Turkey Donation Program provides great opportunity to help families in need this spring
Spring 2017 pilot program will be expanded for fall turkey hunting season
New for the spring 2017 turkey season, hunters now have the option of donating their harvested turkey to needy families through the new Turkey Donation Program.
Donated turkeys will be processed free of charge and meat will be provided to local food pantries. For the spring 2017 turkey hunt, three pilot counties, Dodge, Fond du Lac and Jefferson, were chosen. This program will be expanded for the fall turkey hunt later this year.
Participating locations are as follows (additional locations may be added after the start of the spring season; a list of participating locations can be found on the DNR’s website: dnr.wi.gov, keyword search Turkey Donation):
- Dodge County: Pernat-Haase Meats, N4202 Hwy M, Juneau, 920-386-3340;
- Fond Du Lac County: Loehr's Meat Service, 523 E Main St, Campbellsport, 920-533-4513; and
- Jefferson County: Pernat’s Premium Meats, 312 Milwaukee St, Johnson Creek, 920-699-6990.
Hunters can follow four simple steps to donate a harvested turkey to a family in need – turkeys must be taken to a participating location by May 31, 2017:
- Prior to donation, field dress the turkey, complete registration, and validate the carcass tag.
- Contact a participating processor before drop-off to verify the processor has space to accept a turkey.
- Donate the entire turkey to receive processing for free (the feet, beard and feathers may be removed prior to donating). A bag of ice placed in the cavity will help preserve the carcass in warm weather.
- Complete the log sheet and indicate desire to donate the turkey - the donated turkey will be processed and the ground turkey will be distributed to charitable organizations to help feed families in need.
Support a great cause - make a financial donation to the Deer and Turkey Donation programs
Those interested in supporting the Deer and Turkey Donation Programs can voluntarily donate $1 or more to the Deer and Turkey Donation Programs to help cover meat-processing fees. To donate, visit any license sales location or donate online through a Go Wild account at GoWild.Wi.Gov
For more information about the DNR’s turkey donation program and more on how you can help, visit and search keywords “