Wild turkey population explosion in Kansas prompts transfer to Utah

? Gus Meschke enjoys watching the antics of the large flock of wild turkeys on his property near Hutchinson. But he was surprised the day one flew through a double-pane window and into his bathroom.

Meschke’s encounter is typical of the turkey population explosion around Hutchinson.

In fact, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks received enough complaints about damage from the gregarious birds that wildlife crews began trapping them a few years ago and sending the birds to Utah.

“We’ve been trapping them for five years in Reno County and in eastern Kansas,” said Brad Odle, a department biologist who specializes in wild turkeys. “We’re nearing 800 to 1,000 birds that we’ve captured and relocated.”

Wild Rio Grande turkeys were reintroduced to Kansas in the early 1970s from flocks on the King Ranch in Texas.

The birds discovered a perfect habitat, living and roosting among five- and 10-acre “country estates” built by people who wanted to live just outside of town.

Complaints have come from residents concerned about copious quantities of turkey droppings, as well as from farmers who lose crops when flocks of 200 birds or more pass through their fields.

Those situations prompted the KDWP to work with the National Wild Turkey Federation to trap and move the birds to Utah, which has been trying to re-establish flocks near Moab.

The Utah chapter of the Wild Turkey Federation pays $75 for each bird caught and successfully transported. The state uses that money for turkey research and habitat development.

Jeff Rue, a KDWP biology technician based in Hutchinson, said the birds are trapped using a large net suspended from a 20-foot-tall center pole.

“The most we got in Reno County at one time was 127 birds,” Rue said.

While some people complain about too many turkeys, others find the fleet-footed birds enjoyable to watch.

“They’ll come up and look in the windows of the sliding glass door at our place,” said area resident Dan Power. “There’s usually around 50 that roost up in the trees.”