A wild turkey is seen in a yard in River Hills. Credit: Mike De Sisti

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Applications are due Monday for the 2016 Wisconsin fall seasons for wild turkey, sharp-tailed grouse, bobcat, fisher and otter.

The fall season for wild turkey will run Sept. 17-Dec. 31 in Zones 1 through 5. In Zones 6 and 7, it will run Sept. 17-Nov. 18.

This is the first year that turkey hunting will be allowed statewide on the Friday before the opening of the nine-day gun deer season and during the gun deer season in Zones 1-5 only. Hunters may use dogs to hunt wild turkeys during the fall season throughout the state. The bag limit is one turkey of any age or sex per fall turkey hunting permit (also known as a carcass tag).

There will be 101,300 wild turkey permits available this fall, an increase of 600 over 2015. Permit availability was increased by 200 in each of the three northernmost management zones (Zones 5, 6 and 7) in order to better meet hunter demand, according to the DNR. Any permits remaining after the initial drawing will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 27; those permits will be sold by zone until sold out or the season ends.

Harvest for the 2016 spring season increased by 11% compared to 2015, largely due to unseasonably pleasant weather. Increased harvest also may have been due to relatively mild conditions during the winter.

Turkey numbers may increase further, given the warm and relatively dry conditions during the critical June brood-rearing period. Turkey hunters can therefore expect excellent opportunities during the fall season.

The sharp-tailed grouse season will run Oct. 15-Nov. 6. The DNR has made 25 sharp-tailed grouse hunting permits available in Unit 8 only. Last year 100 permits were available in the unit. Permit levels were decreased in order to balance hunter opportunity with a more prudent level of harvest, according to the DNR.

Sharp-tailed grouse management units use the same boundaries and designations as game management units; a map is available on the sharp-tailed grouse page of the DNR website. Hunters are reminded to carefully review the zone map and apply only for the open unit. Applying for closed units will result in an invalid application.

Bobcat hunting and trapping seasons are Oct. 15-Dec. 25 (Period 1) and Dec. 26-Jan. 31 (Period 2).

The fisher season (trapping only) is Oct. 15-Dec. 31, and otter (trapping only) is Nov. 5-April 30 in the North Zone and Nov. 5-March 31 in the Central and South zones.

The approved quotas for bobcat, fisher and otter will be available on the trapping page of the DNR website in early August. Quotas for most zones likely will be similar or slightly higher than last year, according to the DNR.

Permit numbers, based on success rates, will be determined and drawings for all three species will take place in August, with permits issued in early September. Applicants can check their online account in early September to see if they've been awarded a permit by visiting gowild.wi.gov.

Permit applications for the Monday deadline can be purchased for $3 ($6 for bobcat) online at gowild.wi.gov, at Department of Natural Resources service centers and at all license agents.

License sales are no longer available by phone, but the operators at the DNR call center can help answer any questions hunters may have about the permit application process. The call center is available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week at (888) 936-7463.