Natural History Wanderings

Bay Nature  reports

The California Department of Fish & Game made the change in response to a sizable growth in the population of wild turkey, a species first introduced to California in 1877 as game for hunters. Paradoxically, hunters are now seen as part of the solution to keeping wild turkey numbers in check.

Too many turkeys can be a stress on the local acorn crop and they can out-compete ground-nesting and grassland birds. They also make a nuisance of themselves by damaging gardens, defecating on sidewalks and harassing people for food. Wild turkeys can reach 20 pounds and become quite aggressive, occasionally even charging people.

Read more at Keeping wild turkeys in check > Bay Nature