Who do I need to contact?

[GobbleNut]

I always thought the pilgrims ordered them in on Thanksgiving from Amazon.

Yeah,...maybe so,...but I'm pretty sure Amazon had to get them from the space aliens from Mars first!   

[Turkeybutt]

Mars...No Amazon...No
If you believe Paleontologists turkeys might be descendants of dinosaurs.
The Surprising Connection Between Turkeys and T. Rex
By George Frederick published November 05, 2012
A few days after Thanksgiving dinner, a popular tradition calls for two people to grab opposite ends of a dried wishbone and pull until the bone breaks in two.
The irony: The wishbone is special because it's one piece.
The furcula (the technical term for a wishbone) is formed by the fusion of two collarbones at the sternum. The furcula is an important part of a bird's flight mechanics — a connecting point for muscles and a strengthening brace for wings. The bone is elastic and acts as a spring that stores and releases energy during flapping. (Ever try to snap a wishbone before it's been dried?)
Scientists once thought the furcula was unique to birds. Paleontologists now tell us that the bone dates back more than 150 million years to two-legged, meat-eating dinosaurs including the Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor. These reptilian movie stars didn't fly. Their furculas likely served as structural supports as the dinos held their prey.
The furcula is a key component of the commonly accepted theory that birds are the descendants of dinosaurs.

[GobbleNut]

Mars...No Amazon...No
If you believe Paleontologists turkeys might be descendants of dinosaurs.
The Surprising Connection Between Turkeys and T. Rex
By George Frederick published November 05, 2012
A few days after Thanksgiving dinner, a popular tradition calls for two people to grab opposite ends of a dried wishbone and pull until the bone breaks in two.
The irony: The wishbone is special because it's one piece.
The furcula (the technical term for a wishbone) is formed by the fusion of two collarbones at the sternum. The furcula is an important part of a bird's flight mechanics — a connecting point for muscles and a strengthening brace for wings. The bone is elastic and acts as a spring that stores and releases energy during flapping. (Ever try to snap a wishbone before it's been dried?)
Scientists once thought the furcula was unique to birds. Paleontologists now tell us that the bone dates back more than 150 million years to two-legged, meat-eating dinosaurs including the Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor. These reptilian movie stars didn't fly. Their furculas likely served as structural supports as the dinos held their prey.
The furcula is a key component of the commonly accepted theory that birds are the descendants of dinosaurs.

Somebody had to go and get all technical on us!  Turkeys came from Mars!  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!   
Now, we can debate all day whether or not Amazon or Ponce de Leon delivered them to the Pilgrims or not, but the actual "War of the Worlds" began when those darn Martians brought those F'ing turkeys down here to torment us!  Facts is Facts, bubba!   

[Turkeybutt]

Maybe you are correct! Now that i think of it I do recall maybe seeing some turkeys leave the space ship white watching the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Then again it could be some residual substances from the night before!
"Gort! Klaatu barada nikto"

[tal]

 They dropped the turkeys off when they built the pyramids, maybe Stonehenge, I forget

[nativeks]

I agree with others. If your property was conducive to turkeys you would have them. Kansas has a Habitat First program. I contacted them on advice to help ground nesting birds. A biologist came out and looked the place over then made a gamp plan. They assisted me with seed and equipment to restore native grass. They also did cost share of invasive tree removal. I have seen more quail, meadowlarks, butterflies, etc but I still lack turkey nesting success. Maybe Louisiana has a similar program.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

[Greg Massey]

THIS POST HAS TOOK A TURN FOR THE LITTLE GREEN PEOPLE.... 

[Cowboy]

Mars...No Amazon...No
If you believe Paleontologists turkeys might be descendants of dinosaurs.
The Surprising Connection Between Turkeys and T. Rex
By George Frederick published November 05, 2012
A few days after Thanksgiving dinner, a popular tradition calls for two people to grab opposite ends of a dried wishbone and pull until the bone breaks in two.
The irony: The wishbone is special because it's one piece.
The furcula (the technical term for a wishbone) is formed by the fusion of two collarbones at the sternum. The furcula is an important part of a bird's flight mechanics — a connecting point for muscles and a strengthening brace for wings. The bone is elastic and acts as a spring that stores and releases energy during flapping. (Ever try to snap a wishbone before it's been dried?)
Scientists once thought the furcula was unique to birds. Paleontologists now tell us that the bone dates back more than 150 million years to two-legged, meat-eating dinosaurs including the Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor. These reptilian movie stars didn't fly. Their furculas likely served as structural supports as the dinos held their prey.
The furcula is a key component of the commonly accepted theory that birds are the descendants of dinosaurs.

