Dig out that Minnesota turkey permit area map from 10 years ago and you'll be amazed at how many more opportunities there are today for chasing struttin' toms. Turkey hunting in Minnesota has come a long way since the first season in 1978 when 411 hunters went out and shot a total of 94 birds.

Fast-forward nearly three decades to the spring 2005 hunt where a total of 27,638 turkey hunters killed a total of 7,789 birds. Math nerds will be interested to know that while the number of hunters from then to now has increased by 67 times, the harvest has increased by 82 times. That means more hunters are having a lot more success, and the gobbler population is growing.

What's on tap for Minnesota's 2006 spring turkey hunting season?

"Turkey hunters can look forward to more great opportunities this spring," said Bill Penning, Department of Natural Resources farmland wildlife program leader. "Turkey numbers remain strong and their range continues to expand into parts of northern Minnesota."

This will be the 29th turkey season since the re-introduction, and there will most likely be a record number of hunters. With a record number of permits available -- 32,856 -- the number of turkey hunters will most likely surpass 30,000 for the first time in history.

Penning said the spring 2006 hunt should be a good one, but it probably won't result in a record harvest.

"It's not going to be a bust, but it's not going to be phenomenal," Penning said.

One reason for this is that when eggs were hatching last June, the weather was cold and wet, putting more stress on the young birds.

"It's hard to tell at this point, because in the spring we thought our production would be way down. But we saw more young birds in the late summer and fall than we thought we would."

The number of year-old turkeys may be down, Penning noted, but the number of two-year-old birds is very solid.

Cold, wet weather is rough on turkeys, and also on turkey hunters. The spring 2005 harvest was slightly lower than spring 2004, even though there were more hunters and probably more turkeys in the woods. The 2005 kill was on track to meet or surpass 2004's until the weather turned cold and wet in May, impacting the last four harvest periods.

THE OPPORTUNITIES
In 2006, hunters have eight different seasons, beginning on April 12 and carrying through until May 25. The first six seasons are each five days long while the last two are each seven days in length. Generally speaking, the earlier the season, the higher the success rate, but there's a lower chance of your being drawn.

The reason so many hunters want to hunt the first five-day period is the same as why so many deer hunters want to be out on opening day. The difference is notable. Over the last five seasons, almost 43 percent of the hunters in the first season were successful, while the last two seasons, despite being two days longer, had success rates in the low 20s.