Wisconsin takes the turkey title Wisconsin didn't have a population of wild turkeys 50 years ago. The native bird had been wiped out by human settlement and unregulated hunting.
The birds began returning to the Badger State - for good - thanks to a trap-and-transfer program in the 1970s. Unlike earlier failed reintroductions, this time Wisconsin imported wild birds from Missouri, birds equipped with the genetic makeup and wariness to survive.
The project was conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Missouri Department of Conservation, with assistance from the National Wild Turkey Federation.
The turkeys went forth and multiplied. Today they are found not only in the coulees of the Bad Axe watershed of western Wisconsin, site of the first releases, but occasionally in downtown Milwaukee.
The birds are commonly seen in all 72 Wisconsin counties, surprising even turkey experts with their hardiness and adaptability.
The wild turkey reintroduction is - with apologies to those who have had car/turkey collisions or had the big birds raid their crop fields or feeders - a shining success story in the annals of Wisconsin wildlife management.
Here's the capper: In 2009, Wisconsin hunters harvested more turkeys than any other state.
That's right. More than Missouri, hallowed ground in turkey hunting circles and typically one of the leaders in number of hunters and harvest. And more than Alabama, where more than 60,000 birds have been taken in some spring seasons.
According to figures compiled by the turkey federation and interviews with state agencies, here's how the 2009 spring turkey harvest went down: Wisconsin, 52,581 turkeys; Missouri, 44,713; Pennsylvania, 43,680; Michigan, 41,000; Alabama, 36,600; New York, 34,664; Kansas, 33,350; Kentucky, 29,066; and Texas, 19,155.
It's the first time Wisconsin has led the nation in spring turkey harvest. And though wildlife managers typically don't strive for such records, it's another indication of the state's successful reintroduction.
"It's not a surprise," said Robert Abernathy, assistant vice president for agency programs at National Wild Turkey Federation headquarters in Edgefield, S.C., when asked about the 2009 spring harvest numbers. "The turkey habitat is excellent in Wisconsin."
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