Turkey stocking?

I have a lease in south tx and for some reason the rio turkeys range seems to stop about 50 miles west of me and 5 miles north of me. Its very rare to see one around our place and I was wondering if anyone knew of anyone that raised and sold Rio's or possibly a state program to try and stock some? didn't know all the legalities of it though. Curios for any input.

State has to stock them. NWTF and TPWD is who you need to talk to... but if theres a chance to restock turkeys they are either trying or have already tried.. lots of effort trying to restock Easterns along the Trinity last 10 years... not doing so well either.. if you use to have turkey and now they are gone there is a reason and its hard to bring a bird with such a poor turnover rate back to an area.... imo

We can furnish them for you and would be glad to do so. They are nothing but a pain in the kazoo in my opinion.

It's illegal to release pen raised wild turkeys into the wild due to disease and lack of survival skills, but TPWD does have a program for trapping rios where they are plentiful and releasing them on another property although I believe the minimum acreage is 2000. I've you don't already have that them perhaps you can start a coop with your neighbors. Here is a link with info... TTT Permit Information

I will say that earlier this year, I saw the first wild turkey on our land that I have ever seen. I called and talked to the game wardenand he said that TPWD biologist had stocked the area about 2-3 yrs ago and he asked where I had seen the bird so he could report the sighting to the biologists. Hopefully they will take hold and the population will increase and we can have turkey season in our county again.

I've never asked about the birds released in 2007 on the Lower Trinity, but I do know according to Jason Hardin there is actually a small flock of about 45-50+ birds that's been holding that population for years along the upper Trinity river in eastern Navarro county actually which I never would've guessed. I know there are now rios in western Navarro.

Besides the lower Trinity release site, there were 3 more sites in 2007/8 in Nacogdoches, Montgomery, and Anderson counties, and I know the birds at the Anderson county site are doing well and steady spreading as I always check with the biologist and SFA grad student who work with those birds on a regular basis so I can share the news with my NWTF committee members and those interested in the eastern turkey. The birds from the 2014 Anderson/Henderson county release sites are doing well also. The Trinity county release site from earlier this year was incomplete, but of the 40+ birds released they still had a fair hatch this spring in spite all the early flooding.

This winter will be Anderson, Cherokee, Angelina and the continuation of the Trinity county coop for a total of 280 birds released in these counties. I'm excited and can't wait to get up for the Anderson county release come late winter/early spring.

Bull, What county are you in?

I live in Freestone County and I hunt on the Freestone/Leon county line.

The 2007 Lower Trinity Co-op release was on the Leon/Houston county line and the 2014 release in western Anderson county had two release sites where 160 birds were released between the two. You're not too far from the Anderson or Leon/Houston sites, so you'll probably start to see more in the coming years.

Well man if they're that bad let us give you a few bucks to bring some kids out there and thin them out for ya...lol

I was surprised to see the one I did. Our family has owned the land for years and it is the first turkey that I have ever seen on the property.

I had TTT release on birds in the Hill Country. A lot of South Texas is not the best habitat. What kind of roosting trees do you have? Creek drainages or river drainage? How much open to brush cover do you have? How much water do you have?

Our property is mostly heavily wooded with hardwood (alot of oak) and cedar. There is alot of the land that has heavy undergrowth and brambles. There are 2 tanks that hold water year round and another tank that drains during the summer. We have a creek that stays wet most of the year. It dried up in a few spots after this last summer's dry spell. But there is still a large section that holds water.

I noticed while sitting in the yearly meetings the Anderson birds were turning over much better than any. I was over one of the ranches that had the release done. The birds had no issues surviving and for good amount of years at that.. some years were better than others but poults were few and far between.. they also had no trouble surviving after they were up and moving well. The main issue I saw was getting them hatched.. anything and everything will rob those nest.. still was a really cool sight to be able to watch turkeys close to home. Hope they hit a stride but I still think Rios would be the best choice to introduce they seem to figure out and adapt to the terrain better.. I know the whole point of it though was to get easterns back were they use to roam

The birds your talking about is it the flock on the lake?

You're talking about one of the ranches at the co-op at Bobcat Ridge? Wasn't able to be at that release, but birds from that release have migrated up to northeastern Anderson county along the Neches as we've heard them before they started with any of the recent releases. I heard while they were trapping out there last winter one of the biologist did a yelp call and the entire neches river bottom where they were trapping lit up with gobbles...sounded like rios in rio country. I've only participated with the Gus Enling release/research, but will also get to participate in one of the releases taking place in Anderson county on a ranch that belongs to a member of this forum.It's a dream come true for him and I'm just as excited since our properties are only a few miles a part. Although I've been fortunate to harvest an eastern on the National forest the past two springs it will be nice to be able to see and harvest them on our own place.

No sir I was further south.

Oh ok...Bobcat Ridge (Neches River Co-op)in southeast Anderson county is the furthest south in Anderson county that I was aware of. Either way, I'm glad they're doing well in that area. Anderson/Cherokee up near Alto won't be too far from there when it takes place this winter...

This was in Houston Co. Im not sure if they did one last year this stock took place in 07ish I believe

Oh okay. I believe you're right as far as the last release taking place in 07 out there. Only recent releases have been in Anderson, Rusk and Trinity counties over the past couple of years. From what I've heard those birds weren't doing real bad either. I've been hearing from a few members on this forum who's been seeing lots of turkey in eastern Houston county not far from the Neches.

I have been seeing them in Montgomery County for three years in a row.

Cool...those are probably birds from the Lake Creek release in 2008. I wish they start doing more releases on parts of the Sam Houston natl forest. There's one scheduled for Angelina this winter...

Your right on, Lake Creek.

I hunt on the property directly south of Bobcat Ridge and we have a couple different groups of Turkeys on our place one group of 8 and a group of 3-4. We have been seeing them regualary for the last 2-3 years.

That's cool! Always neat to get reports from that area. There's been reports of birds over 11 miles to the south of there and nearly twice as far to the north of there. Those birds have been expanding in habitat along the neches river to the north and south of the original release site. I hope they keep a steady pace and become more numerous in the next 5 - 10 years.