A couple of seasons back, I was hunting a bird I nicknamed GOLIATH because of the huge 3 toed tracks he was leaving on the muddy two track road along a flooded timber area. Now I realize it wasnt a gobbler but a DANG DINOSAUR! Who would have guessed it?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[g8rvet]

Since this thread has gone WAAAAYYYYY off track a buddy of mine called me to come look at a track in the woods.  He was a much more experienced turkey hunter than me, so I was thinking it was a cat track or something.  I get out there and look down and start laughing.  He asks me "WTH is that!?!!?!?!?".  I knew instantly.  It was a rhea. A local farmer client had about 5 or 6 that he no longer wanted and he just turned them loose a year or two earlier.  Hunted that area for the next 3 years, never saw another track. 

[Louisiana Longbeard]

The habitat is a little thick, we had it select cut about 5 years ago. It's perfect for deer but not as good for the turkey. A biologist with the state has already came out and rode the whole property. He thinks Interstate 20 which is a 4 lane highway is acting like a wall to keep them from dispersing onto us. We are surrounded by ag fields and a river runs through the whole property. I can't get pictures to load or I would drop a map picture. I wouldn't be transporting birds from public to private. We have a family friend with land that has turkeys. He agreed to let us trap a few and release them.  As far as food plots and all. We have plenty. I'd say we have over 60 acres of plots.

[GobbleNut]

The habitat is a little thick, we had it select cut about 5 years ago. It's perfect for deer but not as good for the turkey. A biologist with the state has already came out and rode the whole property. He thinks Interstate 20 which is a 4 lane highway is acting like a wall to keep them from dispersing onto us. We are surrounded by ag fields and a river runs through the whole property. I can't get pictures to load or I would drop a map picture. I wouldn't be transporting birds from public to private. We have a family friend with land that has turkeys. He agreed to let us trap a few and release them.  As far as food plots and all. We have plenty. I'd say we have over 60 acres of plots.

From your description here, it sounds like the habitat is there to hold birds on the property.  The next question on my mind is whether the area has historically held wild turkeys?...or have they been recently introduced there?  If they have been recently introduced, they just might not have had time to increase to numbers where they would naturally migrate to your property.

I doubt that the interstate highway would be a barrier to turkeys, so I personally would discount that possibility.  If there are other geographic barriers between your property and those areas that currently have turkeys, then those, combined with the highway, might potentially be a problem.  That also seems unlikely to me, however. 

Getting back to your thoughts on transplanting birds, you should contact your DNR and see if they would grant you permission to trap some birds off of your friend's place, that is assuming there are enough birds there to ensure viability in both locations.  Personally, I see no reason that they would not allow that, unless there are some unknown, underlying circumstances involved.  Might be some costs involved for any associated permitting and DNR oversight, but I can't imagine a reason they would be against trying to expand the state's wild turkey population through something like this. 

Again, based on your description, I still come back around to asking the question,...Why do you not already have turkeys staying on your property?  Seems to me there are some existing conditions or circumstances that you may not have identified.  Excessive numbers of predators perhaps?  ...It's somewhat a quandary to me...

[wchadw]

The habitat is a little thick, we had it select cut about 5 years ago. It's perfect for deer but not as good for the turkey. A biologist with the state has already came out and rode the whole property. He thinks Interstate 20 which is a 4 lane highway is acting like a wall to keep them from dispersing onto us. We are surrounded by ag fields and a river runs through the whole property. I can't get pictures to load or I would drop a map picture. I wouldn't be transporting birds from public to private. We have a family friend with land that has turkeys. He agreed to let us trap a few and release them.  As far as food plots and all. We have plenty. I'd say we have over 60 acres of plots.

Burn some. Plant some chufa and clover
Try spraying and disking a medium size plot and let natural grasses grow back


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Louisiana Longbeard]

Gobblenut, it has me puzzled as well. The area across the highway has had birds for years and years. I'm 37 and when I was a young kid there were birds there so no they are not newly there. We do have a lot of predators as far as coons, possums, bobcat, and coyote. But the thing is there are as many or more where the turkeys are at so I don't see that being a difference maker either. I don't know but it is frustrating. We plant wheat, oats, and clover every year. Lots and lots of Ag fields all around us.

[crow]

If your bordered by any Pilgrim communities they can be rough on turkey populations at certain times of the year

[redleg06]

Gobblenut, it has me puzzled as well. The area across the highway has had birds for years and years. I'm 37 and when I was a young kid there were birds there so no they are not newly there. We do have a lot of predators as far as coons, possums, bobcat, and coyote. But the thing is there are as many or more where the turkeys are at so I don't see that being a difference maker either. I don't know but it is frustrating. We plant wheat, oats, and clover every year. Lots and lots of Ag fields all around us.

If you have turkey that close, with a thousand acres, you might be able to make some changes to keep them on your place ( without knowing what your place does or doesn't offer).  There's some good stuff on youtube and other sources on managing/developing your property for turkey but I'd contact my biologist and tell them you're interested in a consultation about what you can do to benefit turkey on your place and improve habitat. Bottom line- if you have turkey literally across the road but not on you, it's a habitat deal and even if someone transplanted them (they wont) on you, you'd probably just have more turkey across the road. They're going to go where they can get what they need. Good luck and hope you can get them going on your place