8
Article and Photos by RUSSELL A. GRAVES My passion for Rio Grande turkey hunting started on an arrowhead-shaped wheat field along the redrock breaks of the Pease River in northwest Texas. Surrounded by gnarled honey mesquite and rough-barked juniper, the field offers ample cover for wildlife to move up from the river bottom and feed along the field s edges. Rising tall against the shorter shrubbery that grows thick in this part of Texas, cottonwood leaves shimmer with each puff of the soft Panhandle wind. The cottonwoods are an important part of the turkey habitat puzzle. Turkeys spend most of their time as ground dwellers. Foraging and nesting take place terrestrially but, like domestic poultry, they roost up high and away from predators such as skunks, coyotes, bobcats and raccoons. Therefore, in areas where trees taller than 10 feet often are the exception, riparian areas that have a sufficient water table to help push trees like the cottonwood tall into the cobalt sky make excellent Rio Grande turkey country. Turkey country is where I want to be when spring days warm. I m not alone in my love of spring turkey hunting. More than 80,000 Texans join me in the field each spring. With the everexpanding range of the Rio Grande turkey, spring turkey hunting is an exciting way to extend a year s hunting season a few more weeks. A NEW SPECIES IS DISCOVERED The Rio Grande is actually one of three subspecies of wild turkey found in Texas. Aside from the Eastern found in the east Texas hardwoods and the Merriam at home in the Texas mountains, the Rio Grande is the most widespread and ultimately, the de facto turkey of Texas. Found in a wide swath from the Rio Grande River all the way to the extreme northeastern Texas Panhandle, the Rio Grande turkey is a subspecies that shows a WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG 9
propensity for sticking close to water sources where big, mature roost trees grow. A preference for habitat that helped influence the bird s name. As ubiquitous as the Rio Grande turkey is, however, its official scientific discovery is fairly recent. I called attention to the probable distinctness of the Turkey found on the lower Rio Grande in Texas, but hesitated to characterize it for lack of specimens. Since that time I have obtained a fair series of both sexes which convinces me that the bird of this region represents a well-marked subspecies, wrote naturalist George B. Sennett in 1892. The range or habitat of this race, so far as known at the present time, is restricted to the lowlands of eastern Mexico and southern Texas, he wrote. It will probably not be found south of Vera Cruz, nor is it likely to be met with to the north beyond the Brazos River of Texas, its range being thus restricted within about ten degrees of latitude. Wherever timber and food are in abundance, we find this new form common to the coast and lowlands. With that, Sennett named his newly discovered subspecies the Rio Grande Turkey. His description discusses the various physical characteristics that delineate the Rio Grande from the other turkey subspecies. Namely, the different coloration of the bar that runs across the extreme tip of the tail feathers. Aside from that, he noted the vibrancy of the male s feathers, the fact that hens are more dull-colored than males and all the other small physical details that separates the Rio Grande from others of the same species. Like other turkeys, Rio Grande males have prominent follicles that grow from the center of the chest called a beard. Females sometimes have beards, but they are relatively rare. Additionally, adult gobblers weigh around 20 pounds and grow to just over three feet tall. Hens are smaller about 10 pounds and get about two and a half feet tall. Their large frame serves them well as the Rio Grande is a far-ranging turkey. Rio Grande turkeys require a mixture of habitat that includes wooded and open areas. They roost in tall hardwood trees with broad limbs like cottonwoods and live oak with general open areas around it so they have plenty of room to take off and land when entering or exiting their roost site. According to Texas A&M University, their range in the Rolling Plains varies between 2,400 and 5,900 acres, whereas their range in the Edwards Plateau varies from 3,800 to 6,600 acres. While Rio Grande turkey populations are stable now, it hasn t always been that way. A hundred years ago, unregulated hunting and habitat changes led to the demise of most of Texas s turkeys. Eastern wild turkeys were all but extirpated, and Rio Grande turkeys slipped to less than one-fifth of what they are today. At their low point, the 10
numbers declined to about 100,000 birds. In late years, before the advent of restocking by the Texas Game, Fish and Oyster Commission, explains the 1945 book Principal Game Bird and Mammals of Texas, wild turkeys were confined to the southeastern Texas, along the lower reaches of the Neches and Sabine River, the Edwards Plateau or Hill Country centering around Kerr County, and in lower southern Texas principally in the counties of Kenedy, Kleberg and Brooks. When the book was released, modern wildlife management was in its infancy and aggressive trapping and restocking programs were commencing. Upland game birds like Rio Grandes have generally done better since 1945, due largely to restocking efforts and habitat management. The marriage of private landowners and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has been positive for turkeys, just as it has been for large game. At first, restocking was an inexact science Rio Grande turkeys were often introduced in unsuitable habitat. But that was then Learning and adapting from lessons of the past, now Rio Grande turkeys are widespread over much of the western twothirds of the state, where suitable habitat components like tall roost trees exist. That s a far cry from the Hill Country concentration of turkeys back in the 1940s. MODERN RESTORATION EFFORTS