I compare it to fish. I would rather be able to fish for hatchery Salmon, steelhead, and trout than become a purist under the illusion that we will only fish for native strains that are ultimately going backward for a mutitdude of reasons on most river systems. I have a belief that whatever excess fish aren't kept at the hatchery should be let go to allow an attempt at natural spawning, even though it is a hatchery fish, and would be competing with natives. We need to capitalize on the good years of fish return instead of just a arbitrary set benchmark of hatchery fish being raised each year, which doesn't account for the good years or the years where budget cuts trump hatchery work. i understand the other arguments for not turning hatchery fish upstream, I just don't agree with them.
Turkeys are similar, In that they are a transplanted species. There numbers have grown dramatically since introduction. Some are very wild others get to be a little on the tame side, based on the areas they hang out on private property, neighborhoods, etc. But ultimately their ability to maintain their own species will depend upon a multitude of reasons, but number one being management.
Our world is adapting and if we want to continue to be able to participate in some of these hunting and fishing activities then we must be willing to adapt as well or lose all possibility of taking part in any of it. Not the biological response that many would like to see, but some is better than nothing. And if the turkeys need to adapt, we should stand in their way.
Wild Turkey fossils have been found in the Labrea Tar Pits in California, so who know how far north they came. Yes it is true..that certain subspecies of Wild turkeys were transplanted within Washington state from other populations ..but who knows? Here is an article..
Study Shows Turkeys Once Lived in California
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Two respected scientists recently released a study that shows the extinct California wild turkey is in the same genus as the modern wild turkey, and could possibly still exist if not for human influence.
Dr. Ken Campbell and Dr. Zbigniew Bochenski with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County found more similarities than differences between California wild turkey fossils from the La Brea tar pits and modern wild turkeys.
"This is excellent news for turkeys and turkey hunters of California," said Dr. James Earl Kennamer, National Wild Turkey Federation senior vice president for conservation programs. "We are pleased that this study confirms what we've maintained all along, that wild turkeys have long been a part of California's natural environment."
The few differences found between the two birds were in the breastbone, the wishbone and the beak, which was slightly broader and flatter on the California wild turkey. Most other bones showed little or no difference between the two birds.
"Evidence shows that the California turkey is in the same genus as the wild turkey," Campbell said. "They were closely related. The California turkey was a turkey."
According to Campbell and Bochenski, a combination of factors led to the California wild turkey's extinction. They hypothesize that a dryer climate may have concentrated turkeys close to water sources during the same period that Paleo-Indians migrated to California, which might have led to hunting pressure. These factors could have easily pushed a stressed species into extinction.
"It is a reasonable hypothesis because turkeys are limited to areas with water, and people would naturally locate near water sources," Campbell said. "In a drying climate, this would have given the Paleo-Indians easy access to a tasty bird."
While the cause of the disappearance of the California wild turkey is a theory, fossil evidence from the La Brea Tar Pits confirms that a species of wild turkey once roamed the Golden State and interacted with most modern species of California. What remains unknown is exactly what combination of forces led to their final extinction.
"We may never know exactly why the California wild turkey disappeared," Kennamer said. "However, we know that they were closely related to the wild turkey we know today. This shows that turkeys shouldn't make a negative impact on the ecosystem of California."
