Winter weather hurt spring turkey harvest

Hunters registered 38,886 wild turkeys in the Wisconsin spring season, a 10% drop from 2017, according to preliminary data from the Department of Natural Resources.

The lower harvest was due to several snow storms that swept across the state in April and reduced hunter effort in the early time periods, said Mark Witecha, DNR upland wildlife ecologist.

In addition, the number of jakes (1-year-old males) in the harvest fell by 42%, indicating a decline in recruitment and a likely dip in the statewide turkey population.

The spring turkey season included six seven-day time periods spanning April 18 to May 29, as well as a youth hunt April 14-15. Hunters are required to register their kills no later than 5 p.m. on the following day.

Witecha shared the preliminary report with the state’s Turkey Advisory Committee on Thursday in Madison.

The state is divided into seven primary turkey management zones.

The statewide harvest included 34,230 adult toms, 4,320 jakes and 336 hens.

The kill numbers were 11,235 in Zone 1, 9,471 in Zone 2, 8,699 in Zone 3, 6,135 in Zone 4, 1,904 in Zone 5, 873 in Zone 6, 494 in Zone 7 and 75 at Fort McCoy.

Each zone (except Zone 6) showed a lower harvest in 2018.

And compared to the previous year, the turkey registrations were lower in four of the six periods as well as the youth hunt. The two largest drops were in time period A (lower by 1,895 birds) and the youth hunt (2,089).

Both periods were most affected by unseasonable weather conditions, Witecha said.

“It was certainly less than ideal to have a foot or more of snow on the ground for a spring turkey hunt,” Witecha said.

Witecha said a preliminary DNR assessment showed a substantial drop-off of hunter effort early in the season.

Statewide hunter success was 18.3%, compared to 20.4% in 2017, 21.3% in 2016 and 19.7% in 2015.

Relatively poor recruitment also likely played a role in the lower hunter success rate and reduced turkey registrations.

The spring data showed adult gobblers made up an unusually high 88% of the total harvest.

The average from 1995-2017 was 77%. Only in 2014, when adult birds made up 91% of the harvest, was a higher gobbler percentage recorded in a spring turkey hunt.

Although West Nile Virus is being assessed in relation to a decline in the 2017 ruffed grouse harvest, state wildlife officials have not publicly discussed any link between the disease and potential changes in recruitment or the overall population of wild turkeys in Wisconsin.

The disease is known to kill hundreds of species of birds, as well as humans and horses.

Data kept by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services showed a spike (about 2.5 times the long-term average) in human cases of the virus in 2017.

Wisconsin has offered a spring turkey hunting season since 1983.

Wild turkeys are native to Wisconsin but were extirpated by unregulated hunting in the 1800s.

After several unsuccessful attempts in the 20th century, a wild turkey restoration effort in the 1970s took hold in southwestern Wisconsin. The project was a partnership of the DNR, the Missouri Department of Conservation and the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Wild turkeys are now found in all 72 counties. Turkey hunting is the second-most popular hunting opportunity in Wisconsin (behind deer hunting), attracting about 130,000 participants each spring.

The agency issued 212,405 permits for the 2018 season, on par with recent years.

The fall turkey hunting season opens Sept. 15. Hearings on proposed CWD rule changes: The DNR and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection will host public hearings this month on proposed rule changes designed to combat the spread of chronic wasting disease.

Gov. Scott Walker last month proposed emergency and permanent rules be adopted to prevent transfer of captive deer in CWD-affected counties as well as stricter fencing requirements at deer farms statewide and additional restrictions on movement of deer carcasses.

The DATCP hearing will be from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday at the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection office building (Board Room 106), 2811 Agriculture Drive, Madison.

Written comments may be sent to Division of Animal Health, Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, P.O. Box 8911, Madison, WI 53708-8911 or by email to michael.carlson@wisconsin.gov.

The DNR hearing will begin at 5 p.m. June 11 at Comfort Suites North, 57800 Kinney Road, Portage.

Written comments may be submitted by mail to Department of Natural Resources, Attn: Scott Karel, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921, or by email to DNRAdministrativeRulesComments@wisconsin.gov

In both cases, the deadline to submit written comments is June 14.