3: RESTORATION OF THE EASTERN WILD TURKEY IN MISSOURI
ABSTRACT Missouri's pre‐Columbian wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) population is estimated to have been 250,000 to 400,000 birds. Settlement in the late 1800's reduced virgin forests by 50 percent and eliminated the turkey from more than 83 percent of its original range. Early...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
1973-01-01
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| Series: | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2328-5540.1973.tb00033.x |
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| Summary: | ABSTRACT Missouri's pre‐Columbian wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) population is estimated to have been 250,000 to 400,000 birds. Settlement in the late 1800's reduced virgin forests by 50 percent and eliminated the turkey from more than 83 percent of its original range. Early restoration work was oriented toward use of game‐farm birds. Fifteen thousand were released from 1925 to 1944, but the effort proved to be a costly failure. Since 1954, only native wild turkeys have been used, with great emphasis placed on local landowners' protection of birds released. A total of 1,421 turkeys have been released on 73 areas in 58 Missouri counties from 1954 to 1970. The restoration program has been successful in establishing huntable populations of wild turkeys throughout most of the state. During spring gobbler seasons from 1960 to 1970, licensed hunters have taken 7,236 gobblers. |
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| ISSN: | 2328-5540 |