The big birds make comeback after nearly disappearing in 1904
It has been almost 25 years since the first wild turkeys were reintroduced to Lucas County as part of an ongoing statewide effort to bring back a healthy population of the big birds.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife was responsible for the reintroduction, which started in the 1950s in southern Ohio. The program was so successful that it extended gradually to other Ohio regions. It started here in 2000 with the Division releasing a handful of adult birds in Oak Openings Preserve Metropark.
Those birds have since extended their range and have become well-established in a number of Metroparks Toledo, including Swan Creek Preserve, Brookwood, Wildwood Preserve and Oak Openings Preserve. It’s not uncommon in the winter months to see flocks of a dozen or more birds, occasionally many more.
It took time and dedication, but their comeback is a happy milestone in a story that hit its lowest time in 1904, when it was declared that the wild turkey had disappeared from Ohio.
Wild turkeys can now be found in all 88 Ohio counties. The statewide wild turkey population is estimated to be over 150,000 birds.
