Comparison of the historic and modern distribution and abudance of the Eastern Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris Vieillot), a species extirpated and reintroduced in Michigan.

Abstract

The Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is a species both prized and protected because of it's utility and cultural significance. In pre-Columbian times, Michigan, the Eastern subspecies of the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris Vieillot) enjoyed periods of abundance extensively inhabiting the forest and savannah complex of the southern Lower Peninsula as far north as the Tension Zone and numbering around 94,000 birds in the equivalent of approximately 38 of Michigan's 83 counties. With European contact, westward expansion, the Civil War and market hunting the species experienced a severe decline in both range and numbers and in 1897 extirpation from the state. After a nearly 60 year absence from the state, a series of reintroduction efforts again established Wild Turkey populations in Michigan. Since 1954 Wild Turkey dispersal and management has allowed this species to spread beyond its original range. Over 150,000 Wild Turkeys now inhabit over 73 counties in the state. Its current distribution and abundance indicate that Wild Turkeys now survive and reproduce more in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula and in areas of the central and western Upper Peninsula, north of their historical range. Turkey distribution and abundance are influenced by factors including disease, predation, poult mortality, climate and a suite of habitat variables. Hunting, game management and supplemental feeding now play a major role in the life and survival of this species which seems to exist at the intersection of nature and management.