The spring turkey hunting season begins Monday in Maine, with this season’s youth turkey hunt set for Saturday. 

Hunters under age 16 can hunt with a junior permit for up to two turkeys on April 30. The regular spring season for licensed hunters to take one or two turkeys, depending on where they hunt, begins May 2 and runs through June 4.

Hunters may use crossbows, a bow and arrow or shotguns during this season, as well as electronic calling devices. Dogs may not be used in the spring turkey hunt. 

Spring is breeding season for wild turkeys, which are the largest upland game bird on the continent. In Maine, the state says the birds can be found in York, Cumberland, Oxford, Androscoggin, Lincoln, Knox, Kennebec, Waldo, Hancock, Somerset and Penobscot Counties.

Since 2006, Maine has offered turkey hunting permits over the counter rather than by lottery and has seen statewide harvests of around 6,000 turkeys. The spring permit was added in 2010.