Seeing flocks of wild turkeys along forest roads and in adjacent small fields is increasingly common throughout much of the forested areas of Oregon and Washington. Many forest land owners can long remember turkeys showing up at livestock feeding stations in winter, hearing the loud gobbling of the males echoing across forest land during the spring breeding season, or seeing their familiar scratchings in soil on the forest floor. Some landowners even consider them pests when the big birds tear up gardens near homes. Other landowners have yet to see or hear turkeys, even though they believe they have suitable habitat. What many don’t realize is that wild turkeys are relatively recent additions to the wildlife of this region.
Habitat Management for Turkeys on Small Woodlands
