This guide is provided for informational purposes and is not intended to be a complete listing of regulations. For other specific information on regulations and laws, visit the Game and Fish Department website at www.gf.nd.gov or for North Dakota state laws go to www.legis.nd.gov/cencode/T201.html.
2007 Fall Wild
Turkey Hunting Guide (319Kb PDF)
2007 Fall Wild
Turkey Proclamation (247Kb PDF)
Licensing on the Web and Telephone, Downloadable Applications, & Regulations
Opens: October 13, 2007
Closes: January 13, 2008
Restrictions: Restricted to fall season dates and
unit described on license.
Areas: All open units - See last page for map with
unit boundaries.
Hunting Hours: One-half (½) hour before
sunrise to sunset daily.
Who May Apply - Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply. If licenses remain after the first lottery, state law allows nonresidents to apply at a fee of $80.
Hunter Education Requirement - Persons born after Dec. 31, 1961 must complete a certified state or provincial hunter education course and present the certification card earned to the license vendor to purchase a North Dakota hunting license. Exceptions: Persons who hunt only on land they own or operate, and persons under age 12 (those under age 12 may hunt if they have an appropriate license and are under direct supervision of a parent or guardian).
Minimum Age - Hunters under age 15 afield with firearms must be under direct supervision of a parent, guardian, or adult authorized by their parent or guardian.
General - Licenses are issued by weighted lottery after the number of gratis licenses to be issued is deducted from the total available. The deadline for submitting regular lottery applications was July 5, 2007.
Gratis - Gratis licenses are available to North Dakota residents owning or leasing, for agricultural purposes and actively farming or ranching, at least 160 acres of land located in an open hunting unit, and are valid only upon land described on the application and subsequently the license.
Other Licenses Required - Hunters, regardless of age, must also possess a fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate ($1 for residents and $2 for nonresidents), and a general game and habitat license ($13). In addition, resident hunters age 16 and older must possess a small game license ($6) or a combination license ($32) before hunting wild turkeys. (Gratis license holders exempt.) Stamps must be affixed to the back of a fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate. Stamps and licenses must be signed in ink.
Baiting on all Department wildlife management areas is prohibited. Baiting is defined as the placement and/or use of bait(s) for attracting game to a specific location for the purpose of hunting. Baits include but are not limited to grains, minerals, salts, fruits, vegetables, hay or any other natural or manufactured foods. The designation does not apply to the use of scents and lures, water, food plots, standing crops, or livestock feeds used in standard practices.
Baiting is also not allowed on all U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refuges, waterfowl production areas and wildlife development areas; all North Dakota state school lands; and all North Dakota state park lands.
License holders must accompany their wild turkey during transportation, except that it may be shipped by licensed public carrier in receipt of proper bill of lading.
Immediately after a turkey is taken, the hunter must indicate the date of kill by cutting out the appropriate month and day from the tag provided with the license, and attach it around the leg of the turkey in an exact manner as illustrated on back of tag to prevent its removal. It is not legal to possess or transport a turkey unless it is properly tagged. The tag shall remain with the carcass until it is packaged as food. No person may reuse or attempt to reuse any tag issued. All used tags must be kept in possession until the meat is consumed or disposed of.
Each license holder may take and possess one wild turkey of any sex or age per license.
Know your wild turkey

Shotguns - Only shotguns no larger than 10 gauge and capable of holding not more than three shells in the magazine and chamber are legal. Minimum barrel length is 18 inches. Fully automatic firearms are illegal.
Rifles - Only muzzleloading long guns are legal. Centerfire rifles and rimfire rifles are not legal for hunting wild turkeys.
