27 November 2008
This wild turkey is glad to be strutting his stuff while you’re eating domestically raised turkey today. But even if you’re eating a wild bird he’s grateful that people like to hunt turkeys.
Grateful?? It’s a complicated story.
When Europeans came to America, hunting was unregulated and turkeys were very popular food. By the late 1800s, hunting and deforestation had taken its toll. Only a few thousand turkeys remained in all of Pennsylvania.
At that point the newly formed PA Game Commission began studying the turkey population and regulating the hunting season. There were so few turkeys that hunting was banned for a few years. The Game Commission even stocked wild turkeys from Mexico. Then in 1929 they acquired land and began to raise turkeys for release into the wild.
Propagation programs, habitat restoration and hunting regulations turned the tide. Today Pennsylvania’s wild turkey population is thriving. They are easy to find just about everywhere, even in Pittsburgh’s big city parks: Frick, Schenley, Riverview and Highland. My favorite flock of turkeys used to hang out at the “French fry sculpture” on Bigelow Boulevard.
So on Thanksgiving Day, Tom Turkey is grateful to the PA Game Commission for making his comeback possible. He is also thankful that Americans prefer to eat domestic turkeys.
(PGC photo of a male Wild Turkey in full display, courtesy of the PA Game Commission’s Photo Gallery)
Kate – My favorite flock is in the Queen of Heaven cemetery in Peters Twp. They regularly visit the area of my husband’s grave. He unsuccessfully hunted them for years and now they seem to be saying “who’s the winner now?”.
Interesting article, Kate. Thanks for including such a neat photo of the male. You’re so right, seems you can almost find them anywhere anymore. Nice that their numbers are up. We’ve watched males fluff themselves up and display in front of the females at my son’s in White Oak often. He lives up on hill overlooking the Mon with woods behind his place and sees quite a bit of nature. I’ve seen 5-6 at Crooked Creek often too, was fun watching the poults run after mom and dad. There was an interesting shot on TV last night of a young man in Colorado or Oregon (sorry, forget which) that raised a young domestic turkey and it’s become a pet, that even gets along with his dog. The turkey is kind of odd looking — almost all white and its name is Andy. Happy Thanksgiving. Marge
I’m a vegetarian, so all turkeys are safe from me! 😉