Let's talk turkey. Or, better yet, turkeys. Yes, those big birds with the red necks and dark feathers that are now becoming a more common sight in Utah.
Research shows that wild turkeys may have been, hundreds of years back, a native species. Turkey bones, feather blankets and early American rock art showing turkeylike images have been found in areas of Utah.
But, for some reason, they vanished. When pioneers arrived in the area, there were no wild turkeys to be found.
Today, said Dean Mitchell, upland game coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, "We have around 18,000 to 20,000 birds. The wild turkey is one of the true success stories here in Utah."
It wasn't until 1925 that wildlife managers tried, unsuccessfully, to reintroduce turkeys. A number of turkeys of the Eastern species were brought in and released but never survived.
In the 1950s, a second group of turkeys was brought into Utah, this time the Merriam's species trapped in Colorado. They survived, but numbers grew slowly. It wasn't until the 1980s, however, that the turkey population really started to re-establish itself. That was when the first flock of a third species, the Rio Grande, was brought to Utah from Texas.
There are now in Utah two of the five known species of turkeys in North America — Rio Grande and Merriam's, the most numerous being the Rio Grandes. The remaining three species are the Eastern, Gould's and Osceola or Florida.
There is little difference between the two birds found in Utah, explained Mitchell, other than preferred habitat.
About the only visible distinguishing mark between the two is the tips of the Merriam's tail feathers are white, where the tips of the Rio Grande's tail are tan or cream-colored.
Merriam's choose to live in more mountainous terrain with ponderosa pine along with aspens, grassy meadows and oak brush. Rio Grande turkeys prefer to live at lower elevations, in cottonwood river bottoms and riparian areas with oak brush and green, leafy plants.
In a few places the two species have come together to create a hybridized turkey called the Merrios, which tends to live in midelevation habitat.
The latest estimates put the number of Merriam's in Utah at between 3,000 and 3,500, and the number of Rio Grande turkeys in Utah at more than 16,000.
The success of Utah's program was noted by the National Wild Turkey Federation in 1999 for having moved more turkeys, 1,700 from both in-state and out-of-state, to more new locations than any of the other lower 48 states.
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."
Where populations need to be thinned, Mitchell said in most cases the birds are trapped using what is called a Texas box trap. Bird are baited for a time, then the traps are brought in and bait is placed inside. The birds walk into the trap but can't get out.
"We like these traps because it's easier on the birds, and they take less manpower. One biologists can work six, eight or 10 traps."
Other methods include using large nets that are dropped over birds coming in to eat bait, and rocket nets that are shot over feeding birds.
"In some areas, where they've been doing this longer than we have, they can't use the box traps. Over time, the birds have become wary of the traps. They have to use nets. We're not to that point yet," he noted.
The cost of moving birds in-state is also much more economical. To bring in a turkey from another state can cost as much as $190 when food, disease testing, fuel and manpower are added in. Trapping and moving in-state costs are around $25 a bird.
As to the question of just how smart are turkeys, Mitchell said it depends on whom you talk to. There are a number of stories recounting how hunters have been led on a merry chase by turkeys, only to find themselves lost.
"They are smart," Mitchell said. "They can drive you nuts. Just when you think you've got them figured out, they change the whole pattern of their day and change everything. Sometimes everything works out, and other times everything you planned ends up going south.
"They do have excellent hearing and sight, and trying to sneak up on a flock of turkeys with all those eyes and ears is nearly impossible."
Today, the NWF will recognize Utah for its wild turkey program by sponsoring a special Thanksgiving release on land owned by Kennecott Copper Lands.
As for other parts of the state, Mitchell said Utah has excellent habitat and a sound wild-turkey program, "So if people ever wonder if that big, black bird they see off in a distance is really a turkey, they can be assured that it is."
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