WOMEN WITH TOM TURKEY PHOTO PROVIDED/AERIAL IMAGE OF MORMON RIDGE BY GARRY BRANDENBURG
Spring wild turkey hunting ends Sunday, May 18 after a long run that began on April 7. Hunters in stealthy camouflage clothing, or inside pop-up blinds, waited patiently and called seductively to see if a tom turkey would come close. It worked over 14,000 times as the statewide count as of mid week was 14,123 registrations made into the Iowa DNR reporting system. Today’s featured turkey huntress is Melissa Ream, who shot her big tom on May 8. It hit the scale at 23 pounds, had one inch long spurs and a 10-inch long beard. The aerial image shows a portion of Ream’s hunting vicinity, Mormon Ridge, and the adjacent Arney Bend Wildlife Area across the Iowa River. Forest habitats are key components for turkeys to roost, nest and search for insects and other foods.

WILD TURKEYS are a huge game bird, one of the largest. Mature tom turkeys can weigh from 20 to 24 pounds, have a wingspan of 4.5 feet and stand just under 4 feet tall.

Flight speeds once up at full speed can be 55 miles per hour. They can run on the ground at 25 mph. Their eyesight is phenomenally acute to see things and pick up potential dangers from ground or avian predators. They are a native bird of North America.

They have been successfully brought back from very low numbers to a level now sufficient to allow a regulated harvest across the State of Iowa. Hunters in the year 2023 took 11,366.

In 2024 with more favorable weather, hunters registered 14,585. Now with 2025 almost at its end point this coming Sunday, the tally is currently at 14,123 (midweek). Final numbers will be forthcoming and will be very similar to 2024.

For Native Americans, wild turkeys were just one food source. Settlers new to the east coast soon learned the same thing — this big bird had a lot of meat on its frame.

What settlers did not know then was how easily it was going to be to over hunt this species. Of course at that time, the priority of survival was more important than what seemed to be inexhaustible wildlife.

Now with modern and scientifically based wildlife management well established, the species has been brought back from very low numbers to well over seven million now. Wildlife managers in cooperation with the National Wild Turkey Federation have helped trap and reintroduce turkeys to many former habitats.

There are six subspecies of wild turkey, all native to North America. Those names are Eastern, Rio Grande, Ocellated, Merriam’s, Osceola, and Gould’s. Iowa has the Eastern.

For Iowa hunters, counties with extensive forested habitats always produce the most. Top counties in 2025 are Clayton (560), Allamakee (555), and Jackson at 413. Warren County just south of Des Moines has recorded 342 toms so far.

Every Iowa county has wild turkeys, all depending upon habitat. Low-take counties include Osceola with 8, Pocahontas at 15 and Sac with 18.

Calhoun has just 4. Marshall County is in the mid pack range with 93. Our surrounding counties are Tama (180), Poweshiek (100), Jasper (151), Story (47), Hardin (104) and Grundy (14).

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An interesting series of wildlife stories can be found on the website titled The Venatic, a well read Outdoor Newsletter for all things North America. Following are just a few samples to absorb.

The first concerns Polar Bears, a big white bear that specializes in hunting seals and walrus in arctic environments of Norway to Siberia to Alaska to northern Canada to Greenland. Every circumpolar setting is where bear populations exist. Overall the populations are doing very well, contrary to activist propaganda.

Many countries allow subsistence hunting by arctic living native peoples. Such is the case for the Inuit community of Nunavut, the northernmost lands of northern Canada.

A subsistence hunt was underway and in full accord with regulations that allow a certain number of the big white bear to be killed. The Inuit conduct the bear hunt as one part of their cornerstone culture.

The bears provide food, clothing and income from the sale of hides and also for guided hunts. An annual quota has to be adhered to.

Just in northern Canada, this polar bear population is estimated at 16,000. A small quota of off-takes will not negatively impact that population.

