Residents
Asked To Report Wild Turkey Brood Sightings
 |
| You should definitely call this in |
The
Department is currently evaluating the state's wild turkey population which is
estimated at 3,000 birds.
Information
gathered from the public is helpful in determining the number of young birds
that survive after common causes of mortality such as predators, weather, and
road kill are taken into account.
The Division receives hundreds of brood reports annually that assist biologists with monitoring recruitment, population dynamics, and distribution of the wild turkey flock in Rhode Island.
DEM
is actively working to protect and improve wildlife habitat in Rhode Island
forests and management areas to ensure healthier, more diverse, and abundant
wildlife populations.
DEM's
turkey relocation program, which ran from 1980 to 1996, resulted in increased
opportunities for the public to see and hunt wild turkeys.
The
restoration project released wild trapped birds that established new turkey
flocks in Exeter, Burrillville, Little Compton, West Greenwich, Foster,
Scituate, and Tiverton.
Restoration
of the wild turkey was funded by state hunting license fees and the Federal Aid
to Wildlife Restoration program.
The
public is encouraged to report sightings via a brief online survey. For those
that do not have internet access, brood reports can be made by calling the
Division of Fish and Wildlife at (401) 789-0281.
For
more turkey facts, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Twitter
(@RhodeIslandDEM) or Facebook at www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM for more
information on boating in Rhode Island as well as other timely updates.
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