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Utah has a thriving population of wild turkeys
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, many Utahns aren’t aware that they share their state with a thriving population of wild turkeys. Late November is a perfect time to get outside and see them.
Turkeys in Utah
Today, Utah’s turkey population numbers almost 25,000 wild birds. But that wasn’t always the case. In fact, until the 1950s, established turkey populations hadn’t been seen in Utah in 100 years or more.
“Based on historical and archeological evidence,” says Jason Robinson, upland game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, “it’s clear Native Americans and turkeys coexisted in Utah. That evidence includes pictographs, petroglyphs, blankets made from turkey feathers and turkey bones found at places Native Americans lived.”
Except for a failed reintroduction in the 1920s, no records exist of turkeys being in Utah from the time Europeans started exploring the state to the successful reintroduction of birds in the 1950s.
In the 1950s, biologists with the Utah Department of Fish and Game (the agency’s name was changed to the Division of Wildlife Resources in 1967) successfully released Merriam’s wild turkeys in southern Utah. Subsequent releases, of both the Merriam’s and Rio Grande subspecies, happened through the years. Wild turkey populations in Utah really took off, though, starting in 1989.
“As the years went by,” Robinson says, “houses and roads started eating up pheasant habitat in parts of the state. As a result, pheasant populations in those areas declined. We wanted to give the state’s upland game hunters another opportunity, and wild turkeys fit the bill perfectly. Under the leadership of former DWR Upland Game Coordinator Dean Mitchell, turkey reintroductions increased, and the state’s turkey population took off.”
At first, biologists brought birds in from other states, with South Dakota providing most of the birds Utah received. Now, turkeys in Utah are doing so well that biologists can simply move birds within the state, either to start new populations or supplement populations that have room for more birds.
Viewing turkeys
In addition to gathering around your table to enjoy a turkey feast, the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is a great time to get outside and see wild turkeys in Utah.
As winter approaches, Robinson says turkeys move out of the high country and congregate in areas at lower elevations. Agricultural fields are one of the best places to see them this time of the year. Areas near rivers and streams, near the high-country areas the birds live in during the warmer months, are also great places to look. “Slopes of hills and mountains that face south can also draw groups of birds,” he says.
Turkeys usually stay in these lower elevation areas, and on south-facing slopes, until March. Then, as the snow melts and the temperature climbs, the birds travel to higher elevations to breed and nest.
While April can be a difficult month to find turkeys, it’s also the most exciting time to watch them. “April is when the birds’ breeding season begins,” Robinson says. “The males are in their bright, colorful breeding plumage. Watching them strut and gobble, as they try to draw the attention of female turkeys, is one of the most interesting and exhilarating things you’ll see in nature.”
To find turkeys in April, you’ll have to travel to higher elevations. “Once you arrive in a higher elevation area,” he says, “look for three things: large cottonwood or Ponderosa pine trees the birds can roost in, thick brush the birds can feed and hide in, and water.
“Sometimes,” he says, “you’ll even see them as you’re driving along a road. It’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.”
A general idea of where turkeys live in Utah is available in the 2018 – 2019 Utah Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook. You can get the free guidebook at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks.
“A map that shows where turkeys live in Utah is available on page 35,” Robinson says. “The dark splotches on the map indicate the general areas where turkeys are found in the state.”
If you have questions about viewing or hunting turkeys in Utah, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at 801-538-4700.
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Pheasants still being released
Still plenty of time to hunt pheasants
Plenty of days are still available to hunt pheasants in Utah. And thousands of birds are still being released.
Utah’s pheasant hunt runs until Dec. 2 on both public and private land. To ensure plenty of birds are available to hunt, hundreds of pheasants will be released on Thursdays or Fridays, just in time for hunters heading out for the weekend.
The one exception is the week of Thanksgiving. That week, birds will be released early in the week so plenty of pheasants will be available to pursue over the Thanksgiving holiday.
You can see where the birds will be released, and how to get to those areas, at https://bit.ly/2PQTcDJ.
Releasing birds
Jason Robinson, upland game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says releasing thousands of birds should keep hunting good right up to the end of the hunt. “If you haven’t made it out yet,” he says, “plan on getting out before the season ends. Plenty of pheasants will be available.”
Also, if you or your child haven’t signed up for Utah’s Upland Game Slam, consider signing up. Bagging a limit of pheasants will complete the “Long Tail Limit” slam. You can learn more about the slam at www.wildlife.utah.gov/uplandslam.
This year, the slam is easier than ever to join: you can sign up completely online.
Birds released at 61 sites
DWR biologists and conservation officers, and members of sportsmen’s organizations, will release the birds at 61 sites. All of the sites are open to public hunters. The 61 sites include a new site near Heber City and six new sites near Utah Lake.
On at least 17 of the areas—10 waterfowl management areas and sites at the Utah Lake Wetland Preserve—you must use nontoxic shot (for example, steel shot) when hunting. Lead shot may not be used.
If you hunt any of the areas where pheasants are released, Robinson encourages you to wear plenty of hunter orange. “Wearing hunter orange is extremely important,” he says. “You want to make sure other hunters can see you.”
By the time the season ends on Dec. 2, more than 10,000 rooster pheasants, bought by the DWR and Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife, will have been released in Utah.
More information
If you have questions about hunting pheasants in Utah, visit the DWR’s pheasant hunting web page at https://bit.ly/2enS2zM. You can also call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at 801-538-4700.
Information is also available in the 2018 – 2019 Utah Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook. The free guidebook is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks.
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Fishing reports - available at http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots .
