WhenToBird

Meleagris gallopavo · Phasianidae

When Do Wild Turkeys Arrive in Texas?

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

Wild Turkeys are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in the second week of August, they are common by late September, peak in late March (2.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 8-14the second week of August
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byJun 22-30late June

Best: late March. First arrivals the second week of August; most are gone by late June. Peak: on about 2.3% of Texas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.9% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.9% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.1% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.6% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.9% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.2% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.4% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.2% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.2% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.8% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.7% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.7% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.7% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.8% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.5% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.4% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.2% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.0% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.0% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.8% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.8% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.7% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.7% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.8% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.9% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.8% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.7% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.9% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.9% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.9% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.9% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.2% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.0% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% of 73015 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 Texas 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 Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. McMullen CountyBest the second week of April · 106 checklists that week, 3,965 in all51%
  2. Hemphill CountyBest the second week of April · 10 checklists that week, 281 in all37%
  3. Coleman CountyBest mid April · 14 checklists that week, 1,413 in all36%
  4. Lavaca CountyBest late March · 39 checklists that week, 1,674 in all26%
  5. Dickens CountyBest early January · 17 checklists that week, 481 in all24%
  6. Ochiltree CountyBest late April · 10 checklists that week, 265 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Choke Canyon State ParkMcMullen County, best late July · 22 checklists that week, 2,356 in all67%
  2. Palo Duro Canyon State ParkRandall County, best the second week of May · 33 checklists that week, 1,069 in all57%
  3. Spring Creek ParkTom Green County, best the second week of December · 21 checklists that week, 711 in all56%
  4. Kerr Wildlife Management AreaKerr County, best late March · 43 checklists that week, 459 in all52%
  5. Bentsen - Rio Grande Valley State ParkHidalgo County, best the second week of November · 352 checklists that week, 8,167 in all50%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Wild Turkey is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (898) to judge1 am: too few checklists (756) to judge2 am: too few checklists (663) to judge3 am: too few checklists (741) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1537) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6113) to judge6 am: 2.3% of 74687 checklists7 am: 2.0% of 285131 checklists8 am: 1.8% of 329960 checklists9 am: 1.3% of 267889 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 218205 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 0.9% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 1.2% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 1.1% of 53396 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (17221) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4048) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1965) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (990) 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
January0.8%0.9%0.9%1.0%
February0.9%1.1%1.0%1.2%
March1.6%1.9%2.2%2.4%
April2.2%2.2%1.8%1.7%
May1.7%1.7%1.8%1.5%
June1.4%1.2%1.0%1.0%
July0.8%0.7%0.8%0.7%
August0.7%0.8%0.9%0.8%
September0.7%0.9%0.9%0.9%
October0.9%0.9%0.9%0.9%
November1.2%1.3%1.1%1.0%
December1.0%1.0%1.0%0.9%

Neighboring states

  • Oklahoma: arrives late January, 22 weeks later than Texas
  • Arkansas: arrives mid September, 5 weeks later than Texas
  • Mississippi: arrives mid December, 17 weeks later than Texas
  • Kansas: arrives early December, 15 weeks later than Texas

Common questions

When do Wild Turkeys arrive in Texas?
Wild Turkeys are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in the second week of August, they are common by late September, peak in late March (2.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.
When do Wild Turkeys leave Texas?
Most Wild Turkeys have left Texas by late June, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of July.
When is the best time to see a Wild Turkey in Texas?
The Wild Turkey is reported most often in late March, on about 2.3% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Wild Turkeys seen most often?
By county, McMullen County, Hemphill County, and Coleman County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wild Turkey (counties with at least 200 checklists).