The wild turkey is a popular North Dakota game bird. It may be surprising to learn that they are not native to the state. Once they arrived, they found everything they needed to thrive. They found trees for roosting and grasses and shrubs for nesting. North Dakota’s plants attract insects for hungry chicks, and in winter there’s food provided by waste agricultural grain and by garden leftovers. In short, turkeys have everything they need.
The question arises: if turkeys are not native to North Dakota, how did they get here? The credit goes to Pete Volk and Vic Carufel, two gentlemen from Bismarck. After a year of negotiations and what Volk called “old-fashioned horse trading,” the deal was finalized. The board of a game management program in Texas that raised the turkeys wanted to get something in return.
Enter the Izaak Walton League, a national conservation organization with a chapter in North Dakota. The League helped arrange the purchase of fifty big horn sheep from the Randolph Hearst Ranch in California. Texas would get fifteen of the sheep. In exchange, North Dakota would get thirty-two turkeys and the rest of the sheep.
With negotiations completed, Volk and Carufel drove to Texas with a trailer. Along with the manager of the wildlife program, they hoisted a net up on poles and waited for the turkeys. As the birds moved towards the feeding ground, the men dropped the net, trapping the turkeys.
All that was left was get them to North Dakota. Volk and Carufel took turns driving nonstop to get them to the release point quickly. On this date in 1955, the Texas turkeys were enjoying their first full week of freedom in North Dakota.
Today, the turkey is second only to deer as the state’s the most popular quarry. The National Wild Turkey Foundation applauds the state’s conservation efforts and calls North Dakota a fine hunting destination.
So, whether you find the turkeys an asset, or a nuisance, you can credit two guys from Bismarck who drove day and night to bring them to the state.
Dakota Datebook by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Bismarck Tribune. “Wildlife Group Adds 24 Turkeys to State.” Bismarck ND. 2/1/1955. Page 7.
- North Dakota Game and Fish. “Wild Turkey in North Dakota.” https://gf.nd.gov/wildlife-notes/wild-turkey-north-dakota Accessed 12/20/2023.
- National Wild Turkey Federation. “About Us.” https://www.nwtf.org/chapters/north-dakota-state-nd Accessed 12/20/2023.
- Almanac. “The Wild Turkey: The History of an All-American Bird.” https://www.almanac.com/wild-turkey-history-all-american-bird Accessed 12/20/2023.
- Izaak Walton League. “About Us.” https://www.iwla.org/ Accessed 12/20/2023.
