THE STATUS OF THE WILD TURKEY IN 1974
Abstract The four subspecies of wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo subspp.) in the United States probably declined to their lowest numbers in the late 1930's. Development of techniques for the live‐capture of free‐ranging wild turkeys permitted their restoration in areas where they had been exti...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
1975-01-01
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| Series: | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2328-5540.1975.tb00084.x |
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| Summary: | Abstract The four subspecies of wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo subspp.) in the United States probably declined to their lowest numbers in the late 1930's. Development of techniques for the live‐capture of free‐ranging wild turkeys permitted their restoration in areas where they had been extirpated and encouraged the establishment of huntable populations beyond their ancestral geographic limits. Within the past quarter century, the number of states having a legal hunting season has increased from 15 to 39 (including Hawaii), the annual harvest has risen from about 47,000 in 1951 to some 137,000 in 1970, and the population has expanded from an estimated 320 thousand in 1952 to about 1.3 million in 1974. Huntable populations have been established or reestablished on more than 777,000 square kilometers (km2) of range since 1938. The turkey is not faring well everywhere, however, and trouble spots do exist. |
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| ISSN: | 2328-5540 |