This is the fourth of four stories outlining the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife´s recently unveiled big game management plan, which includes deer, bear, moose and turkeys. Maine´s wild turkey restoration program is, without question, a model of successful wildlife management. Consider: In 1977, 41 wild turkeys from Vermont were transported here, beginning an effort that has led to turkeys living in all 16 Maine counties, a statewide population of between 50,000 and 60,000, and a resource appreciated by many hunters. But for some - especially farmers in southern counties - the word `turkey` has become a dirty word, as the birds are blamed for eating silage and crops. As state...
|
