Brookings County Longbeards photo Josh McClain and Al Kurtenbach release wild gobblers on land near the Big Sioux River. The birds were released near the Brookings-Moody county line in 2007.
BY: Mike Kervin, Brookings County Longbeards
If South Dakota’s wild turkeys could speak, they’d probably be saying , “Move over, little cousin we’re struttin’ through.”
Of course, the little cousin would be the famous ringneck pheasant.
However, as most outdoorsmen and women know, the bird that generates so much publicity is actually an immigrant from China, while the wild turkey is indigenous to North America.
So it’s just possible that all that publicity given to the ringneck might literally ruffle the feathers of the homegrown turkey.
A local group is looking to change all that by cranking up the publicity for the native fowl best known for its role in Thanksgiving.
The Brookings Longbeards is a group of enthusiasts working to improve turkey habitat and population , and they’re holding their annual banquet a turkey dinner, so to speak next weekend. Banquet Oct. 30
The Brookings Longbeards Hunting Heritage Banquet will be held Friday, Oct. 30, at the Days Inn Convention Center. This will be the last banquet of the season, and organizers say the Longbeards have put together a banquet that will please the whole family.
You don’t have to be a turkey hunter or any type of hunter to attend the banquet everyone who supports the hunting heritage is welcome . Raising funds for the birds
The point of the evening, besides the fellowship of sportsmen and women, will be to raise money for turkey habitat and for general support of the creature in eastern South Dakota, something the Longbeards have worked hard at for years.
Wild turkeys in South Dakota have a strong history, and with help from the Longbeards and other wildlife groups, the birds have greatly expanded their range and numbers over the past 15 years. $279 million on habitat
The Longbeards and 29 other chapters across the state support the South Dakota Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, which has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on habitat improvements , research, restoration, education , land purchases and conservation easements in the state, while working with the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks.
The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) is an organization of more than a half-million members, and since its founding has spent $279 million on conservation. Since 1985, more than $660,000 has been raised and invested by the South Dakota NWTF Chapter for state projects. The state group has 5,000 members that make up its 30 chapters.
Some of those funds have been used to support local projects, and the group is currently reviewing a proposal to support a turkey habitat project in northeast Brookings County near Lake Hendricks.
The Longbeards have continued to assist with the release of wild turkeys and for more than a dozen years have hosted the annual Hunting Heritage Banquet fundraiser. Spreading the word
The 18-member group also provides educational programs for local schools and guest instructors for Oakwood Lakes State Park programs and for other organizations in the area.
Funds raised locally go into the South Dakota NWTF Super Fund; a special board manages those funds with a goal of maintaining a strong hunting heritage in South Dakota.
In the Brookings County area, there have been two releases of wild turkeys in the past decade one at Oakwood in 2000 and one in 2007 near the Big Sioux River, south of Brookings near the county line.
Twenty-eight birds from Pennsylvania paid for in part by the state turkey federation and GF&P were released two years ago. Those releases and a few birds that may have migrated in from the north or across the Minnesota state line have increased the local population enough to prompt GF&P to open up both fall and spring wild turkey seasons in Brookings County. 100 tags offered locally
Most recently, there were 100 tags offered for the current 2009 season.
GF&P’s Wildlife Division reports that in 1995, there were approximately 16,000 wild turkeys in the state, primarily in the Black Hills, while the 2007 estimate reached 72,000 wild birds statewide
That’s an increase of 56,000 birds in only a dozen years.
In addition to the turkey releases, another reason for the population spike is the work of the GF&P and the South Dakota NWTF to increase and improve habitat for the birds.
Sportsmen looking for hunting opportunities should note the number of tags offered in 1995 was only 8,950. By 2007, the GF&P increased the number of tags to 31,393 for the Black Hills and prairie regions, a jump of over 22,400 hunting opportunities for what enthusiasts call “the grandest of all game birds.”
Sportsmen who brush up on the pheasant’s larger cousin it can weigh well over 20 pounds would learn there are four subspecies of wild turkeys in good numbers in the continental United States; the Eastern, Rio Grande, Merriam and Osceola. Turkey hunting enthusiasts seek to harvest one of each to collect what is termed the “Grand Slam of Turkey Hunting.” ‘South Dakota Slam’
The Rushmore State has its own “South Dakota Slam,” due to the fact that it is one of very few states to have three of the four subspecies available within its borders. (The Osceola subspecies is native to and is found only in Florida, which excludes it from the South Dakota Slam.)
Hunters who chase this bird will typically attempt to call the gobbler to within 25 yards or less for an easy, clean shot with a shotgun or arrow.
Modern technology has added decoys, blinds, hundreds of different types of calls, electronic range finders, aiming aids and such to their arsenal, but if you ask a respected turkey hunter, you will probably learn that they pass on most modern gadgets, preferring to hunt using only their skills against those of the big, wily bird. It ain’t easy!
Bagging a wild turkey is not easy. Turkey hunt ing is a little like rolling many hunting sports into one: You have to use precision calling; be camouflaged from head to toe to beat the birds’ fantastic eyesight; and sit still and patiently to put the meat, which tastes better than any shrinkwrapped butterball anywhere, on the table.
The local Longbeards, many of whom have no doubt mastered those skills, are hoping to teach others a little bit more about their favorite bird, raise some money to increase its presence in the state and eventually expand hunting of the creature with next week’s banquet.
There will be raffles, games, auctions, prizes, and a whole lot of fun. Tickets may be purchased at The Exchange, Gas N’ Mor or by contacting local chairman Mike Kervin at 692-9121 .
If you are thinking of attending, make sure you get your tickets before Oct. 30 to be eligible for free raffle tickets the night of the banquet.
So, “move over little cousin ” the big bird is struttin’ through” with help of the friends of the Brookings Longbeards.