The Nc turkey season 2021 took place on 10th April and ended on 8th May of the same year. This is an annual hunting season for wild turkeys in North Carolina. The season kicks off with the Youth-only season that starts from April 3rd to April 9th. Due to the dense forests, rugged landscape, and beautiful outdoors in many parts of North Carolina, the hunting seasons give big bounties to hunters who enjoy hunting wild animals including wild turkey. Black bears, deer, and other small game like rabbits, bobcats, fox squirrels, quail, grouse, and armadillo, just to mention but a few. In the 2020 turkey season, the hunters killed a record 22,426 birds. This was an increase of close to 17% from the previous year. However, in 2021, this number increased as more and more people embraced the turkey hunting season.
In the early 1920s, the state of North Carolina established a turkey hunting season that starts from mid-November to mid-February. This hunting season was a restoration plan to increase the wild turkey population in the wild by setting up bag limits to reduce unregulated market hunting of turkeys. The restoration plans were completed in 2005 after a population of 150,000 birds was achieved. The hunting season is experienced in all 100 counties of North Carolina. After the restoration exercise, the N.C Wildlife Resources Commission allowed licensed game hunters to hunt the birds.
Rules of the Game
Before you can hunt turkeys or any other wildlife, you must be properly licensed, you understand the rules and regulations during and after hunting which includes taking and reporting what you have harvested. Some of the basic rules include; you must have a Big Game Harvest Report Card. This goes hand in hand with the North Carolina hunting license. Young hunters who are under the age of 16 are not required to have a hunting license. However, they are expected to be accompanied by a licensed adult.
All hunters are required to hunt and harvest male turkeys also known as bearded turkeys. You only have to hunt for two turkeys per season as a hunter. You are not allowed to use dogs, riffles, or a pistol to take a turkey. Additionally, the hunting times are 30 minutes before sunrise and the same before sunset.
You are not allowed to use baits or bird seed to harvest turkeys. Artificial decoys can be used during the hunt. However, if a bait has been placed, you will have to wait up to 10 days after the bait has been removed or eaten by the turkey. Once you have harvested your turkey, you must indicate in your Big Game Harvest Card the day or month this took place. Once you have recorded this in your card, you must register your harvest with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. Failure to do all the above will result in criminal proceedings and you might end up paying huge fines of up to $1617, and seizure of your firearm.
The Nc turkey season 2021 was a success for many big game hunters and they had a lot of fun and outdoor experiences to share.