Thankful for turkey repopulation
Connecticut
I love turkey hunting but I cannot get out there today.
I just have to say how appreciative I am at the restoration and overwhelming success of the turkey population.
When I stared hunting over 30 years ago if you saw a single turkey that was a major wildlife experience National Geographic event.
Now fortunately they are everywhere and you can take 3 toms on private land.
It was my understanding that DEP relocated overabundant birds from the Durham area to areas throughout the state. I don't know if that is true but whatever they did I am really happy that they did it.
Just my thoughts this am
Anyone out there today hunting? I will be out hopefully tomorrow
Richm444 you are correct that the DEP along with the NWTF has done a lot for the turkey habitat and population over the years and we have more projects slated in the coming future.
I've seen way more dead turkeys on the side of the Merritt this year than years prior.
Nice bird, looks like a brute. Congrats!
I have an old coffee table book on wild turkeys. I happened to skim through it the other day and it said the last recorded turkey sighting in CT prior to the re-population effort was in 1813 in Northford CT.
Pretty amazing to think that for nearly 200 years they were no turkey's in this state.
I heard the first reintroduction was at the Mohawk State forest?
The first 21 birds captured from New York were put in Great Mountain Forest owned by Edward Childs. It's the largest privately owned woodland in CT. The game warden in that area years ago (wish I could remember his name) provided that information and I can tell you that one year I saw a flock of 50-60 birds at the Rustling Winds horse stable on Canaan MT Road.
I stopped to ask one of the caretakers if they were raising turkeys, and he said those were the wild birds.
Rumor is that you had kill the last wild turkey before they were reintroduced.
I heard he killed it with a spear....made a few calls, ran toward the bird, hid behind a tree....there were no cameras back then (couldn't take pictures), so he just waited until the bird got close enough to stab.
OK guys, very funny! If you REALLY knew me well, you'd say the first bird I got died from old age:)
