This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

While some people are hoping for a pot of gold this St. Patrick’s Day Weekend, others will be hoping for some luck hunting turkeys.

In 2018, the Conservation Advisory Board passed a motion that set the start date for turkey season as the third Saturday in March each year. The decision was made to allow as many hens as possible to breed before the males are harvested.

Research suggests that slightly delaying the season could have a significant impact on increasing the turkey population.

You can hunt one a day or five total during the fall and spring seasons combined. Always make sure to report harvests through Alabama’s Game Check System.

Spring Turkey Season is delayed for research purposes in specific wildlife management areas around the state. Find your area below.

Zone 1: March 16 – April 30

Counties: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman (except north of Lewis Smith Lake and north of Cullman County Road 437 and west of I-65), Dale, Dallas, Dekalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Geneva (except south of AL Hwy 52, east of AL Hwy 167, west of Houston County line, and north of the Florida line), Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, and Wilcox.

Zone 2: March 30 – April 30

Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale (west of US Hwy 43), Lawrence (south of AL Hwy 24), Limestone (north of US Hwy 72), Madison, and Winston.

Zone 3: April 20- April 24

Cullman (north of Lewis Smith Lake and north of Cullman County Road 437 and west of I-65), Lawrence (north of AL Hwy 24), Lauderdale (east of US Hwy 43), and Morgan

Zone 4: This zone has both a fall and spring season.

Counties: Clarke, Clay, Covington, Monroe, Randolph and Talladega.

FALL SEASON (DECOYS NOT PERMITTED)

November 17 – November 29

December 15 – January 1, 2019

SPRING SEASON (DECOYS PERMITTED

March 16 – April 30

Zone 5: No Season

Limestone (south of US Hwy 72)