WhenToBird

Meleagris gallopavo · Phasianidae

When Do Wild Turkeys Arrive in Wisconsin?

Adult male Wild Turkey
Photo: Dan Vickers, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Wild Turkey is in Wisconsin all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 5.0% in its quietest week (mid November).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 1-7early May
Quietest weekNov 15-21mid November

Best: early May. Here all year. Peak: on about 12% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 5.4% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.7% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.0% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.8% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.0% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.9% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.7% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.2% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.0% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.0% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.5% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.2% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.4% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 11% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 12% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 10% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.1% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.3% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.9% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.7% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.4% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.8% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.7% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.7% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.8% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.3% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.6% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.2% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.5% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.8% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.2% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.7% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.8% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.2% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.1% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.3% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.6% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.8% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.9% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.3% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.2% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.2% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.6% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.7% of 26314 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Wisconsin that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Florence CountyBest mid January · 128 checklists that week, 10,179 in all53%
  2. Crawford CountyBest mid August · 46 checklists that week, 4,271 in all35%
  3. Vernon CountyBest mid April · 338 checklists that week, 13,255 in all33%
  4. Washburn CountyBest late April · 319 checklists that week, 7,099 in all32%
  5. Brown CountyBest the second week of May · 1683 checklists that week, 36,306 in all22%
  6. La Crosse CountyBest mid July · 237 checklists that week, 15,788 in all22%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fischer LakeFlorence County, best mid December · 46 checklists that week, 2,931 in all95%
  2. Owen Conservation ParkDane County, best late April · 198 checklists that week, 5,184 in all91%
  3. Uw Arboretum (southwest)Dane County, best late April · 28 checklists that week, 745 in all87%
  4. Uw ArboretumDane County, best early May · 358 checklists that week, 7,732 in all83%
  5. Schlitz Audubon CenterMilwaukee County, best late April · 205 checklists that week, 4,351 in all80%
  6. Bay Beach Wildlife SanctuaryBrown County, best the second week of November · 22 checklists that week, 2,385 in all80%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Wild Turkey is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (16% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 20% of 27016 checklists6 am: 15% of 83973 checklists7 am: 12% of 160717 checklists8 am: 8.7% of 160531 checklists9 am: 7.3% of 136968 checklists10 am: 6.2% of 119110 checklists11 am: 5.2% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 5.2% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 5.6% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 6.0% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 6.1% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 6.1% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 6.5% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 6.9% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January5.4%5.7%6.0%5.8%
February6.0%5.9%5.7%6.2%
March6.0%6.0%6.5%7.2%
April8.4%11%12%12%
May13%12%11%10%
June9.1%8.3%6.9%6.7%
July6.4%6.8%6.7%6.7%
August6.8%6.3%6.6%7.2%
September7.5%7.8%7.2%6.7%
October6.8%7.2%6.1%5.3%
November5.6%4.8%4.9%5.3%
December5.2%5.2%5.6%5.7%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: summer visitor, peaks late April
  • Iowa: all year, most in spring, peaks the second week of May
  • Michigan: all year, most in spring, peaks late April
  • Minnesota: all year, most in spring, peaks the second week of May

Common questions

When do Wild Turkeys arrive in Wisconsin?
The Wild Turkey is in Wisconsin all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 5.0% in its quietest week (mid November).
When do Wild Turkeys leave Wisconsin?
The Wild Turkey does not leave Wisconsin: it is reported all year, from 5.0% of checklists in mid November to 12% in early May.
When is the best time to see a Wild Turkey in Wisconsin?
The Wild Turkey is reported most often in early May, on about 12% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Wild Turkeys seen most often?
By county, Florence County, Crawford County, and Vernon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wild Turkey (counties with at least 200 checklists).