Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) reports the state’s spring turkey hunting season resulted in a harvest of 34,990 birds, the fourth-highest reported harvest on record. It is the best harvest since the 2020 COVID record season and ranks behind only the 2006 and 2010 seasons overall.
The 2026 spring harvest is a 13 percent increase over the previous 5-year average of 31,038. A total of 28,266 hunters harvested at least one turkey, which is 19 percent greater than the 5-year average of successful hunters (23,703). Mature toms comprised 92 percent of the harvest, with only 8 percent of the harvest being jakes.
“I was very pleased with the harvest we had this year, and I really expected we’d have more of an average year—up from last year, but nothing like what we experienced,” said Roger Shields, TWRA Wild Turkey Program Coordinator. “I never expected we’d see the harvest we did. But relatively good turkey hatches for the past few years, combined with favorable weather throughout the season, helped to produce a near record harvest year. I’ll certainly take it.”
All five Turkey Management Units (TMU) recorded an increase over the five-year average. The West unit had the greatest increase (52 percent) with a record harvest of 1,411. The Central unit led in terms of total harvest with 17,197, a 17 percent increase from the five-year average. The Midwest unit’s harvest of 5,174 was a 10 percent increase, and the Southeast and Northeast units both increased 4 percent, with harvests of 4,357 and 6,851, respectively.
Tennessee’s harvest followed a pattern across much of the Southeast and Midwest. Several states, including Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri, reported record or near-record harvests this spring.
As spring wraps up and summer approaches, the TWRA also wants to announce that the 2026 wild turkey summer observation survey is underway. Survey participants help the TWRA monitor the state’s wild turkey population by reporting wild turkey sightings. For more information on the survey and how to participate, visit www.tn.gov/twra/turkeyobs.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is responsible for protecting, managing, and conserving fish and wildlife species for the benefit of Tennesseans and visitors. The Agency also maintains public safety through law enforcement and safety education on waterways.
