Late season snows unlikely to dampen spring turkey hunt
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. --The spring turkey hunting season opens in three weeks and throughout Wisconsin wildlife biologists are getting calls from folks worried about the wild gobblers and the effects of a long, cold and snowy winter.
“People want to know how many dead birds we are finding, and I haven’t found one,” said Dave Matheys, a Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist in Vernon County. “Wild turkeys are hardy, adaptable birds.”
Matheys said ice-covered fields in the north might cause some limited winter mortality, but he expects a healthy flock to emerge from winter’s grip.
Assuming this rugged, old-fashioned winter will at some point come to an end, Matheys says, hunters can expect a great spring hunt with more wild turkeys than ever roaming the woods and fields of Wisconsin.
With good nesting success and brood rearing conditions the past two years, biologists are predicting a strong population of 2-year-old toms. While they may not be 25-pound trophies, Matheys says these will be mostly nice-sized birds, weighing 19 to 21 pounds. And, he notes, this size bird more eagerly responds to hen calls, strutting proudly into the range of well-camouflaged hunters, tail feathers fanned in a showy display of courtship.
“They provide a lot of excitement for hunters,” Matheys said.
Since the DNR first reintroduced wild turkeys to Wisconsin in 1976, the wild flock has steadily expanded its size and range, exceeding all expectations.
“The birds are pretty much statewide now as they have invaded the Northwoods,” Matheys said. “They are beyond the limits biologists placed on them. They’ve proved us wrong.”
The first spring hunt was held in 1983 making this the 26th spring season. The 2008 season consists of six 5-day periods, each running Wednesday through Sunday, beginning April 16 and ending May 25. The season is limited to one “bearded” or male turkey per permit issued.
In terms of harvest management, spring gobbler hunting is biologically the most conservative approach, according to Scott Hull, DNR upland game specialist.
“Generally, a spring gobbler harvest does not affect long-term population trends, yielding stable harvest levels. It’s unlikely to result in overharvest. It also has a minimal effect on population growth rates because a single gobbler can mate with several hens and males play no role in rearing young,” Hull says.
Wisconsin’s Wild Turkey Management Plan maintains that permit levels are set to allow for a gobbler harvest rate of 20 to 30 percent. Hull says wildlife research has shown that a spring harvest of up to 30 percent of the male population provides quality hunting opportunities while still allowing for continued population growth.
As the flock has expanded, so have hunting opportunities. In 2007, hunters recorded the largest spring harvest in state history, registering 52,428 wild turkeys, up nearly 11 percent from the previous year. The statewide hunter success rate edged up to 25.5 percent, up more than two points compared to the 2006 spring hunt.
The DNR made 212,985 permits available this spring, up more than 6,000 from the 2007 spring season. Most were distributed through the lottery system, which has a Dec. 10 application deadline each year.
Youth turkey hunt April 12-13
The two-day spring youth hunt, successfully initiated in 2007, will continue to occur each year during the weekend preceding the opening Wednesday of the regular season. This year it occurs April 12-13.
There is no special application procedure for the youth hunt, and young hunters must apply through the lottery drawing for a tag or purchase a left over tag. During the two-day youth hunt, only one turkey may be harvested per hunter regardless of the number of permits issued. Anyone interested in the youth hunt can find additional details in the spring turkey hunting regulations.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Dave Matheys at 608-637-3938 or Scott Hull at 608-267-7861
