Is it possible to re-populate wild turkeys?

Just throwing this out there, there are places that sell Eastern wild turkey eggs. I'm not planning to do this, but I wonder if it's possible to re-populate turkey populations by releasing birds mature enough to fly into the wild. My initial thoughts are they'd probably all get eaten by predators. What are ya'lls thoughts?

I think the nest raiders are the biggest problem,coons,opposum,fire ants.sure I think the yotes,bobcat get there share but they don't destroy the whole brood at one time.

Been tried before. Didn't work.

The Nwtf tried it in the 70's. They got ate. We have turkeys now because they and WRD trapped and moved wild turkeys to repopulate areas where they were before. I think every county in GA has turkeys. Like Mfoster said nest raiders and wet weather during the hatch has more to do with a decline in turkey populations.

The net trap and transfer was the only successful method the the game departments came up with.

Pen raised wild turkeys failed mainly because they had to be fed while in the pen. After they were released they had no idea how to forage and no clue as to how to escape and evade predators. Both things they learn early in life in the wild from a parent.

I figured as much. Looks like we all should take out a few racoons per year.

turkeykirk said:

Been tried before. Didn't work.

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Yep.

some states have had success repopulating and even have hunt worthy populations now.

i believe these were done with wild capture birds being transplanted. i don't think release pen raised birds would work. mho.

i think maybe they have much lower loss to predators, with foxes and some coons being the primary culprits.

where i grew up, there wasn't a single wild turkey, and now last deer season i saw a dozen in 5 minutes, and several go to roost in the evening. their repopulation efforts in the late 90's early 00's starting paying off a few years ago.

Timber1 said:

Pen raised wild turkeys failed mainly because they had to be fed while in the pen. After they were released they had no idea how to forage and no clue as to how to escape and evade predators. Both things they learn early in life in the wild from a parent.

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Have you ever read that book about the guy who raised chicks from eggs a farmer brought him. Those had no parental teaching but seemed to know how to act like turkeys on their own as they grew older, apparently from instinct. PBS did a documentary about it. very interesting. Cant remember the title, someone here will.Something ....flatwoods..???

Just hit me Illumination in the flat woods, Joe Hutto

y'all need to carry some #7's to shoot every dang armadillo you see, as I do . they are nest destroyers !!!!

tr21 said:

y'all need to carry some #7's to shoot every dang armadillo you see, as I do . they are nest destroyers !!!!

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Them and coons, possums, ants, snakes, yotes and bobcats. You can't kill owls so they get to keep on getting their share.

Killdee said:

Have you ever read that book about the guy who raised chicks from eggs a farmer brought him. Those had no parental teaching but seemed to know how to act like turkeys on their own as they grew older, apparently from instinct. PBS did a documentary about it. very interesting. Cant remember the title, someone here will.Something ....flatwoods..???

Just hit me Illumination in the flat woods, Joe Hutto

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This book was a great read. I have no doubt the fact that these eggs came directly from a wild turkey accounted for the instinct. You will not find the same from domesticated Eastern turkey eggs purchased from a breeder. There may be some instinct but it is not nearly enough for them to survive in the wild. Another thing to consider is that Joe Hutto imprinted on these poults at hatching. He kept them in a large secure pen to keep them safe from predators but he also spent basically every day with them. He took them for long walks in the woods. He fed them crickets and let them forage for food. So, they learned in a very similar environment that they would have experienced had they been hatched in the wild and raised by a hen. It would be almost impossible for the average person to duplicate the time and effort he put forth. Had he simply hatched the eggs and confined the poults to a pen, provided food and water, the results would not have been the same in spite of the instincts they were born with. The documentary is very interesting but not nearly as detailed as reading the book. I thoroughly enjoyed both. Here is a link in case anyone is interested in reading the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Illumination-Flatwoods-Season-With-Turkey/dp/1599211971