Utah’s wild turkeys are a Thanksgiving comeback story

There are over 30,000 wild turkeys in Utah. Photo: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

UTAH — Utah’s landscape wasn’t always stuffed with wild turkeys. After disappearing for more than a century, biologists helped reintroduce the bird that now roams foothills and farmlands statewide.

“Based on historical and archeological evidence, it’s clear that Native Americans and turkeys coexisted in Utah,” said Heather Talley, DWR upland game coordinator. Evidence of historic turkeys include pictographs, petroglyphs, blankets made from turkey feathers, and turkey bones that have been found at places where Native Americans lived historically.

But when Europeans and early settlers arrived in Utah, there were no wild turkeys to be found in the state. No one is sure what caused the turkey disappearance, but it wasn’t until about 100 years later that turkeys were brought back to Utah.

After a failed reintroduction effort in the 1920s, a group of biologists with the Utah Department of Fish and Game (later the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources) successfully released Merriam’s wild turkeys in Utah from Colorado and Arizona in the 1950s. These transplants established populations in several southern Utah counties, and turkeys from these herds were later trapped and relocated within the state to expand their geographical range.

There are two turkey subspecies that live in Utah: Rio Grande and Merriam’s, and they hybridize in places where both subspecies exist. If you’re trying to distinguish between them, Merriam’s have whiter tail feather tips, while Rio Grandes have more tan or buff edges. Between 30,000-35,000 of these wild turkeys live throughout the state.

“Turkey populations have fluctuated in recent years, due to drought conditions for multiple years and then the severe winter conditions in 2022-23,” Talley said. Winter and spring precipitation is essential to provide optimal brood rearing conditions for turkey herds.

Turkey hunting

If you like the idea of harvesting your own locally sourced turkey, you can start planning now for next year’s Thanksgiving feast, and apply for an opportunity to hunt turkeys in Utah next spring.

The application period for the spring 2026 limited-entry turkey hunt opens at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16. You can apply online, by calling or visiting the nearest Utah Division of Wildlife Resources regional office. Applications are due by Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 11 p.m., and results of the drawing will be released by Jan. 8, 2026.