It's very hard not to travel any remote sites in the area and not find turkeys, but wasn't always like that. I began to spend time in the woods after moving to Oklahoma in the late 1960s. I can still remember the excitement of seeing a rare glimpse of a wild turkey. It was hard to understand, with all the prime habitat that was available in the area, why turkeys weren't more prominent. It took a dedicated stance by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and others to re-establish the wild turkey to its once majestic numbers.
Few people realize just how important the wild turkey was in our country's founding history.
The opening years of the creation of our country are celebrated with the observance of Thanksgiving, of which Tom Turkey just happens to be the centerpiece. If Benjamin Franklin would have had his way, we would be paying homage to the wild turkey as our national bird instead of the bald eagle. As much as I respect the turkey, I am kind of glad Mr. Franklin lost out on that proposal. This year's Oklahoma turkey season will begin April 6 and end May 6. The limit varies depending on the county in which you're hunting, but a total of three tom turkeys can be harvested statewide as long as the county limit isn't exceeded.