Turkeys plentiful in Oklahoma

TULSA, Okla. (AP)--Management efforts are helping to increase the number of wild turkeys in Oklahoma.

Biologists and hunters have learned how to refine the habitat and implement certain farm practices which has resulted in a fair number of the ground-roosting meleagris gallopave. They now exist in all 77 counties of the state and their numbers have doubled since 1983 to more than 90,000.

Prescribed fires to clear out woody stem density helps create good bugging areas so hatchlings have a chance to reach adulthood. A young turkey lives on a complete insect diet for the first eight weeks of life.

"You have to have a lot of forage which attracts insects. As they grow older they eat lot of seeds, but a turkey will eat just about anything that won't eat it--meat or plant," said Jack Waymire, a biologist and Eastern wild turkey project leader with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

There are two species that represent most of the wild turkeys in the state: the Eastern, which is more of a forest bird, and the Rio Grande, which likes the open prairie, although they favor the cross timber region as well.

"They're pretty adaptable critters," Waymire said.

The Rio Grande is the predominant variety, inhabiting western and central Oklahoma.

Wild turkeys do much more than gobble.

"They make a lot of different sounds. They have a lot of communication. It's kind of a cooing sound, we call it a purr. That's when they're real comfortable, when they're feeding and relaxed," Waymire said.

Wild turkeys are capable of flying long distances but usually don't unless escaping danger.

The Eastern bird would sometimes rather just run, Waymire said.

They do not migrate and are one of a few ground-nesting birds in the state. Related species are the prairie chicken, quail and pheasant.

Turkey hunters are growing in popularity, too. The Oklahoma National Wild Turkey Federation has a chapter in every county. They hold banquets and raise funds to help manage the turkey population.

Mike Evans, state president for the ONWTF, said the turkey population was pretty much nonexistent in the 1970s before the federation organized.

Their assistance is both monetary and direct. The ONWTF pitches in with bulldozer work to create buffer zones during prairie prescribed burns. The group even has its own helicopter from which members strategically drop pingpong ball-sized accelerants in particular areas of the forest. They support archery in schools and hunting programs, 4-H and other programs.

"When you're improving habitat, you're improving all species from ground nesting birds to the big game: elk and deer," Evans said. "We've spent $1.2 million on wildlife projects since 1985. This year alone we've spent $139,000 on habitat projects.

"We're proud of what we do. Without the help of conservation groups the wildlife department would be handcuffed."

Wild turkeys are native to North America and were a staple of the American Indian diet. Author and historian Washington Irving wrote about plentiful turkey population in 1832 in what is now Oklahoma City and Norman.

By the 1920s when the flurry of the 1889 Land Run had subsided, turkeys were believed to be extinct. The settlers had hunted to feed their families and there was a demand for timber that eliminated many trees and roosting spots lining the riverbanks.

12/8/08
5 Star OK\14-B

Date: 12/2/08

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