WrightwoodCalif.com Forum
Public Forums => San Gabriel Mtns Flora - Fauna => Topic started by: mrc on Sep 30, 10, 07:30:21 PM
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Last Saturday morning I saw what appeared to be 3 wild turkeys lumbering across Highway 2 near Mountaineer Progress office. Has anyone else seen any?
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Had you drank any before you saw them? ;D
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Bump
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I was recently at Appletree Campground on Big Pines highway with a fellow worker when we heard a turkey up in the canyon. We went out looking for it up in the trees but were unable to locate the bird that was gobbling. I have been informed by several people who used to work for a different agency that these birds were introduced in our local mountains in the past. If anyone has a wild turkey sighting in or around the village they should post it here.
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I have never heard any locally but know they do have them at Lake Silverwood. Many years ago a friend of mine and I went to Miller Canyon on 138 and used a turkey call and two came out of the hills. I was also under the understanding they had been introduced there but have never heard of it here.
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The following information was mentioned in the April 2012 edition of the Big Pines Volunteer's Newletter in the article: "Big Pines History...The Last Outpost":
In 1933 "Joe", a LA County Ranger who lived alone in a cabin down in Prarie Fork, was raisning wild turkeys for the CDFG. At first they were being raised in pens, but then with approval of the Fish and Game they were turned loose, thinking they'd take to the hills and would provide for a good turkey hunt for people at a later date. State officials rubbed their hands together in anticipation of having extra cash flow from the purchases of special hunting tags that these wild turkeys would bring in.
Joe's idea about turkeys was an excellent one; after all, they were a lot better tasting than quail. There was one small problem. Most of the turkeys were caught and eaten by predatory animals in the area. Others fell to the guns of poachers and the "Turkey Project" went down the drain.
Of course, although that was 80 years ago, it is very possible that ancestors of those birds still populate our forest. It is also possible that newer generations have been more recently released by individuals into our forest. Either way, one way or another, it appears we DO have wild turkey in our neck of the woods. And I don't mean the wild turkey found at Chuck's bar at the Blue Ridge Restuarant. ;D
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My husband worked on the Seven Oaks Dam Project and he always came home with new stories of crossing paths with all the different wild life that inhabited the area. While he was there he saw lots of wild turkeys, bobcats, deer, bear and the usual. He was told stories about herds of wild boar (I just laughed) but never seen any. Several years ago, a wild boar found himself trapped in someone's backyard over in the Loma Linda, San Timoteo area. The news covered it live, just like a car chase!
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There are wild boar in the Angeles National Forest. We've had many reports from hunters.
How about porcupines? Some say yes, some say no. If anybody see one, please report it. Todd Cook's dogs, Sierra and Merced, found out the hard way there are porcupines in his new USFS assignment in Washington state. They both required anaesthesia to remove the quills. OUCH!
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What about badgers? I'm 90% sure I saw one on Kenwood Rd near the 15 once.
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I saw a badger in Simi Valley (in the bushes at a gas station!) so if they are in Simi they are probably in WW too.
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:offtopic:
American Badger (Taxidea taxus) Lone Pine Canyon
http://www.socalcamping.com/fieldguide/mammal/americanbadger.html
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::) Well yeah I suppose talking about a badger in Simi Valley could be considered off-topic. :-*
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Got a report of 3 turkeys on blue ridge rd, Hopefully there are more would love to have a healthy local population of turkeys to enjoy
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There are a WHOLE lot more turkeys than that on Blue Ridge Road during hunting season. ;D
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Thanks Big Pines for your report on the sighting of wild turkeys on Blue Ridge road. I recently learned from Captain 38 (Big Pines Fire Station) that he has routinely seen turkeys and tracks in the Ball Flat area.
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There are a WHOLE lot more turkeys than that on Blue Ridge Road during hunting season. ;D
Are those turkey's toting guns?
(http://images.clipartof.com/small/1086519-Clipart-Turkey-Pilgrim-Hunting-Royalty-Free-Vector-Illustration.jpg)
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Bump
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I had a very reliable source report that several wild turkeys we observed on the Blue Ridge Trail just below the Blue Ridge Campground within the last week.
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I wonder where they go in the winter?
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They probably follow the migration path of the Big Horned Sheep and move down to the lower elevations into the wilderness in the winter. Turkeys like open space and meadows and often are found in clusters of Oak Trees. The Forest Service fuels thinning project that was carried out last year on Blue Ridge may have created an ideal habitat for the turkey's.
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Bad Facebook habit -- I keep looking around for the"Like" button on helpful posts like yours!