| Turkey were almost exterminated in Texas by late in the 19th century. However, the first step was taken to protect these game birds in 1897 when trapping was outlawed for five months of the year. In 1903, a bag limit of 25 turkey per day throughout a five-month season was initiated. These liberal restrictions failed to help the turkey inmost of its range, since there were few game wardens to enforce the laws. In 1919, the legislature created a bag limit of three bearded gobblers per season. Increased protection by conservation-minded landowners and additional game wardens in the 1920s helped turkey populations to begin a steady increase. Also, since that time, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has trapped over 10,000 turkey and restocked them to suitable habitat throughout the state in an effort to restore the wild turkey to its historic range. There are presently two varieties of wild turkey common to Texas. The Eastern turkey, Meleagris gallopavo silvestris, is found in the forests and dense thickets of East Texas and is rarely seen because of its wariness and scarcity. The Rio Grande turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia, is found in most of South, Central and North Texas. The Merriam’s turkey, Melagris gallopavo merriami, once roamed the mountains of West Texas, but were extirpated by 1907.Attempts to restock this turkey have not been successful. In general, the Eastern turkey is darker and larger than the more common Rio Grande variety. A mature Rio Grande gobbler averages 16 to 18 pounds, while the Eastern bird averages 19 to 21 pounds. Biologists of the Parks and Wildlife Department are trying to save Texas’ Eastern turkey and restore it to its former range. The few remaining birds are carefully protected by game wardens and landowners, and efforts to restock suitable areas with wild- trapped birds are made each year. Efforts are also being made to develop a hybrid turkey which could be satisfactorily established in portions of East Texas. Following are some of the most often asked questions about wild turkey in Texas How long do wild turkey live? Turkey live an average of two to three years; however, upon reaching maturity their life expectancy increases substantially. Most mortality occurs in poults (young-of-the-year) and yearlings. A few birds have been known to live as long as 10 years. Where did the wild turkey come from? Wild turkey are native to America and probably evolved from pheasantlike ancestors. American Indians ate turkey andused the feathers to adorn themselves and their weapons. Cortez, the Spanish explorer, found the Aztecs and other Indians in Mexico in possession of domesticated wild turkey in 1519. The explorer Vasco de Gama introduced the wild turkey into Europe. What do turkey eat? Turkey are primarily vegetarians, although they eat many insects, snails and other invertebrates. Major food items during the spring and summer are green grasses and forbs (weeds), buds, flowers, seeds and insects. In the fall and winter, turkey take fruits, mast such as pecans and acorns and green forage such as Texas winter grass, oats or wheat, depending upon 100 How many eggs does a hen usually lay? Ten or 11 eggs make up the average clutch laid by each hen, and it takes her about two weeks to lay them. Most eggs are fertile and will hatch upon completion of the 28-day incubation period if not destroyed or unduly disturbed. Do most of the eggs hatch or does something happen to them before the incubation period is complete? Overall nesting success in turkey is similar to that of most ground-nesting birds. About one-third of all eggs laid will eventually hatch. Weather is the main factor limiting Rio Grande turkey nesting success. If there is insufficient ground moisture, the eggs will get too hot and dry during incubation and the embryo will die. Studies indicate that almost one-half of all turkey nests are destroyed by predators. If weather conditions are good, however, a reasonably good turkey hatch can be expected in spite of predators and other limiting factors. How long do the hen and young stay on the nest? The hen and newly hatched poults stay on the nest about one full day. Poults begin to roost in trees at about two weeks of age, but can fly well for short distances at 10 days. During this critical period, predators account for many poult losses. Although a hen may have hatched nine or 10 poults, only two or three may be left at the summer’s end. Can a bearded turkey hen raise young? Yes. They (about 15 percent of all Rio Grande hens in Texas have visible beards) are as productive as hens without beards. Beards appear on older hens and increase in size and thickness with age. Why are some wild turkey gray or even white? Gray or white turkey in the wild are usually genetic color aberrancies compared to the well known “black sheep.” They are not domestic turkey gone wild or descendants of domestic turkey. White or gray turkey are often wilder than turkey of normal coloration. What is the most important limiting factor on Rio Grande Turkeys? Weather, especially dry weather in Texas. Droughts lasting several months may cause reductions of up to 50 percent in wild turkey flocks. During dry weather, turkey are weakened by poor forage conditions and are more susceptible to disease, parasites and predators. Most turkey eggs will not hatch in hot, dry weather and the few poults that do hatch must soon have moisture to survive. Sufficient rainfall during the late spring and early summer months is essential to good turkey production and survival. Why do we hunt turkey? Turkey provide thousands of hours of recreation for sportsmen as well as a delicious addition to the menu. Legal hunting pressure has never been a limiting factor on turkey in Texas since less than 10 percent of the entire population is harvested by hunters annually. Turkey can withstand an annual harvest of at least 20 percent of the population. If these birds are not taken by sportsmen during the hunting season, they will eventually die and be wasted. *ALL INFORMATION CURTSEY OF TEXAS PARKS WILDLIFE |
| RIO GRANDE TURKEY |
| Fall Season South Texas (26 counties) November 3 - January 20 |
| Brooks, Kenedy, Kleberg and Willacy counties November 3 - February 24 |
| Spring Season 4 - Turkey Bag Limit (153 counties) March 15 - April 27 |