Has anybody else in the Eugene area noticed a large increase in Wild Turkey
numbers over the past couple of years? I don't recall seeing many of them
around prior to the 2011 or so. I vaguely recall seeing some around
Hendrick's Park maybe five years ago, then on Skinner Butte a year or two
ago and, more recently, in my relatively urban neighborhood in North Eugene
over the past year and a half. I've seen a eight or so walking down the
sidewalk along Cal Young Road in broad daylight and had good dozen in my
culdesac back in September. During yesterday's Eugene CBC, my count area
had 76 of them. (These were in hazelnut orchards and lightly wooded fields
between the Oak Hill Cemetery and Clear Lake Road.)
Most of the ones that I saw yesterday were relatively skinny and appeared
to be feral, though perhaps some of the urban-dwellers are being raised on
private property. It would make sense that introduced Wild Turkeys would
prosper in our climate, though it seems a bit odd that they would become so
conspicuous so quickly.
Brandon
Eugene
