Wisconsin DNR announces 2026 spring turkey season results
(Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
MADISON, Wis. - Preliminary totals for the 2026 spring turkey season have been released by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
This spring marks 50 years since wild turkeys were successfully reintroduced to Wisconsin, leading to the state's first official season in 1983.
Spring turkey season results
By the numbers:
This season, Wisconsin turkey hunters registered 47,725 birds, marking an 8.6% increase over the five-year average of 43,953.
The 2026 spring turkey season ran from April 12 to May 26, kicking off with the two-day youth hunt for hunters under 16.
The regular season ran from April 15 to May 25, split into six week-long periods. This staggered approach maximizes opportunity and reduces hunter crowding 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.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Fall turkey season
What's next:
Wisconsin's statewide fall turkey season opens Sept. 12, 2026, and runs through Jan. 3, 2027.
The deadline to apply for next spring’s (2027) 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.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.