Located at the extreme northern fringe of Minnesota's turkey territory, the Detroit Lakes area is now a great place to do some spring turkey hunting.

"I think we had a good hatch and good recruitment of young into the population last year, and as of last fall, we were looking as good as we ever have," said DNR area wildlife supervisor Earl Johnson.

Winter severity is a bigger issue in this portion of the state than the south simply because it can have a larger impact on the birds. Fortunately, the eight winters before this last one were very mild, which has been good for the turkey population. "We are what might be the northern fringe of where turkeys can make it with gusto, and they could come and go with the severity of winters, but so far we've been lucky and they are certainly doing well," Johnson said.

Johnson said the first release in Becker County was back in February 1995, and there have been several releases since then in Clay, Mahnomen and Norman counties.

"The turkey population up here has done nothing but expand and they are doing comparatively well in this county," he added.

Even though it's Minnesota's newest turkey territory, Johnson said a strong tradition is definitely beginning to flourish in his area.

"It's a little tougher around here to have a good experience with the birds, but those who are fortunate enough to kill one or have one come to their calling seem to stick with it," Johnson said. "And we see a lot of people from out of the area from places like Bemidji, Blackduck, Roseau and East Grand Forks. It's a growing tradition."

This portion of our state is jammed right between the prairies of North Dakota and the big woods of northern Minnesota. "We have this oak transition timberland with a lot of acorns, which is good for turkey hunting," Johnson said.

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Let's be careful out there, and enjoy your hunt!