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You probably had no idea that the wild turkey population in Utah is growing by about 2,000 to 3,000 birds a year. While the Division of Wildlife Resources is excited about this growth, there's a man in Springville who, well, has a different opinion about them.
Wild turkeys have invaded John Nelson's Springville property near Hobble Creek Canyon. For the past month or so, turkeys have been eating his cat food, bothering his pets and tearing up his lawn. He said, "I couldn't keep enough cat food for the cats. Before the turkeys would come and get it. I would scare them away and five minutes later, they were back."
He decided to call Division of Wildlife Resources for help. "I finally called, and I thought if they're going to be that hanging around, we might as well get them to trap a few and get them moved off," Nelson said.
This turkey problem isn't necessarily uncommon. The Division of Wildlife traps wild birds on a regular basis. Wildlife biologist for the DWR Dennis Southerland said, "Every opportunity we get to capture some wild birds and move them to a new area, we take the chance."
DWR trapped 14 turkeys this morning and will come back tomorrow for more, and it will then move them to Tooele County to start their own colony. Southerland said, "It's a real thrill to see a big ole Tom strutting his stuff out on the golf course, showing off his colors and gobbling up a storm. It's a lot of fun to watch."
Southerland says the growth of turkeys is really a success story in Utah. He explained, "They've adapted to so many different places here in Utah, and they're doing so well."
Historically, Utah actually bought or traded turkeys from other states, but now that the wild bird population is up to 20,000 to 25,000, the state sticks to homegrown turkeys.
Southerland says turkeys really add to the wildlife beauty of Utah, so long as they're not roaming your yard or eating your cat food.
To control the turkey population, Division of Wildlife says it hopes to start selling over-the-counter hunting permits for wild birds within the next few years.
E-mail: kmccord@ksl.com
