HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1994-03-16, Page 41Page 24 -Farm Progress '94
Crop damage by wild turkeys is insignificant
•from page 20
Ministry of Natural Resources.
Those birds have now increased
their population size to about 150
and expanded their range to parts of
six townships.
Fanners don't have to worry
about the turkeys damaging their
crops which has been a topic of
some concern. According to the
ministry, throughout their range in
northeastern North American, tur-
keys have not been reported to
cause crop damage. Research in
Iowa, a state with 98 per cent pri-
vate land and agricultural crops
similar to Huron County (corn.
beans, small grains), shows that
crop damage by turkeys is almost
non-existent.
"Our experiences in Ontario sug-
gest that crop impacts are insignifi-
cant compared to damage caused by
deer, raccoons and squirrels,"
according Malhiot.
Habitat
Wild turkeys are permanent resi-
dents of mature woodlots. They
require heavily forested land which
is relatively undisturbed by human
activities. They prefer areas with
heavy forest cover interspersed with
grassed fields such as pasture land.
They also require spring seeps or
creeks in order to obtain a year-
round supply of water, according to
the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Diet
Turkeys will feed upon almost
anything that is small enough to
swallow and slow enough to catch.
Their spring and summer diet
includes grass shoots, leaves,
insects, snails and salamanders. The
fall and winter diet consists of the
nuts or fruit from beech, hickory,
cherry, oak, dogwood, hawthorn,
grape and sumac; as well as the
seeds of a great variety of weeds.
Turkeys will also utilize waste grain
from harvested field crops. As
mentioned above, reports of turkeys
causing crop damage are extremely
rare and turkey damage is
invariaply mistaken as damage
caused by other wildlife such as
raccoons, squirrels and deer.
Nesting
Wild tGrkeys nest in the spring
from late April until May or June.
The young poults can fly within
two weeks of hatching, at which
time they begin roosting in trees at
night. Biologists, using radio -track-
ing equipment, have found that two
out of three adult birds will die
each year from predators, severe
weather, and other factors. In spite
of this, a brood of up to 12 young
enables the species to increase their
numbers very rapidly, in a good
habitat, according to the Ministry of
Natural Resources.
Threat to Turkeys
The greatest threat to the success
of the re -introduction program is
the existence of free -ranging game
farm birds near release sites,
according to area biologist Mike
Malhiot. These birds are identical in
appearance to the truly wild birds
and if the two should interbreed
their offspring would be a less
hardy strain of bird.
Under the law all game farm
birds must be held under a license
and kept penned at all times. "It is
illegal to release them into the
wild," said Malhiot. The Ministry
of Natural Resources is currently
NOT issuing any new permits for
free -ranging game birds.
Support for Program
This repopulation program
wouldn't have been possible with-
out the assistance of the Ontario
Federation of Anglers and Hunters,
and a local group called the Huron -
Perth Wild Turkey Association.
"These groups are providing
volunteers, equipment and financial
support to the program," said
Malhiot.
Anyone wishing to assist the local
association can contact Chair, Kevin
Townsend at 335-3147 (Wroxeter)
or Public Relations Chair, Kevin
Pletch at 357-1967 (Belgrave).
The Ministry of Natural
Resources greatly appreciates the
assistance of the public in reporting
all sightings of wild turkeys in
Huron and Perth counties.
Please call (519) 357-3131 if you
see a wild turkey.
Power
take -off
safety
• Always disengage the PTO before
getting off a tractor
• Check for free movement of all
integral shields
• Never step across a rotating
powershaft
• Keep bystanders away from e-
quipment
• Wear close -fitting clothing and
slip -resistant footwear
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