Native turkeys got help to prosper in Vermont

November 27, 2025 | By Vermont Fish & Wildlife 

Wild gobblers. Vermont Fish & Wildlife photo by John Hall

One of our native wildlife species historically played an important role on Thanksgiving Day. North America’s native wild turkeys were the ancestors of the Thanksgiving turkey on our dinner table. 

Originally found only in the wild, turkeys now exist as meat-producing domesticated varieties – the broad-breasted white, broad-breasted bronze, white Holland, bourbon red, and a host of other breeds – all of them descended from our native wild turkey. 

More than 140,000 servings of Vermont wild turkeys are harvested each year – that’s 140,000 servings of free-ranging, wild and sustainably harvested protein. 

Wild turkeys exist throughout Vermont today, but that was not always the case.  Wild turkeys disappeared from Vermont in the mid-to-late 1800s due to habitat destruction when land was cleared for farming and only 25% of the state was covered by forest.

Wild turkeys in Starksboro. Vermont Fish & Wildlife photo

In 1969 and 1970, when Vermont's forest habitat was once again capable of supporting turkeys, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department released 31 wild turkeys in the southwest corner of the state. This initial population expanded rapidly, and by 1973, the population was estimated at more than 600 turkeys!

State biologists then carefully moved groups of these birds northward, leading to the population throughout the state today that’s estimated at close to 50,000.

This Thanksgiving, we’re reminded of the conservation success story of the wild turkey, just one of many wildlife restoration feats we’re grateful for in 2025.

Funding for Vermont’s wild turkey restoration was derived from the sale of hunting licenses and a federal tax on hunting equipment.