Spring turkey permits, songbird seed as bait
March 22, 2013
By: Bureau of Law Enforcement
Frequently Asked Questions - March 22, 2013
The Frequently Asked Questions features questions taken by the DNR Call Center. The Call Center is staffed daily, 7 a.m. - 10 p.m., and offers bilingual service in Spanish and Hmong. The number is 1-888-936-7463.
Question 1: Can I purchase a leftover spring turkey permit even though I was awarded a permit?
Answer: Yes. The leftover spring turkey permits are available for all hunters. They are a first-come, first-serve sale, with a limit of one per day until they are gone.
Question 2: When do turkey permits go on sale?
Answer: Any remaining permits will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 23, until they are gone. Here is the link showing the sales dates for each zone: http://dnr.wi.gov/permits/springturkey.html
Question 3: I have a bird feeder for songbirds. Coincidently, there are turkeys that feed on the seeds the songbirds knock onto the ground. I am wondering how far I have to be from the bird feeder in order to hunt the turkeys and not be considered baiting for turkeys. In order to hunt the turkeys in this circumstance, would I have to remove the feeder?
Answer: If hunting within 100 yards of the bird feeder, a person could be considered to be illegally “hunting over” bait or feed while hunting turkeys. But besides this potential automatic violation if within 100 yards, a person who is more than 100 yards could also be considered hunting with the use of bait or feed for hunting turkeys, if it can be shown that the turkeys the person is hunting were coming past him/her for the purpose of going to that feeding site. A person may not use the bait/feed, regardless of distance, to attract the turkeys past their hunting location. Removing the feeder and any spilled feed at least 10 days before hunting would show that the person was clearly not trying to hunt turkeys over bait.