Spring bearded turkey hunting season opens in March

The 2023 Spring Bearded Turkey Hunting Season will begin on March 1 and run for 46 consecutive days through April 15. Hunting begins one half-hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

The spring season will be for bearded turkeys only, in locations identified below:

• Unit A – Mauna Kea Forest Reserve and GMA: Mammal hunting will also be open above treeline for rifle, muzzleloader, handgun and shotgun.
• Unit G – Kaʻohe GMA: Also open daily to mammal hunting for archery.
• Unit F – Puʻu Waʻawaʻa Forest Reserve: All gates must be closed. Paddocks where cattle are present will be closed to hunting.
• Unit E – Kīpuka ʻĀinahou: (Archery only) Mammal hunting concurrent on weekend. State Holidays – Department of Hawaiian Homelands portion closed. Hunting will take place from March 1-31.
• Private Lands: Hunters required to have valid hunting license, current turkey tags and landowner permission.

The daily bag limit will be three bearded turkeys per hunter with a season bag limit of three. All hunters are required to have a current unused turkey tag in their possession while hunting. Tags are currently $5 per tag for residents and $20 per tag for non-residents.

Turkey tags are non-transferable and must be fastened with snaps and secured tightly around the neck or tarsus of any bird taken immediately after the kill. Tags purchased online shall be printed, placed in a resealable plastic bag, and secured with a rubber band. Tags may be purchased online and at a few commercial vendors on the island of Hawaiʻi.

Click here for hunting information, including purchasing tags and permits. Click here for game bird hunting information and rules.