Wild Turkey

I came upon a rafter of turkeys and some appeared upset. It seems half of the group had already crossed the road and the others were anxious to get to the other side...

Wild turkeys totally disappeared from New Hampshire 150 years ago because of habitat loss and the lack of a fish and game department to regulate hunting seasons. N.H. Fish and Game began transplanting wild turkeys into the state in 1969-70 (this initial effort failed), then again in 1975. Today the population is estimated at upwards of 25,000 birds. Turkeys are now present in every county in New Hampshire.

Wild turkeys aren't territorial. They travel over 4 to 5 square miles during the year, although during the winter and nesting season they often restrict their movements within 100-200 acres. Turkeys are active during the day, roosting in trees from sundown until sunrise. Wild turkeys take advantage of different habitats throughout the year based on their food and nesting needs.

The idea that Benjamin Franklin preferred the turkey as the national bird of the United States comes from a letter he wrote to his daughter Sarah Bache on January 26, 1784, criticizing the choice of the Bald Eagles as the national bird and suggesting that a turkey would have made a better alternative.