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A growing number of hunters take to the field in search of gobblers

Photo

Dewayne Morrison shows his turkey-hunting equipment, including a blind and a decoy, in his Orfordville yard. Turkey hunting has been increasing in popularity since the wild bird was reintroduced to the state in the early 1970s. Hunters frustrated in recent years by changes in the sport of deer hunting are sometimes turning to turkey hunting, Morrison says.

This year's open-zone turkey hunging season begins April 14. File photo by Dan Lassiter/staff.

ORFORDVILLE — While hunters cry foul about the state Department of Natural Resources’ handling of the deer population, a growing number of them are gearing up for wild turkey hunting.

The spring turkey hunt begins with a youth hunt Saturday (April 10) and April 11. The first of the open-zone periods begins April 14.

Sharon Fandel, a wildlife biologist for the DNR, said turkey hunting has been increasing in popularity ever since the state reintroduced the wild bird to the area by swapping wild grouse with turkeys from Missouri.

“Turkeys were sort of reintroduced to the state in the 1970s,” Fandel said. “There were several efforts earlier that were unsuccessful.”

Wisconsin lost its native turkey population around 1900 due to an irregular harvest and market hunting, Fandel said.

As the reintroduced population gained a foothold in the state, the popularity of turkey hunting spiked.

In the early 1980s, about 1,000 hunting permits were issued annually in Wisconsin. By 1998, that number had grown to more than 100,000. In 2006, the number of permits issued topped 200,000 for the first time and continues to increase.

Through the years, hunters learned the tricks of harvesting wild turkey, Fandel said.

“There was a lot of public outreach and education teaching people how to turkey hunt,” she said. “That was really key for why the hunting portion of things took off. People got to learn how to actually hunt these birds, since they didn’t have that opportunity in the state.”

Read the full story in the April 4, 2010 e-edition of The Stateline News, PAGE 12.