Photo by Travis Faulkner

Last year was the 30th anniversary of wild turkey restoration to Wisconsin, and 2006 marked a number of firsts.

For the first time ever, the entire state was open to spring hunting, over 200,000 permits were available and hunters were able to purchase leftover permits. Those three firsts will continue this season, as turkeys continue to thrive in the Badger State.

While hunter success rates have stabilized in recent years at about 25 percent, the state turkey population continues to expand its range. Bird density within that range is also increasing, which has led to an increase in the number of permits available. To help assure hunters a quality experience, permit numbers will continue to be evenly distributed throughout the six time periods of our spring season. The first five-day period starts Wednesday, April 11.

The Department of Natural Resources initiated the sale of leftover permits last spring in an attempt to put those permits in the hands of hunters who would use them, instead of simply distributing them to already successful applicants in a second random drawing, according to upland game specialist Scott Hull. Leftover permits will again be available this year at any license sales location, over the phone or online. The fee will be $10 for residents and $15 for non-residents, both of whom will have equal opportunity to purchase permits.

From all reports, turkey hunters like this opportunity to purchase extra tags. What they didn’t like was the 2 1/2-hour hiccup when leftover permit sales began last March. That glitch was apparently caused by a software error on the part of the contractor that fulfills license sales, and DNR officials said it shouldn’t happen again. Things went smoothly for leftover permit sales last fall, so perhaps the bugs are out of the system.

Except for that problem -- which kept hunters standing in lines, cursing their computers and jamming phone lines -- last spring’s hunt was a whopping success any way you measure it. And this spring’s hunt is shaping up to be as good, or better.

2006 SPRING HARVEST
Last spring, Wisconsin turkey hunters registered 46,662 birds, which was up 1 percent from the 2005 spring harvest of 46,183. Hunters set kill records every year from the first spring season in 1983 through 2004 when 47,477 birds were registered. The harvest dropped 3 percent in 2005 due in part to cool, wet weather in 2004, which resulted in below-average brood production and fewer jakes available to hunters. That year, 87 percent of the birds taken were adults, which is unusually high.

The rebound in harvest last year, despite a lower success rate, suggests that 2005 was a good brood production year. In fact, the 2005 landowner brood survey showed an average of 2.46 poults per hen, compared with 2.25 in 2004 -- not a huge increase, but a step in the right direction.

Statewide, the hunter success rate in 2006 was 23 percent, down from 24 percent in 2005 and 25 percent over the three previous years. Hunters killed more birds (11,324) during the first hunting period when the success rate was 34 percent than in any other period. The second period showed a harvest of 9,478 birds and a success rate of 28 percent, the third period a harvest of 7,281 and success rate of 22 percent, the fourth period a kill of 7,174 and a success rate of 21 percent, the sixth period a total of 5,827 birds and 18 percent, and the fifth period, only 5,578 birds and a success rate of 17 percent.