Spring Turkey Deadline Approaching Fast

December 4, 2024

Spring Turkey Deadline Approaching Fast
By Senator Jeff Smith

Many people are probably sick of turkey at this point, others may still be finishing up those leftovers in the fridge, but others are thinking about turkeys in another way. The deadline to apply for the 2025 spring turkey hunting season is rapidly approaching on December 10th. 

As most of us know, turkeys are wily birds – they are clever, curious and sometimes down-right obnoxious when strolling through the deepest parts of Wisconsin’s forests to the backyards of our subdivisions. I find it amusing that Benjamin Franklin even suggested the United States adopt the wild turkey as our national bird. Although the Bald Eagle may more majestic, the wild turkey could have been just the right bird for our fledgling nation finding its way in the world.

While on the heels of Thanksgiving, it may seem like an odd time to think about spring turkey hunting plans, but it should remind us all about how our state’s successful turkey hunting program came to be. 

Wild turkeys were completely extirpated in Wisconsin since the late 1800s from hunting and habitat loss. There were futile attempts to restart the population with hybrid wild-domestic turkeys and birds from game farms, but they didn’t last. It wasn’t until Wisconsin struck up a deal with Missouri to trade our ruffed grouse for their wild turkeys. 

In January 1976 the DNR released the first 29 turkeys from Missouri into the Vernon County Bad Axe River watershed. Over the course of ten years, Wisconsin received 363 wild turkeys from Missouri. To everyone’s surprise, the turkey population thrived, so much so, that the DNR trapped birds in the area and relocated them throughout the state. The first limited spring hunt was in 1983 and the fall hunt started in 1989. Nowadays, hunters enjoy a robust fall hunting season and a limited spring turkey season. Fall is always a great opportunity to bring home a Thanksgiving turkey, but most hunters prefer the spring time to bag their gobbler while the ground thaws and the trees begin to bud. 

Unlike deer hunting, turkey hunting in Wisconsin is a newer type of hunt ripe for new traditions that span generations. It provides a heart pounding, action-packed hunting season during the spring when most hunters have hung up their gear for the year, but haven’t quite gotten out the fishing gear for the summer. Most of all though, it’s an example of efforts by conservationists to reintroduce a species that lends its iconic heritage to Wisconsin’s landscape. 

If you’ve hunted in the spring before, you know the drill – apply for the preference at www.gowild.wi.gov by December 10th. If you haven’t tried hunting turkeys in the spring and you are interested, find a fellow turkey hunter to show you the ropes. Just be sure to coordinate your preference with your friends and family so you can have a great hunt. Don’t fret if you have never hunted turkeys before, the thrill of gobbles echoing in the early morning hours are sure to get you excited. Buy or borrow a turkey call, you’ll have plenty of time to practice before the season begins in April. 

So, as you finish the last of the Thanksgiving turkey leftovers, don’t forget to apply for your spring turkey permit. You won’t regret it and you might just start a hunting tradition that lasts for generations to come.