The spring wild turkey hunting season gets under way Saturday morning in California.
Turkey hunting is the fastest growing hunting sport in the state, whereas deer hunting and even waterfowl hunting have been in decline for a number of years. Not so for turkey hunting as the wild turkey population continues to boom. Wild turkeys are now found in all but a few counties in the state. In Lake County the population has grown so fast the birds are becoming a nuisance in many areas.
The turkey is a fascinating bird. Some scientists claim wild turkeys aren”t native to California, however, fossil remains of wild turkeys dating back more than 15,000 years have been found here. They disappeared from the state thousands of years ago.
The first wild turkeys were introduced into the state in 1857 but the birds never really got established until the 1970s. Lake County didn”t have any wild turkeys until the early 1980s.
California has two species of wild turkeys, the Rio Grande and the Merriam, and both can be found in the county. The Rio Grande is the most common bird and is found in the lower elevations. The birds seen along the roads in the county are Rio Grandes. The Merriam is a mountain bird and the only ones in the county are found at Hull Mountain near Lake Pillsbury.
Wild turkeys belong to the Galliformes class of fowl and include grouse, pheasants and quail. Weighing up to 25 pounds, it is the largest game bird in North America. Wild male turkeys are called gobblers or toms. A juvenile male is called a jake. The adult female is called a hen and an immature female is called a jenny. The male has a bright red head, beard and spurs although a few hens also sport a beard. They are polygamous, meaning the tom will breed with any willing hen and does not assist in raising the young.
The breeding season starts in early March and runs through April and sometimes into May. The adult tom will breed with as many hens as he can entice. He attracts the hens by gobbling and strutting. Each flock normally contains eight to 10 hens, two or three jakes and at least one adult tom. The toms will fight during the breeding season and have been known to kill other toms by spurring them. They have even been known to attack humans during their breeding season. In fact, just last week the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) wardens reported that two male turkeys attacked a woman.
The hens select a nesting area, usually at the base of a tree or beneath a log, and build a nest out of leaves and other debris. She will lay an egg or two a day and then return to the flock. In about two weeks the clutch will have grown to eight to 10 eggs and at that time she will leave the flock and incubate the eggs for 28 days. The young are all hatched within a day or two of each other.
After being hatched, the hen will take the young from the nest to feed on small seeds and insects. The young can fly to the roost tree when they”re five days old. All turkeys roost in trees at night to protect themselves from predators.
Wild turkeys are classed by the DFG as upland game birds or small game. The spring season opens on Saturday and runs through May 3. There is a special archery only season from May 3-17. Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to 4 p.m. The limit is one bearded turkey per day and a possession limit of three for the season.
In other words, the maximum number of turkeys one hunter can take for the entire season is three. The turkey must have a visible beard protruding through the breast feathers. It can actually be a tom or a hen as long as it has a beard. However, hunters are encouraged to shoot only toms.
You must have a current California hunting license and an Upland Game Stamp. Only shotguns (10-gauge or smaller) with a shot size no larger than number 2 shot may be used. You can also use a bow and arrow, crossbow, muzzle-loading shotguns or even air rifles with a .20 or larger caliber for turkeys. For archery, any standard arrow with any type of broad head or mechanical head can be used.
Hunters are cautioned that they can”t shoot a firearm within 150 yards of an occupied building and they can”t hunt on private land without written permission from the owner.
