Over-the-Counter Sales of Spring Turkey Permits to Begin March 23 Under New Sales System

Over-the-counter sales of spring turkey permits to begin March 23 under new sales system
MADISON - More than 70,000 turkey harvest permits for the spring 2009 season will be sold in late March under a new and much improved first-come, first-served system. Procedures spread the demand for the popular permits over a week’s time and assure a level playing field for all hunters regardless of location and method they use to purchase an extra permit.
“There’s been a lot of planning and consultation with hunters on how to best sell leftover turkey permits this spring,” said Vance Rayburn, DNR services administrator. “We will provide the kind of service our customers deserve: shorter lines, preserving first-come first-served service, and quick response. We’ve required our contractor to significantly beef up capacity, checked and rechecked, and just in case, we have a fully fleshed out backup plan.
“We’re ready, and we’re looking forward to getting the permits in hunter hands,” he said.
An estimated 70,900 permits will be available for over-the-counter sales. Leftover permits will be first sold by zone, one zone at a time. Sales will start at 10 a.m. each day and run through midnight. Each zone will have a designated sales date as follows: * Zone 1 - Monday, March 23
* Zone 2 - Tuesday March 24
* Zone 3 - Wednesday, March 25
* Zone 4 - Thursday, March 26
* Zones 5 & 6 - Friday, March 27. Due to the low number of permits left in these units, the sale has been combined into one day.
* Any permits still remaining for all zones - Saturday, March 28 starting at 10 a.m. and continuing until sold out or the season ends.

Hunters will be limited to one permit per day until all permits are sold.

The number of permits available by zone and times periods is as follows:

Zone Time Period Remaining Permits
D E F
1 7,823 10,838 11,791 30,452
2 0 0 4,382 4,382
3 5,415 9,328 10,023 24,766
4 0 3,702 5,059 8,761
5 0 719 1,733 2,452
6 0 0 66 66
* There are no leftover permits available for Zone 7 after the initial drawing.
* There are no leftover permits for time periods A, B or C in the other zones.
* Hunters are limited to purchasing one permit per day until all permits are sold

Where to buy a permit
“We have nearly 1,400 license vendor partners throughout the state ready to sell you a permit,” said Rayburn. “And there’s also telephone sales and Internet service available.”
Leftover permits may be purchased over the Internet through the Online Licensing Center, at any license sales location, at DNR service centers during their regular business hours (check service center link for hours of operation, which vary by service center; service centers are closed Saturdays), or over the phone (1-877-945-4236). Hunters with any questions about when or how to buy permits may call the DNR Customer Call Center from 7 a.m. through 10 p.m. seven days a week at 1-888-WDNRINFo (1-888-936-7463.)
The fee for these permits will be $10 for residents, and $15 for nonresidents. All hunters will also be required to purchase the spring turkey license and stamp, unless they have previously purchased the license and stamp, or are a 2009 Conservation Patron License holder. Residents and nonresidents will have equal opportunity to purchase over-the-counter permits. Purchasing these permits will not affect preference status for future spring or fall turkey permit drawings.
Permit purchases are limited to one permit per day until each zone and time period is sold out. A limited number of disabled only turkey permits for state park areas are available. Disabled hunters who have been issued either a Class A or Class C Disabled Hunter Permit should visit a DNR Service Center on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 beginning at 10 a.m. to purchase one of these permits. Disabled hunters should note that these permits will only be available through DNR Service Centers.
Hints for fast action

* Check the turkey zone map [http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/hunt/turkey/] and verify where you want to hunt.
* Check the leftover permit sales schedule [http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/hunt/turkey/] so you apply on the correct day for the zone you want to hunt in.
* Have your DNR customer ID ready.

For updated information on leftover spring permit availability and other information regarding the 2009 spring turkey hunting season, please visit the Wild Turkey page of the DNR Web site: [http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/cs/springturkey/]
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Vance Rayburn - 608-266-2241

Spring 2009 wild turkey harvest permit drawing completed
Season to run April 15 - May 24; Youth turkey hunt set for April 11-12

[NOTE TO EDITORS AND WRITERS: Please see companion release announcing over-the-counter sale dates and process for buying remaining 2009 Spring Turkey Hunting Permit]

