Wisconsin has had wild turkeys scratching out a living for centuries. In the late 1800s these birds were common in southwest Wisconsin but then started to wane due to several factors, including unregulated hunting, loss of specific habitat, and diseases tolerated by domestic fowl but not wild birds. Records show that a wild turkey was killed in Lafayette County in 1881, possibly the last wild bird shot until several attempts were made to reintroduce wild birds from other states.

The best fit with wild birds and Wisconsin habitat began in 1974 when Missouri birds were trapped and then rele...