Wild turkeys were reintroduced to Wisconsin 50 years ago in what has been a conservation success story.
The National Wild Turkey Federation says the birds were native to Wisconsin but disappeared from the state in the late 1800’s due to habitat loss and unregulated hunting.
Several attempts to restore turkeys using pen-raised birds failed.
In 1976, a deal was struck to get wild trapped birds from Missouri in exchange for grouse.
At the time, many believed wild turkeys wouldn’t be able to handle Wisconsin’s winters, but the birds have become a conservation success story with healthy populations across the state.
“We are celebrating something that is so amazing, that 50 years ago, we were trading eight ruffed grouse per turkey with the state of Missouri,” said Tylor Flynn, NWTF regional director for Wisconsin. “And now over the last couple of years, we are averaging over 50,000 birds harvested annually.”
Hunters regularly harvest more than 50,000 birds during the spring season alone, placing Wisconsin among the top turkey hunting states in North America.
The Wisconsin NWTF State Chapter recently hosted its “Flock the Lawn” event on Bascom Hill at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, covering the iconic hill with turkey decoys to celebrate the restoration effort.
