With about one-third remaining, preliminary registration data show hunters are having another very good spring wild turkey hunting season in Wisconsin.
As of May 14 hunters registered 37,468 birds, about 2% fewer than the same time last year but more than the entire 2021 season, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
This year’s total includes 33,610 turkeys taken during the first four regular hunting periods, 3,479 during the youth hunt and 379 during Learn To Hunt events.
When divided by management region, Zone 1 had 11,039 turkeys registered, followed by Zone 3 with 9,096, Zone 2 with 7,813, Zone 4 with 5,983, Zone 5 with 1,822, Zone 6 with 1,121 and Zone 7 with 594.
The 2026 Wisconsin spring turkey hunt comes after consecutive seasons that topped 50,000 birds registered, the highest or second highest total of any state.
The 2026 season in the Badger State has featured a range of spring weather, including cold and brief periods of snow in the north and tornadoes and thunderstorms in the south. However hunters in each time period and each zone have had opportunities to get afield.
Wisconsin manages its spring turkey hunting seasons by regulating the number of harvest tags across seven geographical zones and six time periods. It also includes a two-day youth hunt and dozens of learn-to-hunt events.
The number of harvest authorizations (or tags) offered in a zone is set to allow maximum recreational opportunities while limiting the impact on the turkey population and minimizing hunter interference, according to the DNR. Harvest authorizations levels reflect the amount of turkey habitat, turkey population densities and distribution in each zone.
The Wisconsin system has earned increasing praise from wildlife managers and hunters in recent years as the Badger State turkey population shows relative stability as many other states, including in the south and southeast, experience marked turkey declines. Game managers in some of those states have implemented lower bag limits or “no jake” rules in recent years in an effort to provide more protection for and help rebuild the turkey population.
For the 2026 Wisconsin spring turkey hunting season, the DNR made 254,227 harvest authorizations available; 146,644 were awarded through the drawing, according to DNR information. The rest were offered for sale beginning in March.
As of May 15, 23,947 remained available for sale (13,437 in Zone 1 and 10,510 in Zone 2).
Compared to the 2025 spring turkey hunting season, through four periods hunters in 2026 registered slightly fewer birds in the first two time periods and the youth hunt but more in the third and fourth periods.
Wisconsin has offered a spring turkey hunting season since 1983.
Following the highly successful DNR-led reintroduction of wild turkeys to Wisconsin in 1976, the state has earned a reputation as one of the nation’s leading destinations for wild turkey hunting.
In the spring 2025 hunting season, 50,291 wild turkeys were registered, the fifth time the spring harvest has topped 50,000 in Wisconsin. The Badger State spring 2025 harvest was second highest (Missouri was first) among states.
Harvest information in Wisconsin is obtained through mandatory registration of harvested turkeys.
To pursue wild turkeys in Wisconsin, hunters need a turkey harvest authorization (formerly known as a carcass tag or permit), a turkey hunting license and a wild turkey stamp.
The authorization, license and stamp may be purchased on the DNR’s Go Wild site or at authorized license sales outlets, including many sporting goods stores.
Sales of Wisconsin wild turkey stamps generate about $750,000 annually, according to the DNR. All of the turkey stamp revenue is used for turkey management in the state, including for projects conducted by the DNR, conservation groups and other organizations.
Project proposals are submitted, reviewed and approved by the DNR Wild Turkey Management Advisory Committee and the Wildlife Policy Team.
Turkey hunters in Wisconsin are required to register their bird by 5 p.m. the day after recovery through an online harvest registration system or, optionally, via an automated phone registration system
The 2026 Wisconsin season included the April 11 and 12 youth hunt with the six regular season periods starting April 15. The final season, period F, will run May 20 to 26.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Turkey hunters in Wisconsin having another very good spring season
Reporting by Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
