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"This is one of the greatest success
stories in IDNR history," said Illinois Department of Natural
Resources Director Joel Brunsvold. "The wild turkey was almost
extinct. It took trial and effort and tenacity to restore the turkey
population. The fact that turkeys are so common today is a testament
to the success of wildlife conservation efforts."
There were almost no turkeys living in
the wild in Illinois in 1960. At that time, conservation efforts
were undertaken to restore the bird population, which had been a
fixture in the terrain when Pilgrims arrived in America.
Initial efforts to repopulate failed
because those efforts had relied on turkeys raised in captivity.
Domestic turkeys were not capable of surviving in the wild.
"By 1967, we knew that the secret
was in releasing wild birds. We brought in 65 birds from three other
states," said Paul Shelton, wildlife program manager for the
Department of Natural Resources. "All of the tens of thousands of
birds now in Illinois are descendents of those few dozen birds."
Wildlife biologists also discovered
that the wild turkey could survive in varied terrain, not just the
dense Shawnee National Forest of southern Illinois. Turkeys were
first moved to west central and northwestern Illinois. They can now
be found statewide.
"We found that turkeys do well in an
environment that includes both forest and open fields," Shelton
added. "Once we learned that, there was a large boom in the
population. The birds are now common from Joliet to Galena to
Cairo."
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Repopulation has been so successful
that turkey hunting is now a source of revenue. A total of 96
counties were open to turkey hunting this past spring.
"Turkey hunting brings in tens of
millions of dollars to the state of Illinois," said Brunsvold. "It's
not just fees paid by hunters, but also the money spent on travel,
lodging, clothing and other hunting supplies."
Statewide, during the 2004 spring
wild turkey hunting season, 15,066 turkeys were harvested. The top
five counties for turkey harvest for 2004 in the north zone include
JoDaviess, with 696; Pike, 620; Adams, 502; Fulton, 437; and
Macoupin, 401. The top five counties in the south zone for the 2004
spring season were Pope, with 352; Jefferson, 339; Marion, 312;
Randolph, 304; and Union, 290.
The turkey is also popular among
bird-watchers. The bird is most often spotted just after dawn or
just before dusk.
Shelton notes those who want to
observe the turkey in the wild should be prepared to be patient.
"The turkey is known to be reclusive. Its eyesight in daylight is
superior to humans. The turkey can turn its neck a full 360 degrees.
Their sense of hearing is also acute. Their sense of smell is less
sharp."
[Illinois
Department of Natural Resources news release] |
