Gould’s wild turkeys were native to southeastern Arizona’s mountain ranges but were extirpated by the 1920s. The international cooperative effort to reestablish Gould's turkeys in Arizona started in 1977 and has involved several partners including the governments of Mexico and Arizona, the Comisión de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable del Estado de Sonora (CEDES), the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Coronado National Forest, the U.S. Army Fort Huachuca, and volunteers and landowners on both sides of the border.
Gould's turkey reintroduction efforts began in 1983, when the first nine turkeys originally captured in Mexico were released into the Huachuca Mountains. Species releases continued every few years until 2006. These core populations established with birds from Mexico were then used to repopulate suitable habitat throughout their former range. Post-release population and habitat management activities continue to be implemented, guided by interagency meetings twice annually.
Today, healthy Gould’s turkey populations are found in all of southeastern Arizona’s mountain ranges, which provide wildlife watching and hunting opportunities for the public. Additionally, Gould’s turkey populations were sufficiently high to allow translocations from Arizona to New Mexico to help repatriation in that state.
By the Numbers:
Between 1983 and 2006 approximately 250 Gould’s wild turkeys were captured in Mexico and imported to Arizona to contribute to the species’ restoration effort.
In 2003, Arizona offered the first Gould’s turkey hunt permit since their extirpation.