Wild turkey boom prompts Quebec hunters to call for provincewide hunt

By Andy Blatchford, THE CANADIAN PRESS


MONTREAL - Hunters have set their sights on a Quebec-wide wild turkey hunt after a new study suggested the bird's population is booming.

A joint study by the Quebec Wildlife Federation and Quebec's natural resources and wildlife ministry suggests the gobblers are nesting in southern reaches of the province like never before.

"Wild turkey is spreading faster than a lot of people thought in the province of Quebec," said Martin Savard of the Quebec Wildlife Federation.

As recent as 15 years ago, wild turkeys were considered transient in most areas south of the St. Lawrence Seaway, said Savard.

Today, milder winters and strict hunting restrictions have helped the birds flourish in areas where they were rarely seen in the past, he said.

Quebec's current rules permit unlimited fall turkey hunts in regions primarily north of the St. Lawrence.

But Savard said an inventory from last spring shows there are now thousands of turkeys in the Outaouais and Monteregie regions.

The Quebec Wildlife Federation, which represents some 300,000 hunters and anglers across the province, is asking the government to institute a spring hunt with a quota of one turkey per hunter, per year.

Savard said the proposed spring hunt would start after mating season and target only male adults to ensure the population continues to grow.

He said the spring hunt has also been successful in Ontario.

The proposal recommends the elimination of Quebec's existing fall hunt, which allows hunters to kill female and young turkeys.

"The turkeys will be better protected than they were before," he said.

The wily birds are known to offer a challenging pursuit for even the most seasoned hunter.

Successful turkey hunters are often fully camouflaged and must master mating calls, Savard said.

"If you can hunt a turkey you are considered to be a great hunter," said Savard, who co-ordinates turkey calling courses.

"Harvesting a turkey is considered the same thing as harvesting a big deer buck or a big trophy moose."

Meanwhile, Eve Marshall of Bird Protection Quebec said she has seen wild turkey populations rise in recent years.

"They're fun to see," she said. "You don't see them every day that you're out. They're in small pockets of the province."

However, her bird conservation group does not support wild turkey hunts in any form.

"In general, we're against hunting birds," said Marshall, president of the 450-member organization, which purchases land for habitat preservation and educates the public about birds.

McGill University wildlife biology professor David Bird said the proliferation of wild turkeys in Quebec is likely linked to conservation success in the United States.

Bird said turkeys are heading north to feed as U.S. niches fill up.

With the growing numbers, he would welcome a well-researched provincewide hunt.

"As long as I know it's being done scientifically, and by people who know what they're doing, it doesn't bother me," said the bird specialist.

Bird, who has not seen the study, said he is unsure about moving the hunt to the spring, especially since it's also prime birdwatching season.

"If you start mixing guys out there with guns in the same place where birdwatchers want to see them, I don't know," he said.

A Quebec natural resources and wildlife ministry spokeswoman said a proposal has been presented on the subject of rule changes, but could not comment immediately on details.

Savard, meanwhile, said the disappearance of the fall hunt could alter Thanksgiving meal plans of some hunters.

He said when cooked properly, wild gobblers make for a delicious meal.

"The wild turkey is very tasty, tastier than a Butterball turkey you have in grocery stores," he said.