System error temporarily slows sale of leftover turkey tags
MADISON, Wis. - After processing more than 175,000 hunting and fishing licenses through the weekend, the Department of Natural Resources' new Go Wild licensing system experienced a software glitch on Monday, affecting several thousand customers who had queued up for the scheduled 10 a.m.start of sales for leftover turkey tags.
The system error was detected shortly before 10 a.m. DNR then implemented its backup Turkey Reservation System and began processing sales through the backup system at 10:30 a.m.
By 10:35 a.m., DNR's information technology vendor had uncovered the source of the problem on the Go Wild system and fixed it. While purchases through the Go Wild system were delayed, all customers were successfully placed in the system queue and were able to purchase their permit.
"We know hunters are excited about the opportunity to participate in the spring turkey hunt and we apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay," said Mark Rappe, of DNR's bureau of customer and outreach services. "We appreciate everyone's patience and the system is now up and processing incoming orders more efficiently than the previous system."
As sales continued Monday, the Go Wild system proved capable of processing more than 1,800 permits in the system at one time, Rappe said. In all, more than 109,000 spring turkey permits were available at the start of Monday's sale.
Following sales for Zone 1 permits Monday, sales for Zone 2 permits continueTuesday; Zone 3 permits on Wednesday; Zone 4 permits on Thursday; and Zones 5, 6 and 7 on Friday. Following the zone-only sales, all remaining turkey tags will be made available for purchase Saturday, March 26.
Hunters are encouraged to check DNR.wi.gov for the turkey zone map[PDF] to verify where they would like to hunt and use the department's turkey permit availability page to see if permits are available for the period and zone in which they wish to hunt.
Leftover turkey permits cost $10 for residents and $15 for non-residents. All hunters must purchase a spring turkey license and 2016 Wild Turkey Stamp, unless they have previously purchased the license and stamp or are a 2016 Conservation Patron License holder. Leftover permit purchases do not affect preference point status for future spring or fall turkey permit drawings.
In addition to selling hunting and fishing licenses, Rappe said GoWild.WI.Gov acts as a portal to help plan adventures that make the most of Wisconsin's great outdoors. The site links to information on hunting and fishing opportunities, Wisconsin's unparalleled network of state parks, trails and natural areas and a variety of maps.
In the weeks ahead, boat, snowmobile, ATV and UTV registrations will be added. Once implementation is complete, the website at GoWild.Wi.Gov will be the spot for outdoor enthusiasts to register boats, ATV/UTVs and snowmobiles, get ATV, UTV and snowmobile trail passes, sign-up for a safety education courses and much more.
This year, renewal notices for ATVs and UTVs were sent out in January and renewal notices for boats are now arriving in customer's mailboxes. For those recreational vehicles that expire at the end of the month, customers will need to keep a copy of the renewal notice in their vehicle until they receive the registration stickers in the mail.
To learn more, visit GoWild.Wi.Gov or visit DNR.Wi.Gov and search "Go Wild." Informational resources include fact sheets, descriptions of how and when certain forms of proof apply as well as tagging information for a variety of game.