 | Valid in Missoula and Ravalli counties |
| Female or beardless | Sep. 01 – Jan. 01 | Valid in Missoula and Ravalli counties |
| Female or beardless | Sep. 01 – Jan. 01 | Valid in Missoula, Ravalli, and Mineral counties |
| Region 5 | ||
| Male Shotgun/Archery only. | Apr. 15 – May 31 | Valid in Wheatland, Sweet Grass, Stillwater, Carbon, Golden Valley, Musselshell, Yellowstone, and Bighorn counties. |
| Region 7 | ||
| Male Shotgun/Archery only. | Apr. 15 – May 31 | Valid in that portion of Garfield County south and west of Fort Peck Reservoir, west of Big Dry Creek and south of HWY 200, Rosebud County, Treasure County, Prairie County, Custer County, Powder River County, that portion of Richland County south of HWY 200, that portion of Dawson County south of HWY 200, that portion of McCone County south of HWY 200, Wibaux County, Fallon County, and Carter County. |
| Either-sex | Sep. 01 – Jan. 01 | Top of Form Bottom of Form |
Bag Limits
| License Type | Valid Regions | Bag Limits |
|---|---|---|
| General Turkey License | Statewide, Regions 1-3, 5-7 | 1 |
| Regional Turkey License (Regions 1, 2, 5, 7) | Regions 1, 2, 5, 7 | 1 |
| Female or Beardless Turkey License (Region 1) | Region 1 | 1 |
| Female or Beardless Turkey Licenses (Missoula and Ravalli counties) | Missoula, Ravalli | 4 |
| Female or Beardless Turkey License (Missoula, Ravalli, Mineral counties) | Missoula, Ravalli, Mineral | 1 |
MT Turkey Licenses
| License Type | Turkey with Upland Game Bird | Turkey without Upland Game Bird |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisite License | Upland Game Bird | N/A |
| Resident Fee | $6.50 | N/A |
| Nonresident Fee | $57.50 | $115 |
Hunting Regulations
- Avoid unintentional gunfire. To prevent being mistaken for game, hunters should avoid turkey colors like white, red, black, and blue. Choosing a calling location in open cover and staying stationary without waving or using turkey calls to notify other hunters is critical. Wildlife behavior might also alert hunters. Wearing hunter orange while taking a turkey out of the field helps avoid mishaps.
- Before acquiring a Montana hunting license, anybody born after January 1, 1985, must provide evidence of completing a hunter safety and education course in Montana or another state or province.
- Apprentice Hunters must be certified by an FWP (Fish, Wildlife & Parks) office. They may hunt with a mentor without a hunter education course. Apprentice Hunters cannot buy mountain lion, black bear, wolf, or restricted quota permits. Youth aged 12 or older may hunt any game species with a valid license, and those who will turn 12 by January 16, 2022, can hunt after August 15 of the 2022 license year if they produce evidence of hunter education at the time of purchase. Fwp.mt.gov/hunt/education/apprentice-hunter has further information.
- Prohibits killing, taking, or shooting game birds from aircraft, including helicopters, and using aircraft to concentrate, pursue, drive, rally, or stir up game birds. It is also illegal to employ rifle scopes that produce artificial or infrared light to take or try to capture game birds.
- Game bird hunting season runs from half an hour before dawn to half an hour after dusk. Page 4’s official sunrise-sunset tables are correct.
- Bait, salt lick, trap, snare, or set gun hunting is unlawful. Baiting involves putting, exposing, depositing, spreading, or sprinkling food or salt to attract game animals.
- All hunters must stop at check stations on their route to and from hunting grounds, regardless of whether they have harvested animals. Hunters must fulfill this regulation.
- Hunters must leave one leg and foot on spring to prove sex. The turkey’s leg and foot must stay connected throughout state transit until it reaches the owner’s home.
- Hunters need permission from private landowners, lessees, or agents to enter the public property. Private landowners, lessees, and agents must also provide authorization to retrieve wildlife. Hunters must verify their license by cutting out the triangles indicating the month and day of the kill from the relevant license and sticking them to the animal before removing it from the kill site. The meat must be stored with a valid license until it is eaten.
- Unless a tribal-state agreement exists, turkey hunting with state permits is prohibited on Indian Reservations in Montana. However, a turkey license allows hunting on Crow Reservation “fee” property. Hunting on private property for the game, wildlife, and predatory animals requires authorization from the owners, lessee, or their representatives, regardless of whether the land is posted. Even though the property is unposted, resident and nonresident hunters need permission.
- Except for predatory animals, wolves, and birds not protected by state or federal law, it is prohibited to use recorded or electrically amplified bird or animal cries or imitations for hunting, taking, killing, or capturing wildlife.
- Hunting game birds from a self-propelled or pulled vehicle is unlawful unless the hunter has two feet on the ground and is outside the vehicle. Vehicle hunters are exempt from this regulation. Hunting game birds on or from a public roadway, including the shoulder, berm, barrow pit, or right-of-way, is illegal. This covers the full width of any public road exposed to vehicles.
- Landowners must provide hunting permission. Without railroad authorization, hunting on right-of-ways is likewise forbidden. Trapping on State School Trust properties requires a permit. On leased property, overnight usage is restricted to two or 16 days in authorized campsites or unleased land. Motorized travel is only permitted on public or authorized roadways. Without authorization, firearms cannot be fired within one-quarter mile of occupied residences or outbuildings on state trust property. Campgrounds forbid open fires outside fire pits. Hunters must contact the Tribal Government for Indian Reservation Trust Lands.
- Unless there are weapons limitations, wild turkeys may be taken in the fall using a shotgun no bigger than a ten gauge, a long, recurve, compound bow and arrow, or a rifle, pistol, or crossbow.
Note: For complete Hunting regulation, you may review it on the Montana FWP website.
FAQ
When is Montana's spring turkey season?
The spring season normally begins in mid-April and lasts until the end of May; however, exact dates might change from year to year. The season shall run from April 15 to May 31, 2024.
When is Montana's fall turkey season?
The fall season typically begins in September and lasts through January of the following year. The fall turkey season is scheduled to begin on September 1, 2024.
How many turkey licenses can a hunter hold in Montana?
Hunter may possess up to 11 wild turkey licenses annually. These may include a general license that is good for either-sex in some regions and male throughout the state during the spring and regional licenses that are good for male turkeys in particular areas during the spring and fall seasons.
What are the requirements for turkey hunting in Montana?
In addition to a bird and conservation license, hunters are needed to buy a turkey tag. Hunters must leave one leg and foot naturally connected while moving a spring turkey throughout the state to check for signs of sex. Hunting on private property also needs the consent of the landowner.
