13 wild turkeys released in Utah

A line of Emery High students quickly opened a row of boxes a few weeks back and added 13 Rio Grande wild turkeys to Utah's growing population.

The turkeys were part of a release near Huntington by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the National Wild Turkey Federation.

About 60 students took part in the release. The students are affiliated with the Future Farmers of America and are enrolled in agriculture and animal science classes at the high school.

"For the past seven years, Utah has been the number one wild turkey restoration state in the union," said Brett Johnson with the federation.

"In the past decade, the DWR and NWTF have brought nearly 7,000 birds into Utah from other states. Utah has come a long way from having virtually no turkeys to a current population ranging between 20,000 and 30,000 birds."

Jon Leonard, Utah chapter president, said the cost to release a single wild turkey from out-of-state runs about $188 per bird.

This amount includes capture costs, transportation, veterinary expenses, interstate coordination and release efforts. In-state transplants, such as the one in Huntington, cost about $25 a bird.

Two of the 13 birds released near Huntington were outfitted with radio transmitters. The transmitters will allow biologists to monitor movements, nesting locations and possible flock migration.

Marcy Curtis, president of Castle Country Gobblers, said more than 200 wild turkeys were recently observed in Ephraim Canyon in Sanpete County.

"This observation was odd, since no wild birds have ever been released in the county. Some flocks apparently travel great distances from their release locations," she said.

Dean Mitchell, upland game coordinator for the DWR, said most of Utah's wild turkey populations are flourishing because of aggressive efforts by the DWR to bring turkeys to Utah from out of state, to trap and transplant turkeys within the state, and to improve turkey habitat.

Last year, 670 Merriam turkeys were brought into Utah to supplement existing turkey populations and start new ones. Another 711 Rio Grande wild turkeys were brought in from Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas.

During the next 12 months, the number of birds biologists trap and transplant within Utah will be increased while the number of birds brought in from Utah will be decreased.

"Utah's wild turkey populations have increased to the point that there are now plenty of birds to trap and relocate within the state," Mitchell said. "It's also less expensive to move turkeys within Utah than to bring them in from outside the state."