Spring turkey season sees increase in registered birds
Preliminary totals for the 2026 spring turkey season have been announced by the Wisconsin DNR, with statewide turkey hunters registering 47,725 birds this season. That number reflects an 8.6% increase above the 5-year average of 43,953.
This spring marks 50 years since wild turkeys were successfully reintroduced to Wisconsin. The first statewide hunt took place in the spring of 1983. The DNR noted that turkey numbers continue to remain stable and they are now found in all 72 counties of the state.
“The reintroduction of wild turkeys in this state has been a remarkable success. 2026 marks the 44th year we have been hunting turkeys,” said Taylor Finger, DNR gamebird biologist. “With mild winters and average to above average nesting and brood rearing conditions the last several years, Wisconsin’s turkey population is very healthy, and we continue to see stable harvest trends that indicate stable to increasing numbers across most of the state.”
The 2026 spring turkey season started April 12 with the two-day youth hunt for hunters younger than 16 years old and concluded May 26.
The regular season is divided into six separate one-week periods, opening April 15 and closing May 25. These separate periods help maximize hunter opportunities while minimizing interference for a more sustainable harvest.
A total of 254,226 authorizations were available this spring, and hunters applied for or purchased 235,429 of them. The robust participation and harvest numbers demonstrate ample opportunities across the state.
The 2026 statewide fall turkey hunting season will open Sept. 12 and run through Jan. 3, 2027.
The deadline to apply for next spring’s turkey season is Dec. 10. Hunters can apply for harvest authorizations online through the Go Wild license portal. Any harvest authorizations not awarded in the December drawing will be available for purchase in March as a bonus harvest authorization.
Learn more about turkey hunting in Wisconsin on the DNR’s Turkey Hunting webpage.
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