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California · 2026-27 season year

California Turkey Season 2026-27

Spring 2027: March 27, 2027 to May 2, 2027. Fall 2026: November 14, 2026 to December 13, 2026. Every date below was read from California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s own published page, linked beside it, on the date shown.

This page covers the 2026-27 season year. Dates were read from the agency sources linked below, last checked September 2, 2026. Seasons change annually and agencies correct their own pages; confirm against the linked agency page before you hunt.
March 27, 2027 to May 2, 2027
Spring 2027
published
November 14, 2026 to December 13, 2026
Fall 2026
published
Statewide
Zone structure
as the agency draws it
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Source
read 2026-09-01
The flagship

Spring 2027 turkey season in California

Spring 2027 season

published

Spring 2027 season opens in 163 days, on March 27, 2027 (Statewide general season).

California spring 2027 season, as published by California Department of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Statewide general seasonMarch 27, 2027May 2, 2027An archery only extension and additional junior days follow per the regulations

Dates read from Upland Game Bird Hunting, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-01.

California's spring window follows its standing regulation formula (opening the last Saturday of March), and the agency page prints the 2027 dates.

Close view of a strutting male wild turkey with fanned tail in California grassland
A western tom in strut. Merriam’s and Rio Grande birds carry the western seasons. “Male wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) strutting” by Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
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The other half

Fall 2026 turkey season in California

Fall 2026 season

published

Fall 2026 season opens in 30 days, on November 14, 2026.

California fall 2026 season, as published by California Department of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideNovember 14, 2026December 13, 2026

Dates read from Upland Game Bird Hunting, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-01.

The fall window follows the regulation's second Saturday of November formula, printed by the agency for 2026.

Trail camera photo of a wild turkey flock feeding through green woods
A fall flock on a trail camera at Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge. Fall seasons, where held, hunt birds grouped like this. “Wild turkey flock” — U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters — Public domain
Why the window sits where it does

Spring seasons are built around the breeding season

Spring turkey seasons exist because of a biological coincidence that favors the hunter and protects the flock at the same time: gobblers are at their most vocal and callable in the weeks when hens are being bred and beginning to nest. Agencies set their windows so that most hens are already on nests while gobblers are still responsive, which is why the opener sweeps north with spring itself, from the Gulf states in March to the northern tier in May.

The dates are an annual regulatory decision, not a fixed calendar, which is why this page reads them from California Department of Fish and Wildlife each season year and states the year it covers.

Wild turkey hen crossing a path with three well grown poults
A hen with poults. Spring season structures exist to protect nesting hens while gobblers are still callable. “Wild turkeys (hen with poults)” — ShenandoahNPS / Luca Pfeiffer — Public domain
Rules

California turkey hunting regulations

Season windows are carried here with their source and read date attached. Everything else a hunter is bound by is set by California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current California regulations

Bag limits, legal methods, shooting hours, license and permit requirements, and youth or special season rules for California are set by California Department of Fish and Wildlife, are legally binding and change annually. Its current regulations page is linked here.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife: current regulations

Turkey season dates in other states

California duck seasonThe other 2026-27 season calendar: duck and goose dates by zone and flyway.California deer rutWhen deer actually breed, from the conception studies agencies publish.California fall foliageFall turkey weeks and peak color often overlap. Plan the same trip.

California turkey season questions

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Three wild turkey toms displaying side by side in late winter brush
Toms displaying in late winter. By the time most spring seasons open, flocks like this have broken up. “Leader Of The Pack” by Paul VanDerWerf, CC BY 2.0

This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 2, 2026. Every season window is republished from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife page linked beside it, read on the date shown; windows the agency had not yet published are labelled not yet published. Bag limits, legal methods, shooting hours and license rules are set by California Department of Fish and Wildlife, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national turkey season guide.