The successful restoration of wild turkey in Michigan created a fun outdoor game for Dash Pilon, 11, and Preston Pilon, 13, brothers living with their parents in a Lower Peninsula suburban area.
When a flock of approximately 20 wild turkeys began visiting the brothers’ residence, they would chase them out of the family garden.
“I think turkeys are pretty cool-looking, and I like to watch them when they visit,” Dash said. “My family likes to watch them too, except when they get in the garden and walk all over everything. That’s when our game starts.”
The brothers are lucky to be living in a time when they can enjoy frequent visits from the unique birds.
That wasn’t always the case in Michigan.
Conservationists achieve a dramatic turnaround
From the early 1900s to the 1950s, the wild turkey had all but disappeared from Michigan. Unregulated hunting and the degradation of its habitat were the culprits.
“Thanks to a massive conservation effort over the last 70 years, there are now more than 200,000 of the birds found in every corner of the state,” said Nick Buggia, chair of the Michigan Wildlife Council, created in 2013 to build awareness about the importance of wildlife management and conservation in preserving Michigan’s outdoor heritage.
In the 1950s, the Michigan Department of Conservation (now the Department of Natural Resources, or DNR) purchased 50 wild turkeys from Pennsylvania and released them in West Michigan.
Today, they’re back. Michigan is No. 8 in the nation for its wild turkey population, and the birds are found even in suburban areas that have undeveloped land.
In fact, the numbers have increased to the point where hunting is allowed. The state’s spring turkey season is open in every county in the state, and fall hunts are offered in some areas of Michigan prior to Thanksgiving.
“The restoration of the wild turkey in Michigan is one of our greatest conservation success stories,” Buggia said.
Hunting and fishing fund conservation
Hunting license sales directly provide much-needed revenue to fund wild turkey management efforts now and into the future.
Michigan’s hunters and anglers — not state tax dollars — are the primary source of conservation funding for the Great Lakes State. Licenses purchased by hunters and anglers generated an estimated $65.5 million for the Michigan Game and Fish Protection Fund in 2021. The fund is the DNR’s largest revenue source and is critical to its conservation work.
Conservation activities keep animal populations in balance, protect Michigan waters from habitat degradation and invasive species, safeguard the state’s forests to provide habitats for thousands of wildlife species and reduce the risk of wildfires and flooding.
Buggia said that all Michiganders benefit from these funds through better access to public lands, improved soil and water quality, habitat restoration and management, fish and wildlife research, boat launch and trail construction and many other projects.
The economic benefits
Along with conservation, hunting and fishing are significant economic drivers for our state.
Combined, they generate $11.2 billion for Michigan’s economy every year and support 171,000 jobs, according to a 2019 study released by the Michigan United Conservation Clubs in partnership with Michigan State University.
Dash and Preston said they’ve been learning a lot about wild turkeys since the birds wandered into their lives — like how they can fly at speeds of up to 55 mph and they’re social animals who like to be around each other.
They also learned the turkey they eat is the domesticated version of the birds that visit them.
This Thanksgiving, as Dash, Preston and their family sit down for their meal, the boys know something they’ll be thankful for — the wild turkey and the conservation efforts that keep them thriving in Michigan.