Bows and Arrows - A bow must be pulled, held, and released by hand. Any release aid may be used providing it is hand operated, the shooter supports the draw weight of the bow, and the release is not attached to any part of the bow other than at the bowstring. A compound bow used for hunting turkeys must have at least 35 pounds of draw at 28 inches or less draw length. Recurve and long bows used for hunting turkeys must have at least 35 pounds of draw at 28 inches. Arrows must be at least 24 inches long, tipped with a metal broadhead, with at least two sharp cutting edges, and have a cutting diameter of at least 3/4 inch (i.e., not able to pass through a 3/4 inch ring). It is illegal to hunt turkeys with barbed arrows. Broadheads with mechanical or retractable blades are legal. Telescopic sights, range finding devices, battery powered or electronically lighted sights or other electronic devices attached to the bow, or the arrow, are not permitted. Handheld range finding devices are legal. Arrows capable of causing damage or injury in excess of that inflicted by the cutting edges of the broadhead, are prohibited (e.g., explosive arrow points, arrows tipped with drugs or chemicals, and pneumatic or hydraulic shafts are illegal).
Handguns - Handguns using straight-wall cased centerfire ammunition and muzzleloading pistols are legal.
Other Firearms/Archery Restrictions
This program encourages people to report wildlife violations, remain anonymous if they prefer, and receive monetary rewards for convictions based on their information. Anonymous callers will be given a special code number and are not required to give their name. Rewards range from $100 to $1,000 depending on the nature and seriousness of the crime. Call 800-472-2121. Call this number only to report game and fish violations. Note: If calling from outside North Dakota, the number is (701) 328-9921.The reward fund is supported by private donations. If you wish to donate to the RAP program, tax deductible contributions can be sent to RAP, Box 188, Valley City, ND 58072-0188.
Do not hunt on road rights of way unless you are certain that they are open to public use. Most road rights of way are under the control of the adjacent landowner and are closed to hunting when the adjacent land is posted closed to hunting.
No person shall kill, cripple, waste, destroy, spoil, or abandon the edible fresh (breast meat) of any wild turkey without making a reasonable effort to retrieve the bird, and retain it in his/her actual custody, at the place where taken and between that place and either (a) his/her personal permanent residence, (b) a taxidermist, or (c) a common carrier.
A maximum of 30 turkey licenses (available from the Department's Bismarck office) will be issued for a concurrent experimental turkey season at the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Lab in Mandan. Applicants must first obtain a permit from USDA-ARS and can apply through their web site at www.mandan.ars.usda.gov.
| Unit | Fall Permits |
|---|---|
| 02 |
125
|
| 03 |
300
|
| 04 |
250
|
| 06 |
50
|
| 10 |
30
|
| 13 |
750
|
| 15 |
150
|
| 17 |
1100
|
| 18 |
60
|
| 19 |
200
|
| 21 |
Closed
|
| 25 |
800
|
| 27 |
900
|
| 30 |
600
|
| 31 |
60
|
| 34 |
100
|
| 37 |
75
|
| 40 |
75
|
| 41 |
175
|
| 44 |
250
|
| 45 |
200
|
| 47 |
50
|
| 50 |
50
|
| 51 |
300
|
| 53 |
Closed
|
| 70 |
150
|
| 98 |
500
|
| 99 |
450
|
| R (Remainder of state) |
275
|
| Total |
8025
|
A maximum of 30 turkey licenses (available from the Department's Bismarck office) will be issued for a concurrent experimental turkey season at the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Lab in Mandan. Applicants must first obtain a permit from USDA-ARS and can apply only through their website at www.mandan.ars.usda.gov.
If an individual hunts exclusively on Indian lands within an Indian reservation, a tribal license is required and a state hunting license is not required. Hunting on nontribal lands within an Indian reservation requires a state hunting license. Game taken legally with a tribal license within an Indian reservation may be possessed and transported anywhere in North Dakota.
Portions of some units are located on Indian reservations. Contact reservation tribal offices for more information.
While hunting in an area where any big game gun hunting season is in progress, turkey hunters are recommended to wear a head covering and an outer garment above the waistline of solid daylight fluorescent orange totaling at least 400 square inches.

