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BENNINGTON -- Hunters are expected to see a lot of turkeys this coming season, as well as ticks.
Turkey's will have to be wary of human hunters come April 28 and 29, Vermont's Youth Turkey Hunting Weekend. Vermonters and non-Vermonters 15 years old and under who have completed a hunter education course and posses a hunting license, turkey hunting license and free youth turkey hunting tag can participate if accompanied by an unarmed person 18 or over who has a hunting license.

According to the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, hunters took more than 4,700 turkeys in 2011. A turkey hunting license comes with two spring tags for bearded turkeys and a tag for either sex in the fall. According to the department, 22.5 percent of turkey hunters were successful, with 25.1 percent of those getting a second bird as well.
Turkeys have made a great comeback in the past three decades, being all but extinct prior to 1969 when 31 birds were released in the state. Since then the population ranges between 35- 50,000.
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Early settlers cleared Vermont forests for farmland and lumber. By the mid-1800s, more than 75% of Vermont was open land. As a result, wildlife habitat was scarce, especially the forests that turkeys needed to survive. By 1854, the last of Vermont's turkeys disappeared. Loss of habitat and uncontrolled hunting wiped them out.



In the 1950s a private effort by well meaning people and fish and game clubs to reestablish turkeys in Vermont, included the release of hundreds of "game farm" turkeys throughout the state. Most of these birds were several generations removed form the wild, and therefore lacked the ability to survive Vermont's rugged winters. No game farm turkeys succeeded in establishing populations in Vermont.

Following these attempts, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department investigated the possibility of reintroducing wild turkeys to Vermont. The department worked with the New York State Conservation Department to trap wild turkeys during the winter of 1969 - 1970. The first winter's trapping captured 17 turkeys that were released in Pawlet, Vermont. The second winter of trapping resulted in 14 birds that were released in Hubbardton, Vermont.

These initial populations expanded rapidly, both in number and occupied area. In 1973, the population was estimated at more than 600 turkeys. Since 1973, additional efforts and the refinement of trapping equipment enabled Vermont Fish & Wildlife staff to capture as many as 100 turkeys in one trapping season for release in various areas of the state.

A spring turkey-hunting season was established in 1973. This was the first time wild turkeys had been hunted in Vermont in more than a century. Fall "either sex" turkey hunting began in 1975. Spring and fall hunting seasons have continued every year since. Both spring and fall turkey seasons provide a recreational opportunity for hunters and serve as a population management tool.



During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Vermont's turkey population remained relatively stable, at an estimated 9,000 to 12, 000 birds. Unusually harsh winters reduced the population in 1993-1994, but a combination of limited hunting seasons and milder winters caused the population to rebound quickly. Vermont's turkey population has risen each year since 1994 to its highest level in recent history, and is now estimated at some 35, 000 -50,000 birds.
From year to year the number of wild turkeys in Vermont will fluctuate because of a combination of random environmental factors, such as weather changes that affect nesting success, or severity of the winter that affect survival. Long-term population trends, however, are most influenced by changes in habitat and the overall landscape. Relatively mature forests now dominate 80% of the state, with only about 15% in an open, non-forested condition, such as croplands, hay fields, or pastures. Although the wild turkey is primarily regarded as a forest dwelling bird, ideal habitat conditions include a mix of forest and agricultural land, which provides the greatest opportunities for feeding, nesting, and brooding.

Agricultural lands on active farms provide most of the remaining open acreage in the state that is ideal habitat for wild turkeys. As the number of Vermont farms declines and the trend toward increased forestation continues, availability of open land may increasingly limit habitat for wild turkeys. Keeping active working dairy farms in Vermont will help maintain excellent wild turkey habitat.