Bonus Harvest Authorizations For Spring Turkey Season Available Beginning March 15

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will begin selling 2021 bonus turkey harvest authorizations on Monday, March 15, with a designated sales date for each zone.

Previously known as leftover permits, bonus harvest authorizations are available for purchase online through GoWild.Wi.Gov and at all license agents. Sales begin at 10 a.m. and run through midnight each day. Instructions for how to purchase a spring turkey bonus authorizations in Go Wild.  

Bonus harvest authorizations are $10 for residents and $15 for non-residents. Both residents and non-residents will have equal opportunities for purchase. Hunters can purchase bonus authorizations at a rate of one per day until the zone and time period are sold out, or the season closes. Bonus harvest authorization purchases will not affect preference point status for future spring drawings.

The scheduled sales dates for the 2021 spring turkey harvest authorizations are:

• Zone 1 - Monday, March 15
• Zone 2 - Tuesday, March 16
• Zone 3 - Wednesday, March 17
• Zone 4 - Thursday, March 18
• Zone 5 - Friday, March 19
• Zone 6 - no bonus harvest authorizations available
• Zone 7 - Friday, March 19

The Go Wild system will use an online queue to assign random numbers to customers who enter the site between 9:45 and 10 a.m. It is important to note that there is no advantage to entering the site prior to 9:45 a.m. Customers who join after 10 a.m. will be added to the queue in order of arrival.

The DNR recommends that turkey hunters interested in purchasing a Conservation Patron license do so before March 15 to make the bonus harvest authorization process as quick and easy as possible.

After zone-specific sales, all remaining turkey harvest authorizations for all zones will be available for purchase Saturday, March 20 at 10 a.m. Hunters who missed the spring turkey drawing deadline last December or who want additional harvest authorizations can purchase bonus authorizations beginning March 15.

In total, 101,291 bonus turkey harvest authorizations are available across turkey zones 1-5 and 7 for the 2021 spring season. No bonus harvest authorizations are available for zone 6 as all available permits were issued via the spring drawing. Hunters are encouraged to check the turkey zone map and the spring turkey bonus harvest authorization availability to see if harvest authorizations are available for the period and turkey zone they wish to hunt.

All spring turkey hunters must possess a valid spring turkey license, a 2021 wild turkey stamp and a valid turkey harvest authorization. If not already done, hunters will be required to purchase the spring turkey license and stamp authorization when purchasing a bonus harvest authorization.

Spring Turkey Season

The spring turkey season is comprised of six seven-day periods running Wednesday through the following Tuesday. A total of seven zones will be open for hunting in 2021. Spring Turkey season dates are as follows:

• Youth Hunt: April 17-18
• Period A: April 21-27
• Period B: April 28-May 4
• Period C: May 5-May 11
• Period D: May 12-18
• Period E: May 19-25
• Period F: May 26-June 1

Spring turkey hunting regulations are listed in the 2020 Combined Hunting Regulations.

Youth Turkey Hunt Set For April 17-18

Youth hunters under the age of 16 may hunt during the youth turkey hunt April 17-18. Hunters under the age of 12 and youth hunters without hunter safety certification can participate in the youth turkey hunt through the Mentored Hunting Program. Youth hunters must be accompanied by a qualified adult and follow all youth turkey hunting and mentored hunting program rules.

Spring turkey youth hunters must possess a valid spring turkey license, stamp and harvest authorization. A harvest authorization for any time period can be used during the youth hunt weekend, but youth hunters must hunt within the turkey management zone indicated on their harvest authorization.

For more information regarding turkey hunting in Wisconsin, click here.