WhenToBird

Meleagris gallopavo · Phasianidae

When Do Wild Turkeys Arrive in North Carolina?

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

Wild Turkeys reach North Carolina in the second week of February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (4.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 4.6% of North Carolina checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.3% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.1% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.7% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.1% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.7% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.6% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.5% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.8% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.4% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.0% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.0% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.4% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.3% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.3% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.0% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.3% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.5% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.4% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.2% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.2% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.4% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.0% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.1% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.0% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.1% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.0% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.1% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.2% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.1% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.9% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.6% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.6% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.3% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.6% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.4% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.2% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.2% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.3% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.5% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Yancey CountyBest early April · 138 checklists that week, 11,714 in all30%
  2. Graham CountyBest early January · 13 checklists that week, 2,381 in all27%
  3. Gates CountyBest early April · 93 checklists that week, 4,066 in all26%
  4. Madison CountyBest the second week of April · 165 checklists that week, 6,254 in all25%
  5. Jones CountyBest mid April · 58 checklists that week, 2,012 in all19%
  6. Lenoir CountyBest late March · 44 checklists that week, 2,189 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bass PondBuncombe County, best early April · 43 checklists that week, 1,638 in all67%
  2. Lower Janita LakeForsyth County, best late July · 42 checklists that week, 1,378 in all53%
  3. City of Winston-Salem Open Space - Shaffner ParkForsyth County, best late August · 20 checklists that week, 447 in all52%
  4. The LagoonBuncombe County, best the second week of August · 21 checklists that week, 1,934 in all52%
  5. Sandy Mush Game LandBuncombe County, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 198 in all44%
  6. Long Valley BranchBuncombe County, best late March · 49 checklists that week, 1,413 in all43%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Wild Turkey is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 5.4% of 50335 checklists7 am: 3.4% of 150152 checklists8 am: 3.1% of 182902 checklists9 am: 2.3% of 158933 checklists10 am: 1.7% of 128398 checklists11 am: 1.5% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 1.2% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 1.3% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 1.7% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 2.1% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 2.1% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January1.3%1.2%1.1%1.1%
February1.2%1.3%1.3%1.6%
March1.7%2.1%2.7%3.6%
April4.5%4.8%4.4%4.0%
May4.0%3.4%3.3%3.3%
June3.0%2.3%2.5%2.4%
July2.2%2.2%2.4%2.0%
August2.1%2.0%2.1%2.0%
September2.1%2.2%2.1%1.9%
October1.6%1.6%1.3%1.6%
November1.4%1.3%1.2%1.2%
December1.3%1.1%1.5%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of January, 4 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives early February, 1 week earlier than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives late March, 6 weeks later than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid January, 3 weeks earlier than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Wild Turkeys arrive in North Carolina?
Wild Turkeys reach North Carolina in the second week of February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (4.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Wild Turkeys leave North Carolina?
Most Wild Turkeys have left North Carolina by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of November.
When is the best time to see a Wild Turkey in North Carolina?
The Wild Turkey is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 4.6% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Wild Turkeys seen most often?
By county, Yancey County, Graham County, and Gates County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wild Turkey (counties with at least 200 checklists).