MADISON - The permit drawing process for 2009 spring turkey hunting permits has been completed. Postcard notifications will be mailed to successful applicants during the last week of January. More than 154,500 permits will be awarded from the initial drawing. The spring 2009 turkey hunting season will run from April 15-May 24 in six 5-day periods. A total of 7 zones, 15 state parks and Fort McCoy will be open for hunting.
Hunters who do not receive a postcard by mid February can check their permit status online through the Department of Natural Resources Online Licensing Center or call the DNR call center at 1-888-WDNRINFo (1-888-936-7463).
In total, 225,709 permits are available for the spring 2009 turkey season compared to 212,985 in 2008.
Hunters harvested 52,880 turkeys during the 2008 spring season and preliminary harvest numbers from the 2008 fall season stand at 10,644. Final harvest numbers for the 2008 fall season will be published in the 2008 Wisconsin Big Game Hunting Summary in spring of 2009.
New zone structure in effect
Similar to the 2008 fall turkey hunting season, the number of turkey hunting zones has been reduced to seven large zones instead of the previous 46-zone structure. The same amount of total turkey hunting area is the same. Each of the new zones combine a number of the smaller zones to give hunters more flexibility to move about in search of wild turkeys. Hunters should refer to the online map or request a map from a DNR Service Center.
Hunters are reminded that Fort McCoy runs a separate spring turkey hunting season, different from the State of Wisconsin spring turkey hunt. Hunters who did not apply for or didn’t receive a turkey permit through the state drawing in a Wisconsin turkey hunting zone for the 2009 spring season are eligible to apply for a spring permit at Fort McCoy. Applications can be obtained from Fort McCoy by visiting their Web site [http://www.mccoy.army.mil/] or by calling 608-388-3337.
Youth Turkey Hunt Set for April 11-12
Youth hunters, aged 12 - 15 who have successfully completed a hunter education program, may participate in the 2009 youth turkey hunt. Each youth must also have a valid spring 2009 turkey harvest permit.
Youth are allowed to hunt on April 11 and 12 in the Turkey Management Zone their permit was issued for regardless of what the time period their permit is issued for, and may harvest one turkey total, during this two-day hunt. Hunters must be accompanied by an adult 18 years of age or older. For more information on the Youth Turkey Hunt visit dnr.wi.gov.
The youth hunt was created in 2007 to provide youth with an opportunity to hunt turkeys and gain valuable hunting experience by working closely with an experienced mentor before the regular season opens.
Outlook for winter survival
Winter survival should be good this year according to biologists. Wild turkeys in Wisconsin have proven themselves to be tough birds. Like any wildlife species, wild turkeys need food, shelter and cover in order to survive. As long as there is access to ample food and snow depth does not hinder their ability to navigate their surroundings for an extended period of time, wild turkeys can handle nearly any Wisconsin winter. In fact, wild turkeys can remain in roosting areas for up to two weeks during especially severe weather and can lose up to 40 percent of their body weight before dying of starvation.
Artificial feeding is not the best approach to helping wild turkeys from a biological viewpoint. Feeding turkeys can actually be more of a risk to the birds because the practice can cause many birds to routinely flock to the same place, increasing the risk of disease transmission and making the birds more vulnerable to predators which also are attracted to feeding areas. Ultimately, long term habitat management directed toward increasing year-round habitat suitability for turkeys is the best investment.
For updated information on leftover spring permit availability and other information regarding the 2009 spring turkey hunting season, please visit the following website: http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/cs/springturkey/
Free Turkey Hunter Education Clinics offered statewide
Free Turkey Hunter Education Clinics will be offered again this year around the state. These free clinics are presented by volunteer instructors and are sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.
Clinics typically last 2 to 3 hours and are designed to cover wild turkey biology and behavior, hunting methods, regulations, safety precautions, and landowner/hunter ethics, as well as tips for scoring trophy birds and a few ideas on preparing turkeys at home.
The Turkey Hunter Education Clinics are intended to address and inform all ages and experience levels from a beginning turkey hunter interested in learning wild turkey hunting techniques to experienced wild turkey hunters looking to brush-up on skills and learn new techniques.
These clinics will be held February through early April. Information and a listing on where and when clinics are being held is available at any DNR Service Center and on the DNR Web site http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/hunt/turkey/education.htmor by calling (608) 261-8458. For the latest additions or changes in the schedule please refer to the DNR Web site.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Hull (608) 267-7861 or Sharon Fandel (608) 261-8458