Even today, restoration efforts are still underway to expand the Rio Grande turkeys range into pockets where the bird doesn t exist. In South Texas s Cameron County, interested sportsmen who make up the conservation group Las Huellas (The Footprints) are working hard to make sure the bird thrives in their part of Texas. The Las Huellas Association serves as an advocate for the benefit of South Texas wildlife and for the rights of South Texas wildlife managers, landowners and sportsmen in educational and wildlife habitat-related arenas. According to its website, members are dedicated to educating people of all ages, especially the youth of South Texas, about the conservation, management and enhancement of wildlife and wildlife habitat to ensure the preservation of our cherished resources for future generations. To date they have dedicated $490,000 to fulfilling their mission to their community in addition to re-establishing turkeys in their former haunts. We ve had about 10 releases over the years, averaging about 25 birds per release, said Robert Cackley, president of Las Huellas. We started releasing birds near the coast in eastern Cameron County and have released all the way thru and are now working the western side of Cameron County. Cackleysaid the birds are doing well and populations are growing. He said that farmers and birders send in pictures each summer of poults running around their properties which shows the birds are reproducing. The Rio Grande turkeys have come from all over the state and ranchers have been very generous in donating turkey to repopulate or reintroduce to Cameron County, said Cackley. This project has exceeded our expectations and has been very successful. WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG 11
KNOW YOUR TURKEYS Ask any Rio Grande turkey hunter about the sport and he or she will wax eloquent. Turkey hunting fulfills many senses, from the tactile to the cerebral it s a complete sport. Therefore, it s no wonder people are so crazy about chasing the big birds. But how much do you know about Rios? The wild turkey stands out among Texas game birds because of the way the males spread their feathers during the animated spring mating strut, its naked head and its large size. As you might expect, turkeys have many distinctive parts that aren t found on other birds. In addition, descriptions of the birds even carry their own nomenclature. Here s a rundown: Gobbler Male turkeys are called by various names, including gobbler, tom and longbeard. Hen A hen is a full-grown female turkey. Hens generally are smaller than gobblers and appear brown, while gobblers look black. Jake Jakes are immature males. Although similar in appearance to mature gobblers, jakes, when strutting, have middle tail feathers that are longer than the others in the tail fan. Jenny An immature hen. Spurs Both sexes have spurs, although on females, the keratinized appendages are no more than small buttons protruding from the back of the leg a few inches above the foot. On males, spurs serve as a way to fend off other males when they spar for dominance when gathering a harem of hens. Spurs grow at the rate of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch a year and usually top off at about an inch and a half at four years of age. Fan A turkey s fan is a prominent feature you ll see when a tom struts. Made up of 18 tail feathers 12 to 15 inches long, toms display the fans to attract females during the breeding season. In jakes, the middle tail feathers are longer than the rest of the tail feathers, but adult males have uniform tail feathers. The tail feathers that make up the fan also aid in identifying the subspecies of turkey. On Eastern wild turkeys, brown tips the tail feathers while the tips of Rio Grande turkeys tails are buffcolored. Beard Hanging down anywhere from an inch to more than 10 inches from a tom s chest, the beard is actually a modified feather, even though it appears to be part of the turkey s skin. The beard is coarse like a horse tail and grows three to five inches a year. A three-year-old bird would possibly have a nine-inch beard, and beards over 11 inches are rare. Snood The snood is a fleshy appendage that attaches just above the beak. When the tom relaxes, the snood is short maybe half an inch long. When the tom struts, the snood engorges with blood and extends to hang down over the beak. According to the National Wild Turkey Federation, the snood has no known function. Caruncles On both the sexes, the caruncles are fleshy, bulbous bumps that grow over the head and neck. Even though they are less pronounced on females, the caruncles on a male turkey grow large and are especially pronounced on the lower portion of the neck. Usually pale in color, the caruncles engorge with blood and turn to bright red when the turkey struts or becomes aggressive. Dewlap Connecting the neck to the head just under the beak, the dewlap is present on both males and females but is more prominent on males. Like the caruncles and snood, the dewlap turns bright red when the tom gets excited. Wing Feathers When a turkey flies, the wing feathers push an enormous amount of air to lift the heavy birds. While strutting, the tom drags his wing feathers on the ground as he puffs out his breast feathers and fans his tail. Savvy turkey hunters can read the tracks and see the drag marks from where a turkey s been strutting and know if there are males in the area. When toms drag their wing feathers, the tips become worn and frayed. Eyes and Ears The eyes and ears of a turkey make it one of the toughest of all Texas game animals. Their vision is the keenest among all Texas game animals and they are especially astute at pinpointing movement. The turkey s ears are simply small holes found just behind the eyes. Although no ear flap funnels sound, wild turkeys can still hone in on noises from a mile away. Some contend that if wild turkeys could smell, they d be nearly impossible to hunt. 12