 |
Wild
turkeys are native to parts of Wisconsin and were eaten by
both settlers and Native Americans. But before long,
settlement and an increase in farming and logging cleared the
state's oak forests. Domestic fowl diseases spread to
wild turkeys and unregulated hunting also took its toll. The
last turkey sighting in Wisconsin was near Darlington in Lafayette
County in 1881.
In 1976, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources traded
ruffed grouse to the state of Missouri for wild turkeys. The
first 29 wild Missouri turkeys thrived in their new home in Vernon
County and began to breed. As turkeys multiplied, the DNR trapped
them and moved them to other good turkey habitat areas. Turkeys
have also moved into 12 counties on their own.
Now, the wild turkey roams freely in most of the state and is
doing great. We estimate that there are more than 300,000 wild
turkeys in Wisconsin. |
