St. Paul Turkey hunters in Minnesota set a record this spring for the seventh straight year, harvesting 6,383 birds during eight, five-day seasons. An extra 2,743 permits were available this year.

Before the final tally, state DNR officials were uncertain if
the harvest would top last spring’s 6,154 count. However, the
harvest in central Minnesota was higher than expected, said Gary
Nelson, DNR wild turkey specialist.

The best hunter success occurred during the first season when 40
percent of hunters were successful and more than 1,000 birds were
harvested. The best hunting area was permit area 349 in Houston
County, where 744 birds were killed. Overall individual hunter
success was 31 percent, down from 35 percent last year.