Madison, Wis. Turkey hunters in Wisconsin this year set a harvest record of 42,237 birds, an increase of 7 percent over the 2002 spring harvest of 39,336. Hunters took advantage of an expanding turkey population and increased number of permits.

Wisconsin DNR upland game ecologist Keith Warnke said hunter success has been “pretty stable” around 25 percent, but the turkey range has continued to grow. Turkeys were reintroduced to Wisconsin in 1976; the population had grown to about 200,000 by 2000. The 2003 spring season set a high mark for hunter safety, Wisconsin officials said. […]

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