Skagit county

[yelp]

I'll be your little boy this year?        Good luck if you go out. 

[lokidog]

Whatever.   I am just glad somebody released those genetically inferior dumb birds that drown when they look up in the rain while running around their improper habitatabout fifteen years ago out here so I can see them, hear them, and yes sometimes even hunt them....  Funny thing, our chickens go running for cover when an eagle or vulture flies by, but I guess they are smarter than a turkey having been hatched in the wild,oh wait a minute, never mind....

And yes, I have probably taken more genetics and wildlife management classes than most people buying a hunting license. 

[BOWHUNTER45]

LOKIDOG ... No need to get all pissy .. Never said that some will not survive but its not good wildlife management to just turn pen raised birds loose... when they are all in a pen together eating each others *censored* they get diseases  ...Like I said earlier I hunted out there in the early 90s but we now have wild birds to hunt not birds eating dog food ....

[yelp]

Whatever.   I am just glad somebody released those genetically inferior dumb birds that drown when they look up in the rain while running around their improper habitatabout fifteen years ago out here so I can see them, hear them, and yes sometimes even hunt them....  Funny thing, our chickens go running for cover when an eagle or vulture flies by, but I guess they are smarter than a turkey having been hatched in the wild,oh wait a minute, never mind....

And yes, I have probably taken more genetics and wildlife management classes than most people buying a hunting license.

That's what I thought.     We are all entitled to our opinions.  Have a great Day Lokidog!   

[Special T]

What about the way the brood raising system The Surrogator has changed raising and releasing quail and pheasant?
http://wildlifemanagementtechnologies.com/Store/Product/15:Traditional_Surrogator
Could there not be a way for that kind of idea to work for turkeys?
The 2 argument i heard as to why releasing doesn't work is wrong species, and pen raising "dumb" birds...
If those are the arguments what species should we use, or what ones have we used that didn't work?
 

[BOWHUNTER45]

The biggest problem we face here in Skagit - Whatcom and Island counties is no one wants them but the sportsmen ...  It took many years to convince our local biologist MIKE DAVIDSON that we need to plant some in these counties and he finally agreed to start looking into it and we had a few meetings on the issue but when the people were ask there thoughts on the issue they shut us down .... thats when I gave up on trying , along with everyone else who has been involved.... eastside has more birds than we know what to do with so thats good enough for me ....We need to make sure these birds stay healthy and are here for all to share ...Besides the fact all the time and money which went into releasing birds in Arlington ( pilchuck tree farm ) are in lock down do to new owners of the property who forbid hunting on there land ... sweeeet !

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

With the WDFW basically giving up on the Turkeys here in Western Washington, I see nothing wrong with someone else footing the bill for planting them.
As far as my understanding, the first plants in Washington were from pen raised birds, and were unsuccessful, which is why they began using "wild captured" birds.
but if the tribes want to gamble with a lousy bet, who am I to criticize ?
But as far as I understand it, 170 captive bred birds can be purchased for a couple hundred dollars, and "Wild Captured" birds run over $75 APEICE, so...
Please release a few hundred and we shall see how many survive....
Genetics aside, if one or two breeders make it, in a few generations, there might be some to be hunted in that area, and you would be hard pressed to tell the difference, as long as it is "tribal" money what do we care ?
they are not going to introduce any diseases to the wild Turkeys already in the area, are they ?

[singleshot12]

Besides the fact all the time and money which went into releasing birds in Arlington ( pilchuck tree farm ) are in lock down do to new owners of the property who forbid hunting on there land ... sweeeet !

Never could figure why all that time and money was spent on that when the tree farm and surrounding private land has been closed to hunting for years.  Now the locals complain about them crapping in their yard.

[BOWHUNTER45]

O.K hold on . We had an agreement with pilchuck tree farm back then .. If we planted these birds and after the population hits stable number they would let us hunt them ...Understand that the Dept. was for this because of the revenue they would recieve from it ... the state makes millions on turkey hunting .. After we planted the birds Pilchuck sold out and now is owned by non hunters .. So thats the reason and the birds are doing well because I hear from people they see them all the time ridding horses on the property .. so this was successful but not in our favor .. hopefully these birds expand off the tree farm and we start getting opportunity at them ....They were true EASTERNS which was mentioned earlier .. I am with ya but it needs to be done legally and releasing birds on your own IS NOT LEGAL .. Cant speak for the tribes because it seems like they have no rules ....you need to realize a few of us on here have been with this for a long time ......So say thanks to them for being so involved in making Washington what it is today as far as the wild turkey goes .... peace

[singleshot12]

Sounds like a screwed up deal to me.. but hopefully they will expand onto huntable property. Land in western wash is shrinking so fast that I'm not keeping my hopes up. I know of four other spots where the turkeys are thriving, and all four spots closed to hunting forever.
Drove through Tulalip reservation the other day 20 turkeys standing in the middle of the road almost plowed them over, looks like the indians will have some good hunting if they can keep them off the busy hiway.

[Special T]

Sounds to me like the tribes might actually be a benifit to us sportsman. Especially since they can cut through teh red tape. First Antelope now turkeys? Hmm I think we will start seeing a tren here! 

[BOWHUNTER45]

yeah and one more issue I wish we could get working on is contacting the COLVILLE TRIBES and start getting them to start giving out some turkey permits over there.. More turkeys there than you want to look at !

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

The main problem I see is if the trend that has been established here in SW Washington, the birds get planted, and several years of large populations, flocks expanding etc..
Now there are scattered small flocks spread out and seems like I see more racoon and coyote sign than anything (became a predator hunter more than a turkey hunter)
I am not a biologist, but I do know that in-breeding can be as detrimental as introduction of inferior genetics, diseases, etc...
According to my resources (internet) a stable population CAN expand an average of 5 miles a year, but that would probably require the addition of new blood to the gene pool, to improve genetic diversity and the overall health of the whole flock.
It is not due to over harvesting that you rarely see the Turkeys here in their origional release areas, it is stagnation and predation.
...
The WDFW has made the statement...

Northwest Population Management Unit (PMU P40)
Various releases since 1925 have failed to establish populations on the mainland or the
San Juan Islands. Most releases utilized pen-raised stock, were limited in number, and
were widely scattered. Between 1998 and 2000, 38 turkeys were introduced into the
Pilchuck Tree Farm (Snohomish County). While occasional sightings of one or two
birds have been reported as far as five miles away, suggesting the birds have
reproduced to some degree, populations remain very low.

Were the 38 Birds released on Pilchuck pen raised ? You said they were "True Easterns", but where did they come from ?

[BOWHUNTER45]

Yes wild birds from Iowa ,, lots of money !!!!!!!!

[Wacenturion]

Sounds to me like the tribes might actually be a benifit to us sportsman. Especially since they can cut through teh red tape. First Antelope now turkeys? Hmm I think we will start seeing a tren here! 

You're forgetting one big thing.....the Antelope were wild trapped animals which works.  The Tualip turkeys are nothing more than tame birds...period.  If they had somehow partnered with say a tribe back east and trapped and received wild Easterns....would have been great.

Also....those game farm birds no matter where they are, poise nothing more than nuisance problems in numbers or tame birds in limited populations..  The only thing that saves them from eradication is public opinion from half the local town population...i.e LaConner.

Bottom line is they give real turkeys a bad rap.  That eventually filters down to you the hunter.  As I have said before the main reason there are no birds being released in counties north of Tacoma/Seattle is the historic nuisance problems that once were evident on the islands years ago.  Region 4 staff have for the last 30 years used that argument to stop releases up there.  Now you can see how that can filter down to you.......equating to lost opportunity.