WhenToBird

Meleagris gallopavo · Phasianidae

When Do Wild Turkeys Arrive in Nebraska?

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

Wild Turkeys reach Nebraska in the second week of February, are common by the second week of March, peak in early May (11% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: early May. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 11% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 2.4% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.8% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.5% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.0% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.8% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.2% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.7% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.2% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.7% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.7% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.9% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.7% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.3% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.5% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.3% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.9% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 9.8% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.8% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.4% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.9% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.9% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.8% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.9% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.1% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.2% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.2% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.1% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.2% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.4% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.3% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.7% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.5% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.8% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.2% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.7% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.5% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.2% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.1% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.1% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.9% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.5% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.0% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.5% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.1% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.0% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.0% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Arthur CountyBest late September · 24 checklists that week, 207 in all32%
  2. Sarpy CountyBest the second week of May · 946 checklists that week, 14,942 in all32%
  3. Dixon CountyBest early October · 12 checklists that week, 1,619 in all28%
  4. McPherson CountyBest early May · 14 checklists that week, 255 in all28%
  5. Dundy CountyBest early May · 17 checklists that week, 623 in all27%
  6. Rock CountyBest early May · 39 checklists that week, 725 in all27%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fontenelle Forest Association Local Resource Management Area (west)Sarpy County, best mid May · 22 checklists that week, 168 in all76%
  2. Fontenelle Forest Association Local Resource Management Area (Old Home Creek)Sarpy County, best late April · 53 checklists that week, 1,592 in all69%
  3. George Clayton Hall County ParkHall County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 196 in all68%
  4. Lauritzen GardensDouglas County, best early May · 27 checklists that week, 317 in all62%
  5. Fontenelle Forest Association Local Resource Management Area (west)Sarpy County, best the second week of May · 31 checklists that week, 297 in all61%
  6. Fontenelle Forest Association Local Resource Management AreaSarpy County, best mid April · 79 checklists that week, 1,623 in all54%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Wild Turkey is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.1% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 12% of 6945 checklists7 am: 7.9% of 19066 checklists8 am: 6.7% of 24661 checklists9 am: 5.4% of 23438 checklists10 am: 4.9% of 20424 checklists11 am: 4.0% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 3.9% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 3.8% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 3.6% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 4.5% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 4.8% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 5.7% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 7.3% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 6.5% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January2.4%1.8%1.5%2.0%
February1.8%2.2%2.7%2.2%
March2.7%3.7%3.9%4.7%
April6.3%8.5%9.3%9.9%
May11%11%9.8%8.8%
June7.4%5.9%5.9%4.8%
July4.9%4.1%4.2%4.2%
August5.1%3.2%4.4%5.3%
September5.7%5.5%4.8%5.2%
October4.7%4.5%4.2%3.1%
November2.1%1.9%2.5%2.0%
December1.5%2.1%3.0%3.0%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives early December, 9 weeks earlier than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Iowa: arrives early April, 7 weeks later than Nebraska
  • Missouri: arrives the second week of February, in the same week than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Wild Turkeys arrive in Nebraska?
Wild Turkeys reach Nebraska in the second week of February, are common by the second week of March, peak in early May (11% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Wild Turkeys leave Nebraska?
Most Wild Turkeys have left Nebraska by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid November.
When is the best time to see a Wild Turkey in Nebraska?
The Wild Turkey is reported most often in early May, on about 11% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Wild Turkeys seen most often?
By county, Arthur County, Sarpy County, and Dixon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wild Turkey (counties with at least 200 checklists).