Question: I have been turkey hunting in California for several years and always wondered why the shooting times are limited until only 4 pm. I have heard it protects them so they can return to roost in the evening, but this makes no sense since there is an overabundance of turkeys in California, more than a lot of other states. Many other states allow turkey hunting until sundown, similar to big game. What's the reason for this early shooting stop time?

Answer: Shooting hours for the spring wild turkey season is always one-half hour before sunrise to 4 p.m. The reason for the early stop time in the spring (versus the stop time of sunset in the fall) is because the spring season occurs during turkey breeding season. Only the toms (and bearded hens) may be taken in the spring to allow the hens to nest successfully. The goal is to maximize the opportunities for hunters to take turkeys while protecting nesting hens. Setting this early shooting stop time gives the birds a break from hunting pressure, allows the toms to return to the roost and the hens to get back to their nests. The stop hunting time used to be 1 p.m., but as wild turkey numbers have flourished, the stop hunting time was moved to 4 p.m.

Turkeys typically roost communally and may have only one or no more than a few trees where they roost at night. They become more vulnerable toward the end of the day as they return to their preferred roost. If the turkeys are disturbed along the way by gun shots, they may select unfamiliar roosting areas, thus making themselves more vulnerable to predation.