Then this happened. “A pair of Turkish wildlife photographers found themselves with their feet firmly planted in their mouths”, said Ryan Wilby, editor of The Venatic newsletter. “The pair posted a boisterous and uniformed video criticizing the subsistence hunters. The pair became agitated that the legal hunt had messed with their so-called righteous plans, when they were told to vacate the area for safety reasons and to respect the ongoing subsistence hunt. The photographers were barred by local outfitters from approaching the ice floe where the hunt was taking place.”

The Turkish photographers were frustrated, so they posted a video condemning the hunt as unacceptable. The local Inuit community saw the action as a misguided action like many who ignorantly oppose something they know nothing about.

It outraged the Inuit, who called the stunt an attack on their way of life. Reluctantly, the Turkish pair took down their video post, but it was ultimately judged to be a failed attempt to say we are sorry.

According to Wilby, “the incident underscores a recurring challenge: the clash between external perceptions and legally-sanctioned hunting seasons, whether for Indigenous communities or the general public. Tourists often arrive with preconceived notions about wildlife and hunting, and thus misunderstandings happen. For the Inuit people, they have to live in a tough environment, they live a life that respects nature in all of its raw reality, and then to be told by outsiders, who do not live in the Arctic, that what the Inuit are doing is wrong, does not sit well. The Inuit will decide what works for them, not outsiders.”

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Lastly, this fish and game law enforcement story is also thanks to permission granted from The Venatic web site. The case comes from Ohio and is a great credit to two Wildlife Officers, Isaiah Gifford and Matt Roberts of the Ohio DNR.

These men were awarded the prestigious Pope and Young Club’s Wildlife Law Enforcement Officer Award at the recently completed convention held in Phoenix, Ariz. Here is a rundown of the case about a large antlered buck which was illegally taken, how the investigation unfolded, and the court findings for the guilty men.

The ordeal began when a poacher named C. J. Alexander, age 28, let greed conduct his actions. The deer was illegally taken in Clinton County, Ohio.

When online postings about the deer came to the attention of other hunters and ultimately conservation officers, a search for the truth began to unravel the story line. The investigation was complex.

In the end, Alexander was charged with 23 felony charges, including illegal hunting without permission, theft by deception, hunting without a license, and tampering with evidence. Additional misdemeanor charges included falsification and illegal sale of wildlife parts. An accomplice had several misdemeanor charges filed against him for his accompanying actions in this wildlife crime.

At the Pope and Young Club convention, a video was presented by the officers to summarize the lengthy investigation, crime scene documentation, and a host of online posting and cell phone conversations and texts that implicated criminal intent. Alexander pleaded guilty to 14 counts. His penalties included a 10 year hunting license suspension, five years of community control, and a restitution payment of $35,071.73 — the highest ever for a single deer in Ohio history.

According to The Venatic newsletter web site, Officers Gifford and Roberts’ meticulous investigative work was instrumental in bringing C.J. Alexander to justice. Their efforts were supported by public tips received through Ohio’s Turn in Poacher Hotline.

Officer Gifford is a 2023 graduate of the Wildlife Officer Training Academy after graduating from Pensacola Christian College in 2019 with a degree in criminal justice. Officer Roberts is a 2005 graduate of the Wildlife Officer Training Academy.

He graduated from Hooking College in 2001 with a degree in wildlife management, and then went on to obtain another degree in 2002 in forest management. He has worked for the Ohio DNR since 2003. The work these officers accomplished helps to emphasize the importance of ethical hunting and the respect for private property rights.

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A reminder to those youth age 12 or older who want to attend a Hunter Safety Class, the date is fast approaching. May 22 (6-9 p.m.) and May 24 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) are the times for the Marshall County classroom course. The sign up is online by going to GoOutdoorsIowa.com

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Garry Brandenburg is the retired director of the Marshall County Conservation Board. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a BS degree in Fish & Wildlife Biology. Contact him at: P.O. Box 96 Albion, IA 50005