WhenToBird

Meleagris gallopavo · Phasianidae

When Do Wild Turkeys Arrive in Michigan?

Adult male Wild Turkey
Photo: Dan Vickers, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Wild Turkeys are in Michigan all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early April, peak in late April (8.3% of checklists), and fall back by early June. In the quietest week (early November) they are still on about 3.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 1-7early April
PeakApr 22-30late April
Fall back byJun 1-7early June
FewestNov 1-7early November

Best: late April. Here all year; numbers build from early April and fall back by early June. Peak: on about 8.3% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 3.3% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.4% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.7% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.4% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.3% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.6% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.7% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.8% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.5% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.7% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.8% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.0% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.1% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.6% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.2% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.3% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.4% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.2% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.2% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.8% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.0% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.5% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.0% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.6% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.4% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.3% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.0% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.0% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.2% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.1% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.9% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.0% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.4% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.4% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.3% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.4% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.2% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.7% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.5% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.3% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.1% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.2% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.4% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.7% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.7% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.5% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.6% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.5% of 30908 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Michigan that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Osceola CountyBest mid April · 126 checklists that week, 5,623 in all34%
  2. Dickinson CountyBest the second week of September · 44 checklists that week, 2,302 in all32%
  3. Ogemaw CountyBest mid April · 128 checklists that week, 4,675 in all22%
  4. Midland CountyBest late April · 601 checklists that week, 14,073 in all21%
  5. Crawford CountyBest mid March · 91 checklists that week, 16,949 in all21%
  6. Livingston CountyBest late April · 1447 checklists that week, 31,033 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. For-Mar Nature Preserve and ArboretumGenesee County, best mid May · 54 checklists that week, 810 in all75%
  2. Troy Farm ParkOakland County, best late April · 33 checklists that week, 550 in all74%
  3. Portage Creek Bicentennial ParkKalamazoo County, best mid April · 23 checklists that week, 474 in all63%
  4. Heritage ParkOakland County, best late April · 148 checklists that week, 4,532 in all61%
  5. Plaster Creek TrailKent County, best early May · 51 checklists that week, 1,094 in all61%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Wild Turkey is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.7% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 14% of 39298 checklists7 am: 8.3% of 120344 checklists8 am: 6.4% of 180109 checklists9 am: 5.2% of 171966 checklists10 am: 4.5% of 156332 checklists11 am: 3.8% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 3.6% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 3.5% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 3.8% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 4.0% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 4.3% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 4.7% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 4.9% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 4.6% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January3.3%3.4%3.7%3.4%
February3.3%3.6%3.7%3.8%
March3.5%3.7%3.8%5.0%
April6.1%7.6%8.2%8.3%
May8.4%8.2%7.2%6.8%
June6.0%5.5%5.0%4.6%
July4.4%4.3%4.0%4.0%
August4.2%4.1%3.9%4.0%
September4.4%4.4%4.3%4.4%
October4.2%3.7%3.5%3.3%
November3.1%3.2%3.4%3.7%
December3.7%3.5%3.6%3.5%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives early December, 16 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives mid February, 6 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives the second week of December, 15 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks early May

Common questions

When do Wild Turkeys arrive in Michigan?
Wild Turkeys are in Michigan all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early April, peak in late April (8.3% of checklists), and fall back by early June. In the quietest week (early November) they are still on about 3.2% of checklists.
When do Wild Turkeys leave Michigan?
Wild Turkeys never fully leave Michigan: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early June, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Wild Turkey in Michigan?
The Wild Turkey is reported most often in late April, on about 8.3% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Wild Turkeys seen most often?
By county, Osceola County, Dickinson County, and Ogemaw County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wild Turkey (counties with at least 200 checklists).