Betsy Bloom/Daily News photo

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources this week announced preliminary totals for the 2024 spring turkey season.

Wisconsin turkey hunters registered 50,435 birds this season, making it the fourth-highest spring harvest on record and a 22% increase from the five-year average.

The 2024 spring season started on April 13 with the two-day youth hunt for hunters under 16 years old. A total of 3,967 birds were registered, a 37% increase from the five-year average.

The majority of the harvest came from the southern and central portions of the state. Zone 5, which includes Marinette County and parts of seven other counties, had 2,505 harvests. Only 777 turkeys were taken in Zone 7 to the north of that unit.

A total of 246,068 authorizations were available this spring, and hunters applied for or purchased 224,630 of them. The deadline to apply for the 2025 spring turkey season is Dec. 10.