Merriam's wild turkey hunters found good success in 2004, taking 185 Merriam's turkeys for a success rate of 36 percent.
Mitchell says most of Utah's wild turkey populations are flourishing because of aggressive efforts by the DWR to bring turkeys to Utah from out of state, to trap and transplant turkeys within the state, and to improve turkey habitat.
Conservation groups have pitched in, too, with groups such as the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Utah-based Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife providing much of the funding for the DWR's wild turkey management efforts.
In the past 12 months, 670 turkeys have been moved within Utah to supplement existing turkey populations and start new ones. Another 711 Rio Grande wild turkeys were brought in from Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas.
During the next 12 months, the number of birds biologists trap and transplant within Utah will be increased while the number of birds brought in from outside the state will be decreased. "Utah's wild turkey populations have increased to the point that there are now plenty of birds to trap and relocate within the state," Mitchell said. "It's also less expensive to move turkeys within Utah than to bring them in from outside the state."
Mitchell says Utahns shouldn't expect to see the state's Merriam's turkey population grow much more. Most of the suitable ponderosa pine, mixed with aspen and oak habitat that the birds prefer in Utah, already has Merriam's turkeys.
The sky's the limit, though, when it comes to the number of Rio Grande turkeys Utah can support. Rio Grandes prefer riparian habitats consisting of cottonwood river bottoms that are usually adjacent to agricultural areas, and Utah has plenty of these.
For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources
office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.
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