Some Southern Alberta ranchers are welcoming some familiar fowl back to their properties.
“Thirty years ago we had turkeys here,” said Tom, a rancher in a southwest region of the province. “Then about five to 10 years ago — they disappeared,” added his wife Monica.
The couple has made their home in the Alberta foothills for more than fifty years. Global News isn’t providing their last name in an effort to help protect the location of the coveted new company that arrived on their land in January.
Wild turkeys aren’t native to Alberta or B.C., but populations have recently been thriving in some eastern B.C. resort towns like Radium and Invermere. For many residents there, they’ve become unwelcome, messy guests.
“If those turkeys decide to live on your lot and maybe roost in the tree right behind or right in front of your house — they’re a real problem,” said Doug Manzer, a senior scientist and wildlife program manager with the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA).
Since January, the ACA has translocated 178 problem turkeys from urban areas in B.C. into rural areas of Alberta.
The program is going ahead thanks to cooperation from landowners like Tom and Monica and tens of thousands of dollars from fish and game clubs in Alberta.
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Wild turkeys are not only a delicacy but also a prized game bird.
In Alberta, there’s no restriction or permit required to release wild turkeys. The province’s recent Management Plan for Wild Turkeys, expresses interest in reestablishing turkey populations, which offer “historic hunting opportunities.”
The report suggests “similar hunting opportunities in Alberta that have a limited geographical scope (ex. Suffield elk hunt) and bring in hunters from across the province have shown financial expenditures by hunters in excess of $1000, a large portion spent in the local community.”
The province said it may adjust its policies around turkeys in the future if they become a nuisance, something Tom and Monica echoed.
“We’ve never been in a situation where we’ve been overrun with turkeys. Every now and then we’ve found them in the hay yard,” said Monica. “I guess we’ll welcome hunters if we ever get lots of (birds)!”
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