Maine has no shortage of wild turkeys. But if you’re looking for the best places to hunt this spring, some towns consistently produce far more birds than others.
In the spring of 1976, 19 wild turkeys trapped and transported from Vermont were released near Mount Agamenticus in York. It marked the start of Maine’s turkey reintroduction program. Ten years later, in 1986, Maine held its first modern spring turkey hunting season in York County. By 2015, the season had expanded to all wildlife management districts.
According to the last formal Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife study, the state’s turkey population was estimated at as many as 70,000 birds. The National Wild Turkey Federation puts that number between 70,000 and 80,000. Whatever the exact number, there are plenty of birds across the state. Even after a colder, snowier and longer-than-average winter, hunters should still find success in all 29 spring turkey zones.
Still, harvest data from 2024 and 2025 shows a clear pattern. Central and southern Maine — from just south of Bangor to the Midcoast and down to York County — offer the best chance to tag a bird. While turkeys can be found in every zone, certain towns in these areas show up year after year with some of the highest harvest totals.
In spring turkey zones 23 and 25, towns such as Albion, China, Jefferson, Warren, Vassalboro, Union, Windsor and Waldoboro are good examples. Most years, hunters in these towns take at least 40 bearded birds. In 2025, Albion and China each produced 57 birds, while Windsor topped 50.
The towns of Woolwich, Topsham, Dresden, Pittston, Richmond and Monmouth are usually among the top producers in Zone 22. Hunters took 40 gobblers in Pittston, 39 in Monmouth and 45 in Richmond in 2024.
Just to the north in Zone 16, hunters took 42 birds in Starks and 43 in Sidney in 2025. Turner led the zone with 65 birds after producing 56 the year before. At least a half-dozen other towns topped 30 birds. To the west in Zone 15, Norway, Oxford, Otisfield and Parsonsfield each produced at least 40 birds in 2025. While numbers dipped slightly in 2024, both zones continue to trend upward.
In Zone 21, which covers most of Cumberland County, there are few bad options. Standish produced 50 birds in 2025, Durham had 54, Scarborough 59, Windham 82, Buxton 72 and Gorham 138. For the second straight year, Gorham led the state. Hunters took 129 birds there in 2024.
In Zone 20, covering most of York County, hunters should find strong opportunities along the New Hampshire border in towns such as Acton, Lebanon, Berwick and South Berwick. Interior towns including Sanford, Waterboro, Lyman, Shapleigh and North Berwick also hold plenty of birds. It’s not unusual for each of these towns to produce 40 to 50 or more birds each spring.
Coastal towns can be even better. Hunters killed 64 birds in Wells last season and 54 in York. Since 2021, both towns have consistently ranked among the top producers in Zone 20.
There is no doubt central and southern Maine towns have higher turkey densities and produce the highest harvest totals each year. Turkey populations are denser there, and food is more abundant. But these areas also see more hunting pressure. After the first week or so of the season, birds can become less responsive to calls and far less cooperative.
In far northern and western Maine, bird numbers are lower, but so is hunting pressure. Hunters willing to put in time scouting farmland, hayfields, ridge lines, hillside benches, roosting areas, logging roads and strutting zones should still find opportunities.
In Zones 3 and 6, the top-producing towns since the statewide expansion tend to sit along or just inland from the St. John River Valley and the New Brunswick border. Places such as St. Agatha, Madawaska, Westmanland, Woodland, Van Buren, Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Washburn, Mapleton and Presque Isle all stand out. Farther south along the border, Mars Hill, Bridgewater, Monticello and Littleton can also produce decent numbers.
The same is true in northernmost Zone 11, where Houlton, New Limerick and Hodgdon offer solid opportunities. In 2025, hunters in Hodgdon killed 26 birds, the highest total among 14 northern spring turkey zones.
Far western Maine has also been coming on strong. In Zone 17, towns such as Pittsfield, Newport, Palmyra, Corinth, Exeter and St. Albans, along with Cornville, Madison and Clinton, produced good numbers in 2024 and 2025. The same holds true for Anson, Farmington, New Vineyard and Industry in Zone 13, as well as Greenwood, Woodstock, Sumner, Jay, Rumford and Bethel in Zone 12. In general, river valley towns tend to hold their share of birds.
Maine offers some of the best spring turkey hunting in the East, even if it rarely gets the attention it deserves. And in the end, the best town to hunt is the one where you fill your tag. Based on recent harvest data, that can happen just about anywhere in the state.
