By
the early 1900's, unrestricted market hunting and drastic reductions in
habitat had eliminated wild turkeys in Iowa. For many years, the
thunderous gobbles of the wild turkey were absent from Iowa's woodlands
and forests. However, this silence was broken in 1966 when the Iowa
Department of Natural Resources initiated a program to return the wild
turkey to Iowa. Wild turkeys were released at several sites across
the state, with the first release occurring in Lee County, Iowa.
Over the past 30 years, the restoration of Iowa's wild turkey population
has resulted from natural expansion from the early release sites.
