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DNR launches process to update statewide turkey management plan; public input to continue through 2026
Summary
The Department of Natural Resources will begin drafting a new 10‑year turkey management plan, with public workshops, stakeholder committees and a 45‑day public comment period; staff expect to return a draft to the Natural Resources Board in early summer 2026.
The Department of Natural Resources briefed the Natural Resources Board on May 28 on the timeline and process to update Wisconsin’s turkey management plan, with staff aiming to bring a proposed plan to the board in spring or early summer 2026.
Taylor Finger, game bird specialist with the Bureau of Wildlife Management, said Wisconsin turkeys are a conservation success and that funds from turkey stamp sales have supported habitat work for forests, grasslands and barrens. Finger outlined a process that will convene a turkey planning committee that includes tribal entities, conservation organizations, state and federal partners and county entities, and that will include workshops and public meetings across the state.
Finger said DNR will draw on a 2024 social‑science survey of turkey hunters and other applied research and will publish a 45‑day public comment draft once the plan is ready. He said some parallel, rule‑level work — for example proposals to align fall season lengths in Zones 6 and 7 — may proceed separately, and staff will coordinate the planning and rule change timelines so the public is not confused.
Board members asked whether anticipated changes are likely; Finger said the department will “wait and see” but expects the plan to identify opportunities to add hunting opportunity that do not negatively affect the resource. The board did not take formal action; Finger said the DNR will pursue broad public engagement and return to the board with a draft plan in 2026.
