It’s been 21 months now since the Massachusetts State Chapter of the National Wild
Turkey Federation first announced that reservations for a new conservation license
plate, depicting an image of the Eastern Wild Turkey, would soon be ready for roll out!
And since that announcement, which was made on Nov. 18, 2023, and which just happened to be, “Eastern Wild Turkey Day in Massachusetts”, the interest this license plate has created throughout the Massachusetts sporting community, with nearly 375 reservations for this special conservation plate now having been received, placing us within striking distance of our projected goals of being, “half way to the 750 plates reserved requirement” by years end, has been nothing short of amazing!
This effort not only ensures that future generations will be able to experience the rich history of perhaps the greatest conservation success story in the history of our state, it will also allow the proceeds to remain in Massachusetts, and be administered by our own State Board of Directors, which will become a lifeline for continuing the great work that was started with our MassWildlife partnership over 40 years ago! And that’s a very important thing to remember! And this yearly update is also a reminder about how this project started and how we’re progressing thus far. Plus, to share some news about where we are heading, and how we intend to get there.
As many of you may recall, to get this specialty plate into production, our organization had to agree to first process 750 applications/orders into the RMV processing center, which is what we’ve been doing now since November of 2023! Plate production will begin on these 750 plates when this order is completed, and the plates are paid for and processed.
The initial cost to reserve a license plate will remains at $40 with the Massachusetts NWTF Chapter retaining a $28 donation from this amount once the project is completed. A $20 swap fee also will be required when your plates are ready. At this stage, just about all of the two digit number plates are no longer available. But there are still a few left (no more than eight) for anyone who might like to reserve a lower number, but these plates will cost a little more to reserve, but they will be out of circulation very soon. And after you receive notification that your new plates are ready, with instructions on what to do with your old plates, the plates will simply renew every two years, which is identical to when a passenger plate renews now. That renewal cost will be a $100 registration fee – $60 for the registration, plus the $40 conservation plate fee, which is a tax-deductible donation that comes directly back to the Massachusetts NWTF Chapter.
Again, you will be notified by the RMV when your plates are ready, but please remember, no plates will be produced until we have 750 plates ordered and paid for, and that will take a while longer to accomplish. After that, it will take between 4-6 weeks for the plates to be produced and sent to you. So please, be patient and stick with us as we are working weekly on putting this project into over-drive and getting your plates to you and on your vehicles.
We’ll continue to keep everyone updated as we move forward. And we are closer that we ever thought we would be less than two years into the project. And just an FYI for you, the NWTF will have a booth at Franklin County Fair this year, very close to the Mass Wildlife Building, so stop by and say hi, give the folks there a little support, learn more about this great project and the Eastern Wild Turkey, or just stop by to have a chat.
You can also go to our website massturkeyplate.com to find out even more. If you know someone who is interested, is a turkey hunter, or just loves wild turkeys and conservation, talk with them, and partner up with us to get these plates on the road! And you can share this email with anyone you would like, which is JJontheridge@comcast.net which will get you to the old “Ridge Runner” himself! I’ll be happy to accept an application, discuss what plate numbers are available if they’d like to choose a number, or have a broader discussion about the project itself.
And just a reminder to deer hunters: If you applied for an Antlerless Deer Permit for the 2025 deer hunting season, you can check your status now through Dec. 31, 2025 to see if you received one. Just remember that if you are awarded an ADP, you must first purchase the permit before you can use it. The cost of the permit is $10 for a resident, and $25 for a non-resident. Zones with unlimited permits will go on sale Sept. 23, 2025. Those zones are 10, 11, 13, and 14. Zones with limited permits will go on sale Sept. 24, 2025. Those zones are 3, 7, 8, and 12. That said, I’ve been hearing that a lot of hunters in Franklin County have been receiving ADPs. So if you haven’t checked yet, this is your wake up call to get onto the Mass Wildlife website and see if you were one of the lucky ones. And here’s hoping that you are!