Michigan’s spring turkey season is right around the corner. The season is broken up into 28 different hunts that vary by region. The dates for the first hunts start on April 17th. Depending on where you plan on hunting, you could be chasing tom’s in one month. Unfortunately, many of the units in the state have limited license quotas and the draw already happened for 2021. However, leftover licenses are now available on a first-come-first-serve basis. You can only purchase one spring turkey license in Michigan so you will need to figure out which unit you will be hunting and whether or not you plan on hunting private land.
The leftover licenses are available at DNR license centers or from the Michigan DNR website. The cost of a spring turkey license is $15 and you will also need to purchase your 2021 Michigan base license which is $11. The base license allows you to hunt small game in 2021 and 2022 and gives you access to purchase species-specific licenses (bear, deer, turkey, etc.). You will want to purchase your leftover license ASAP as there may be more hunters this spring than in years past.
The following table and chart show you the dates and regions of the different spring turkey hunts. Note: not all of these are still available as some of the license quotas are filling up:
Turkeys tend to be most active and vocal in the spring when the weather is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit so you may consider looking at some of the later hunts which may be less crowded as many hunters opt to get out earlier in April. Spring turkey hunting in Michigan is one of the best hunts of the year as it gives you a chance to hit the woods after a long winter and try to harvest some delicious wild turkey meat.