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11/15/2005

The Wild Turkey in Maryland: History - Biology - Management

The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) and turkey hunting are a treasured part of our Maryland heritage. Although plentiful and a valued source of food for European settlers arriving in Maryland, unrestricted hunting and land use changes in the ensuing years eliminated all but a remnant of the State’s once flourishing turkey flock which was secluded in parts of Garrett and Allegany counties.

Today, as a result of concerted efforts to protect the remaining stock of wild birds and a 20-year effort to reintroduce turkeys into suitable habitat, these magnificent birds are once again established in all 23 Maryland counties; the resident flock now numbers in excess of 30,000 birds.

Wildlife watchers praise the beauty of the wild turkey. Since they are somewhat shy birds, the average Marylander may not see one of these birds in the wild, but anyone who has surprised a flock of turkeys in an old field and watched the great birds glide into the woods is impressed by their appearance and grace.

Wild turkeys are both challenging and thrilling to hunt and an economic asset to the state. Based on Maryland hunting license sales and national recreational surveys it is estimated that the average turkey hunter spends more than $300 a year for clothing, turkey calls, ammunition, guns, in-state travel, food and lodging. With approximately 16,000 turkey hunters in Maryland, a reasonable estimate of the economic benefit the state receives from turkey hunting is about $4.8 million annually.

The revenues derived from hunting, including Pittman-Robertson Funds (a federal excise tax placed on the sale of sporting arms and ammunition), has been the primary funding source of wild turkey management. Without the revenue from hunting, management efforts probably would not have occurred and wild turkeys would not be as abundant and widespread as they are today.

More recently, wildlife watchers have joined hunters in their appreciation of the wild turkey, and with turkeys now established in every Maryland county, involvement in watching and photographing wild turkeys is expected to increase. While there is no way of placing an economic value on the rewards of watching and photographing wild turkeys, they are, nevertheless, real. On average, each of the 1.5 million Maryland wildlife watchers spends about $300 annually observing or photographing wildlife. It’s not possible to identify how much of that is attributable to turkey watching, but if it is as little as 1%, the economic benefit would amount to almost $4.5 million a year spent on turkey watching.

The Wild Turkey In Maryland is published by the Maryland Wild Turkey Advisory Committee in cooperation with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.  To read the complete report, click on the link below.

The Wild Turkey in Maryland
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