Turkeys were all over Texas in the early 1900s. Because they were easy to hunt, the numbers dwindled to the point where there aren't nearly as many in the places that they used to be plentiful. Some people may never see one in the wild.
Texas is currently home to about half a million wild turkeys, allowing for around 100,000 to be harvested every year. These numbers aren't near where a lot of people would like to see them, however, we aren't without options to restore numbers. Many landowners in Cass County are working to make changes to promote our turkey populations through different habitat management techniques. The key to facilitating turkey habitat is realizing that a monoculture won't cut it. When we drive around our county we seem to have two types of habitat; plantation pines or hay pasture where Bermuda or Bahai grasses are grown. These types of habitats just aren't going to work for ground-nesting birds of any kind. When working to promote our wild turkey population, we need to consider what the hens must have to nest. Hens will be looking for an area with screening plants that are going to be around 2 ft tall or a forested area that has been burnt/cleared in the past 3 years. This will camouflage them from predators, as nesting is a huge time of predation for turkey hens. Hens will seek this out in pastures, right of ways, and clearcuts, opting to not nest in low-laying bottomland areas. If you are interested in learning more about what you can do to promote wild turkey habitat, check out the many resources available from the National Wild Turkey Federation or reach out to our office at 903.756.5391.
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August 2022
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