Wild turkeys are fascinating critters, powerful birds that can run 12 miles per hour, and fly from 40 to 55 miles per hour. The wild turkey's keen eyesight and wary nature make him a challenging adversary to hunt. And many hunters enjoy calling to prey that calls right back.

Wild turkeys were historically common in New York State, perhaps even predating human inhabitants here. Once the European settlers arrived, clearing land and hunting turkeys year 'round, turkey numbers dwindled. Wild turkeys disappeared from the state completely by the mid-1840s. It was not until farming became less common and farm fields grew back into brush and woodland around 1948 that one small band of wild turkeys deigned to cross back into western New York from Pennsylvania.

The return of suitable wild turkey habitat, and that one small band of wild turkeys from Pennsylvania, stirred interest in restoring the species statewide. In 1952, a state pheasant farm was converted to raise turkeys -- producing more than 3,000 birds to be released over the next eight years. Pen-raised birds weren't wild enough to survive predation and the weather, and failed to thrive.

Meanwhile, however, the Pennsylvania flock in southwestern New York had grown to a good-sized breeding population and was expanding successfully. By 1959, the New York State Conservation Department (the New York Department of Environmental Conservation's predecessor) had begun to trap these wild birds and release them in other regions of the state.

Since the first birds were trapped in Allegany State Park in 1959, about 1,400 wild turkeys have been relocated. Wild turkeys have now been successfully established in every part of the state, and have even been seen in New York City's Central Park!

The population has grown enough so that there are birds to share. New York State's wild turkeys have been relocated to help establish successful breeding populations in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and the Province of Ontario.

New York's first modern wild turkey season was held during the fall of 1959. The first spring season wasn't opened until 1968.

Regulations have changed many times since 1959. Currently, all 55 counties north of the Bronx-Westchester County line are open for spring and fall wild turkey hunting. Turkey numbers continue to rise; the number of birds harvested annually has increased dramatically over the past 15 years.

For the past 50 years, the DEC has concentrated on restoration of the wild turkey population. Now, with a well-established population, their focus is turning toward development of a long-range management plan for this popular game bird.

Data is collected annually to monitor wild turkey numbers, but it takes from three to five years' worth of data to identify population trends within the species. Data collection tools include the Turkey Hunter Pressure Survey, which provides estimates of the total harvest, the number of hunters and the number of days of hunting pressure in various regions of the state. Each year, about 12,000 randomly selected turkey permit holders are surveyed.

Additional information is gathered in a number of ways. Any hunter who takes a turkey is required to report the harvest to the DEC.