A high quality, enlargable map is also available in Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™.
Unit 02 - Barnes County
Unit 03 - Those portions of Benson County west of ND Highway 20,
Towner County south of ND Highway 17, Pierce County east of ND
Highway 3 and south of ND Highway 17, and that part of Ramsey
County west of ND Highway 20 and south of ND Highway 17. NOTE! In
addition to a Unit 03 fall wild turkey license, a special permit is
required to hunt in Graham's Island State Park. Special
restrictions are required when hunting in the park. Contact the
park office for additional information and for obtaining these free
permits (701) 766-4015.
Unit 04 - Those portions of Billings and Golden Valley counties
south of I-94.
Unit 06 - Bowman County.
Unit 10 - An area in Cavalier and Pembina counties starting at the
west junction of ND Highway 5 and ND Highway 32, then north on ND
Highway 32 to the US-Canadian border, then west to ND Highway 1,
then south to ND Highway 5, and then east to the point of
origin.
Unit 13 - Dunn County.
Unit 15 - Emmons County.
Unit 17 - Those portions of Billings and Golden Valley counties
north of I-94.
Unit 18 - That portion of Grand Forks County that lies north of US
Highway 2.
Unit 19 - Grant County, Sioux County, and that part of Morton
County south of I-94 that lies west of Morton County Road Highway
86 (the Almont to Carson road) and that part of Morton County north
of I-94 that lies west of ND Highway 31.
Unit 21 - Hettinger County and Adams County. CLOSED IN 2007.
Unit 25 - McHenry County and that part of Pierce County west of ND
Highway 3 and that part of Ward County that lies east of US Highway
83.
Unit 27 - McKenzie County.
Unit 30 - Morton County except for that part of Morton County
south of I-94 that lies west of Morton County Road Highway 86 (the
Almont to Carson road) and except that part of Morton County north
of I-94 that lies west of ND Highway 31.
Unit 31 - Mountrail County.
Unit 34 - An area in Pembina County starting at the junction of ND
Highway 32 and the US-Canada border, then south to ND Highway 5,
then east to the Minnesota-North Dakota border, then north to the
US-Canada border, then west to the point of origin.
Unit 37 - An area in Ransom, Richland and Sargent counties
starting at the east junction of ND Highway 32 and ND Highway 46,
then east to the Minnesota-North Dakota border, then south to ND
Highway 13 at Wahpeton, then west on ND Highway 13 to ND Highway 32
at Gwinner, then north on ND Highway 32 to the point of
origin.
Unit 40 - Rolette County, and those portions of Bottineau and
Renville counties east of US Highway 83 and that portion of Pierce
County north of ND Highway 17.
Unit 41 - Those portions of Richland and Sargent counties south of
ND Highway 13.
Unit 44 - Slope County.
Unit 45 - Stark County.
Unit 47 - That portion of Stutsman County that lies east of US
Highway 281.
Unit 50 - Those parts of Cavalier, Pembina, Ramsey, and Walsh
counties starting at the junction of ND Highway 1 and ND Highway 5
at Langdon, then east on ND Highway 5 to the Minnesota-North Dakota
border, then south to the Walsh County/Grand Forks County line,
then west on the county line to ND Highway 1, then north to ND
Highway 5 (the point of origin).
Unit 51 - Burke County, all of Renville County except that portion
east of US Highway 83, that part of Bottineau County west of US
Highway 83, and that part of Ward County that lies west of US
Highway 83.
Unit 53 - Williams County and Divide County. CLOSED IN 2007.
Unit 70 - Those parts of Dickey, LaMoure, Ransom and Sargent
counties bounded by ND Highway 46 on the north, ND Highway 32 on
the east, ND Highway 13 on the south, and ND Highway 1 on the
west.
Unit 98 - Burleigh County and McLean County.
Unit 99 - Mercer County and Oliver County.
Unit R - The remainder of North Dakota not included in a numbered
unit.