News : From Extirpation to Restoration: The Return of Wild Turkeys

Hen turkey caught in rocket net set up by IDNR for research Photo from IDNR

Five Toms showing off their impressive fans

By Cara Harrill, Conservation Technician

Spring turkey season is right around the corner! Let's take a look back at the history of wild turkey in Iowa, and how the once extirpated, or locally extinct, population has recovered. When the first settlers crossed the Mississippi into what would later become Iowa, they found an abundance of wild turkeys, which soon became a main food source. Quickly populations depleted due to unrestricted hunting, overharvesting, and habitat loss due to agriculture.

By 1910, the eastern subspecies of wild turkey was extirpated from Iowa, with the last confirmed sighting being in Lucas county. There were estimated to be millions of wild turkeys across the United States prior to the 1900s, but those numbers dwindled to just over 250,000 by 1920.

A few years prior, in May of 1900, the Lacey Act was introduced by Iowa congressman John Lacey, which made it a federal crime to "import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce any wildlife that was taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of any law or regulation of any state or in violation of any foreign law." Since then, the Lacey Act has been amended five separate times between 1969 and 2022.

Starting in the early 1920s, many states began forming conservation agencies that created protection for various species of wildlife. Early restoration programs were unsuccessful for decades due to pen-raised birds losing natural instincts and domestic poultry diseases; later projects proved to be successful due to the development of the rocket net.

With the development of the rocket net, it allowed agencies to control large, wild populations for relocation. Soon, populations of turkeys were being transplanted to uninhabited areas across the state. In the 1960s, other subspecies of turkey were brought to Allamakee, Lucas, and Monroe counties with little to no success. From 1965 to 2001, over 3,500 turkeys were transplanted at 260 different locations. Much of this was paid for by Iowa sportsmen and women through revenue generated by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, and the tax on sale of firearms and ammunition. The National Wild Turkey Federation, founded in 1973, also played a large role in restoration efforts. 

By 1974, the wild turkey population had increased so much, it allowed for the first modern day hunting season to be opened. Between 1980 and 2001, Iowa traded other states over 7,500 turkey in exchange for 356 prairie chickens, 596 ruffed grouse, over 180 river otters, over 80 sharp-tailed grouse to be transplanted around the state, and over $3.2 million to purchase Iowa land for habitat. A three-way trade was created between Iowa, Kentucky and Louisiana; for every otter purchased from Louisiana, Iowa would give Kentucky two wild turkeys in exchange for each otter. Sixteen otters were purchased and later introduced to the backwaters of Red Rock Reservoir south of Des Moines in 1985.

Today, turkey numbers are once again in decline; not just in Iowa but across the midwest and eastern portions of the United States. According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR), nests are failing and fewer poults are surviving each season. In 2022, the Iowa DNR began a 10-year study of the turkey population in the southeast portion of the state. Surrounding states such as Nebraska, Wisconsin, Ohio and Tennessee are in early stages of research as well. With many questions still unanswered, biologists are hoping to find long-term data trends within the 10-year study, whether it be disease, predators, environmental factors, or weather patterns. 

It is remarkable that a once extirpated species made a comeback as successful as the wild turkey did, but the work is not done. Through new research over time, biologists are looking to fully understand what is causing this current population decline.

You can help become part of the research by reporting sightings to the Iowa DNR on their website; search for the "Wild Turkey Survey." I've also attached a link to a video showing the DNR's research project that is currently ongoing. Good luck and happy hunting!

Wild Turkey Survey: https://www.iowadnr.gov/news-release/2024-06-25/iowans-encouraged-report-wildturkey-sightings-july-and-august Iowa

DNR Turkey Research Project Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5hqBNp87_Y 

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