I thought Missouri was the Turkey Capital of the United States? 
Wisconsin takes the turkey titleBy Paul Smith, Outdoors Editor, JSOnline
May 19, 2010
Bill Torhorst of Oregon shows off two wild turkeys he shot Wednesday morning near Mount Horeb.
Photo by Paul A. SmithWisconsin didn't have a population of wild turkeys 50 years ago. The native bird had been wiped out by human settlement and unregulated hunting.
The birds began returning to the Badger State - for good - thanks to a trap-and-transfer program in the 1970s. Unlike earlier failed reintroductions, this time Wisconsin imported wild birds from Missouri, birds equipped with the genetic makeup and wariness to survive.
The project was conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Missouri Department of Conservation, with assistance from the National Wild Turkey Federation.
The turkeys went forth and multiplied. Today they are found not only in the coulees of the Bad Axe watershed of western Wisconsin, site of the first releases, but occasionally in downtown Milwaukee.
The birds are commonly seen in all 72 Wisconsin counties, surprising even turkey experts with their hardiness and adaptability.
The wild turkey reintroduction is - with apologies to those who have had car/turkey collisions or had the big birds raid their crop fields or feeders - a shining success story in the annals of Wisconsin wildlife management.
Here's the capper: In 2009, Wisconsin hunters harvested more turkeys than any other state.
That's right. More than Missouri, hallowed ground in turkey hunting circles and typically one of the leaders in number of hunters and harvest. And more than Alabama, where more than 60,000 birds have been taken in some spring seasons.
According to figures compiled by the turkey federation and interviews with state agencies, here's how the 2009 spring turkey harvest went down: Wisconsin, 52,581 turkeys; Missouri, 44,713; Pennsylvania, 43,680; Michigan, 41,000; Alabama, 36,600; New York, 34,664; Kansas, 33,350; Kentucky, 29,066; and Texas, 19,155.
It's the first time Wisconsin has led the nation in spring turkey harvest. And though wildlife managers typically don't strive for such records, it's another indication of the state's successful reintroduction.
"It's not a surprise," said Robert Abernathy, assistant vice president for agency programs at National Wild Turkey Federation headquarters in Edgefield, S.C., when asked about the 2009 spring harvest numbers. "The turkey habitat is excellent in Wisconsin."
Abernathy said 50 years ago conventional wisdom held that turkeys needed 10,000-acre, unbroken hardwood tracts. The reason: Those were the only places, in the Ozark Mountains, Appalachian Mountains or southern swamplands, that turkeys were found in the mid-1900s.
But it turned out that habitat wasn't the leading factor - hunting pressure was. The birds existed in remnant populations far away from most humans.
"What we thought was a biological reason was actually a social reason," Abernathy said.
Once wild birds were afforded protection by modern hunting regulations, they began to spread quickly and widely. Dozens of states have benefitted from wild turkey reintroductions in the last several decades.
"We now know the farmland of Wisconsin, with its mix of woodlots and pastures and crops, is as good as any for turkeys and many other types of wildlife," said Abernathy.
Wisconsin has held a hunting season for turkeys since 1983, when 1,200 permits were issued and 182 turkeys were harvested. In recent years, about 52,000 birds have been harvested on more than 200,000 permits.
The state record harvest of 52,880 occurred in 2008.
Turkey hunting has been a revenue boon to the DNR, too. In 2009, sale of resident turkey hunting licenses and permits added $3.3 million to the DNR's coffers. In the hunting arena, turkey hunting is second only to deer hunting in terms of revenue for the department. In 2009, about 134,000 resident hunters took part in the Wisconsin spring season.
Abernathy is a fan of the Wisconsin season structure, which features six periods of five days each.
"You've regulated the number of hunters in the woods so they can have a quality hunt," Abernathy said. "And with the ability of hunters to buy leftover tags for the later seasons, you've got opportunity for everybody to participate."
A 2009 survey conducted by the DNR found 85% of turkey hunters were satisfied or very satisfied with the season.
"You can't argue with success," Abernathy said.
Does that make Wisconsin the best turkey hunting state in the nation?
"Don't even tell anyone how good it is, they won't believe you," said Bill Torhorst of Oregon, Wis.
Torhorst is in a unique position to offer perspective on the subject. As past president of the NWTF board of directors and having hunted turkeys in 20 states in the last 17 years, Torhorst says Wisconsin is now past the point of being a well-kept secret.
"It used to be little-known because it was hard to get a tag here," said Torhorst, 55. "Now with the new system everyone can get a tag that wants one. I think it's the best around, sure. People in the turkey world are faithful to their home states and traditions, but more and more are acknowledging what we've got in Wisconsin."
In the "almost too good to be true" category, consider this: When reached Wednesday afternoon by phone, Torhorst was still shaking from a morning of turkey hunting in Iowa County.
He mentored two first-time turkey hunters to their first birds about 9 a.m. The gobblers had 12-inch beards and spurs in excess of 1 inch.
Torhorst then asked his charges if they would like to ride along as he looked at another farm. They drove a few miles, Torhorst got out of the truck and stroked a few yelps on a box call.
Gobbles erupted nearby. Another pair of longbeards came straight to Torhorst's call.
Within 10 minutes, Torhorst had filled the two tags he bought for the sixth season.
"I told the two new hunters that they might never have another morning like this," Torhorst said. "It's good we have witnesses and photos."
"Turkey hunting is often frustrating, even here. One thing's for sure - they're hooked."
As are roughly 134,000 others to what some call, with increasing justification, America's best turkey hunting.
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