Spring turkey hunt rebounds after snowy start

Faced with snowy conditions in most of the state, hunters registered 18% fewer turkeys in the first period of the Wisconsin spring turkey season compared to last year, according to preliminary information from the Department of Natural Resources.

But when the weather became more seasonable the next week, so did hunter success. In fact, during time period B (April 25-May 1) hunters killed 4% more birds than in 2017.

Altogether, hunters registered 17,258 turkeys through the first two time periods of the spring season, an 8% drop from last year.

Mark Witecha, DNR upland game ecologist, said when he went afield in period A (April 18-24), he saw some turkey tracks in the snow but didn't hear a gobble. "I think turkey breeding activity was delayed this year, especially through the first period," Witecha said. "The wintry weather can affect turkey behavior and impact hunting."

Turkey breeding behavior is mostly linked to photoperiod, or length of daylight.

But when conditions get especially wintry, the birds become less active and greatly reduce their strutting, calling and other mating activity, Witecha said.

Parts of Wisconsin had 12 inches of snow on the ground through the entire opening period.

Hunters registered 9,117 birds in period A this year, down from 11,055 in 2017.

But spring-like weather pushed out the snow and cold in at least the southern half of the state for period B and hunters killed 8,141 turkeys, up from 7,805 in 2017.

In fact, period B kill totals this year were higher for all seven hunting zones compared to the same period in 2017.

The good weather and hunting success appears to be continuing into period C (May 2-8).

Witecha said he's been getting a lot of positive reports from the field.

"I think hunters and wildlife alike have benefited from almost the sudden onset of summer," Witecha said. "I think it’s helped green-up and helped wildlife that were struggling with wintry conditions."

The turkey registration information is preliminary and subject to change, according to the department.

The final seven-day period (F) of the spring turkey hunt ends May 29.

It's possible the season will end with a kill close to the 2017 harvest of 43,305 birds, Witecha said.

The DNR made more authorizations (244,218 vs. 241,153) available for the 2018 spring hunt, mostly due to about 3,000 more in Zone 2 (eastern Wisconsin), where demand has been consistently high.

As of Friday, leftover harvest authorizations were available for purchase in Zone 1 for time periods E and F; Zone 3 for E and F; Zone 4 for F; and Zone 5 for F.

The authorizations cost $10 each and are available for purchase at license sales outlets and online at gowild.wi.gov.

Brew City Birding Festival: The Urban Ecology Center is holding its second annual Brew City Birding Festival from Monday through Friday.

The week-long event includes field trips, lectures, family-friendly programs and activities, and bird watching opportunities. A schedule of events and a pass to attend events are available at urbanecologycenter.org.

For more information, contact Jennifer Callaghan at (414) 964-8505 or jcallaghan@urbanecologycenter.org.