Wild turkeys — Utah flocks, once sparse, now flourish

As for the differences between wild turkeys and those raised on farms, the most noticeable feature is the wild turkeys are about half the size of domesticated birds and are leaner, have longer legs and can fly short distances. In fact, wild turkeys fly into trees at night to roost. Those raised on farms are too big to fly and in many cases have white feathers.

A male tom or gobbler in the wild can average anywhere from 17 to 21 pounds. A female or hen can average 8 to 11 pounds. They are, by far, Utah's largest upland game bird.

As noted, Utah's reintroduction program started in 1925, but failed, and was restarted in the 1950s.

The first introduction of Rio Grande turkeys was in 1984 and didn't do so well, "for a number of reasons," said Mitchell. A second introduction in 1989, however, did very well, "and we haven't looked back since.

"So far, now, we've completed hundreds of transplants, some with birds from other states, but more and more with birds we've trapped here in Utah and relocated."

Utah has gotten its Rio Grande birds from places like South Dakota, Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma. In some cases the birds were purchased and at other times they were involved in trades.

"We traded antelope to Texas at one point and got in return Rio Grande turkeys. Another time we traded catchable-size rainbow trout to Kansas for turkeys," Mitchell said.

"The most complicated trade involved sending elk to Kentucky. It, in turn, trapped and sent Eastern turkeys to South Dakota. South Dakota then sent some Merriam's and Rio Grande turkeys to Utah. It's a matter of working out the numbers ... so many fish for so many turkeys; one elk for so many turkeys. We've gotten pretty creative, but we're at a point now where we don't have to go out-of-state to get more turkeys. We have enough birds now that we can trap in-state and move them around."

In-state trappings typically take place in areas where turkey numbers are high or where some residents and landowners have found them to be a nuisance.

A large flock of very large birds, Mitchell pointed out, "can make quite a mess, especially when they start roosting at night around and on cabins. In cases like this we can go in and trap the birds, and then move them to new locations. Property owners can usually tolerate a few birds, but when you start getting 100 to 150 birds around cabins, they can make a mess."

Currently, the DWR has four new sites where it would like to introduce Merriam's and 72 new sites it plans to introduce Rio Grande turkeys.

"We still have a ways to go," continued Mitchell, "but we do have a lot of good, suitable habitat available for more wild turkeys. The question, again, is just how many birds will the people in those areas tolerate. Some will like having turkeys around and some won't."