WhenToBird

Meleagris gallopavo · Phasianidae

When Do Wild Turkeys Arrive in Minnesota?

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

Wild Turkeys are in Minnesota all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in the second week of May (8.8% of checklists), and fall back by early June. In the quietest week (late October) they are still on about 3.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back byJun 1-7early June
FewestOct 22-31late October

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of April and fall back by early June. Peak: on about 8.8% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  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: 4.3% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.7% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.7% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.6% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.4% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.1% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.3% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.1% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.4% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.9% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.9% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.7% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.8% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.0% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.4% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.8% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.3% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.8% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.2% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.1% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.3% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.2% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.9% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.8% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.8% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.5% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.4% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.8% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.8% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.0% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.0% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.1% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.7% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.6% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.2% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.1% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.3% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.0% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.3% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.0% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.1% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.6% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.6% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.5% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.4% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.9% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.4% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.5% of 19759 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 Minnesota 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chippewa CountyBest the second week of January · 11 checklists that week, 1,298 in all32%
  2. Steele CountyBest late May · 224 checklists that week, 4,784 in all23%
  3. Morrison CountyBest early January · 41 checklists that week, 3,424 in all22%
  4. Norman CountyBest late January · 12 checklists that week, 1,003 in all22%
  5. Sibley CountyBest mid February · 21 checklists that week, 1,844 in all22%
  6. Aitkin CountyBest the second week of December · 25 checklists that week, 4,943 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Villa ParkRamsey County, best early May · 22 checklists that week, 273 in all72%
  2. Westwood Hills Nature CenterHennepin County, best late April · 152 checklists that week, 3,520 in all72%
  3. Long Meadow Lake Unit ParkHennepin County, best early June · 50 checklists that week, 3,200 in all71%
  4. Bde Maka Ska (Lake Harriet)Hennepin County, best late November · 23 checklists that week, 572 in all64%
  5. Tamarack Nature CenterRamsey County, best early May · 102 checklists that week, 1,999 in all64%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Wild Turkey is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.2% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 9.7% of 35775 checklists7 am: 7.6% of 90565 checklists8 am: 6.8% of 110612 checklists9 am: 5.5% of 106128 checklists10 am: 4.8% of 96131 checklists11 am: 4.2% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 3.8% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 4.2% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 4.3% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 4.5% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 4.4% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 4.8% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 5.3% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 4.6% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) 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
January4.3%4.7%4.7%4.6%
February4.4%4.1%4.3%4.1%
March4.4%3.9%3.9%4.7%
April5.8%7.0%7.4%7.8%
May9.3%8.8%8.2%7.1%
June6.3%5.2%4.9%4.8%
July4.8%4.5%4.4%3.8%
August3.8%4.0%4.0%4.1%
September4.7%4.6%4.2%4.1%
October4.3%4.0%3.3%3.0%
November3.1%3.6%3.6%3.5%
December4.4%4.9%4.4%4.5%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than Minnesota
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks early May
  • South Dakota: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • North Dakota: arrives mid March, 3 weeks earlier than Minnesota

Common questions

When do Wild Turkeys arrive in Minnesota?
Wild Turkeys are in Minnesota all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in the second week of May (8.8% of checklists), and fall back by early June. In the quietest week (late October) they are still on about 3.1% of checklists.
When do Wild Turkeys leave Minnesota?
Wild Turkeys never fully leave Minnesota: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early June, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Wild Turkey in Minnesota?
The Wild Turkey is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 8.8% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Wild Turkeys seen most often?
By county, Chippewa County, Steele County, and Morrison County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wild Turkey (counties with at least 200 checklists).