Bear Lake Turkeys

It is a tough winter so far for the flocks of Garden City turkeys.  These Merriam turkeys are an exotic species to the area.  I had never seen a turkey in the wild until I went to the Black Hills in South Dakota.  Through my adult life I read about turkeys, how smart they are and the effort of western states to introduce them for hunting.  Things started off slowly but within the last five years they have taken off (no pun intended).  As far as I can tell they were never stocked by a State agency in Bear Lake.  I am sure some moved over the mountains from Mink Creek/Riverdale area.  I personally believe the turkeys around Garden City originated when Ben Negus was raising them and they got away and headed up to Bridgerland, so you can blame or praise him.  Anyway they have expanded all along the west side of the Lake, in the hills around Garden City and up Cottonwood Canyon in Round Valley.  Wildlife Resources decided they were a huntable population and included this area in the Cache Unit.

I love to watch and hear turkeys.  Their domestic cousins are dumber than dirt and that is what most people think all turkeys are like.  The wild ones are smart and a real challenge to hunt, which I have done many times.  You just can't go out walking around and flush and shoot them like other birds.  Turkeys have incredible sight and can see anything that is out of place.  Once alarmed, they can run 20 mph or fly long distances.  For their size and weight, they are incredible fliers.  When they flush, they are in the air instantly, dodging trees or landing at the tops of the highest ones.

 

A few of us are turkey feeders.  Since Bear Lake doesn't  have nuts and berries like their native range has, they have become dependent on humans during bad winters.  The snow or predators don't seem to bother them so they head to the nearest feed yard (not many of those around anymore), open area, roadside or feeder to bum food.  I feed birds year around.  That is what I do instead of having a horse although it costs about the same.  My feeders are on the deck and the turkeys showed up a few years ago feeding on spilled bird seed.  Now they flying in and land on the rail and peck and shake the feeder until they have all the seed.  Fights erupt between them with the "Jakes" (year old males), hens and toms constantly trying to rise in the "pecking order".  They run off all the other birds including magpies.  It is great sport to watch them start changing appearance and colors for spring breeding as they come in at the same time every morning.  There is one thing I can be sure of however.  They won't be around during the spring turkey hunt. They are smarter than that.....