Wild turkeys can cross local roads in such a casual manner that they give the impression of indifference to cars and having always been in these parts, but Mark Ellingwood assures that this is not the case.

A Hancock resident, Ellingwood is a certified wildlife biologist and former division chief for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. He recently shared the interrupted timeline of wild turkeys in New Hampshire at the Hancock Town Library. 

“The cool thing about them is that they were here in Colonial times, then gone in the 1800s, and then we got them back,” he said. 

Ellingwood explained that the creatures were fairly plentiful here during the early settlement of the state and into the 1800s. 

“In pre-Colonial times, these parts were 90% forest. Then there was extensive land clearing for grazing animals in the 19th century,” he said, noting that this destroyed the turkeys’ food sources. Other realities also contributed to their becoming scarce, such as turkeys being prized for food.

John B. Jones, a clerk during the Civil War, wrote in his journal in 1864, “I saw a large turkey today in the market, for which $100 was demanded.”

“It’s been documented that the last wild turkey known to be in New Hampshire was in Weare in 1854,” said Ellingwood. He credits Helenette Silver, author of the 1950 volume “A History of New Hampshire Game and Furbearers” with this data.

It wasn’t until the 1960s that the notion of bringing wild turkeys back to the region occurred to people. Whether Silver’s work or the start of environmental consciousness was the catalyst isn’t clear, but Ellingwood said that fish and wildlife agencies began communicating on the issue around this time. 

“A trade was worked out,” he said. “Twenty-five wild turkeys from West Virginia would be brought here, and New Hampshire would give that state 25 fishers,” which are large weasels which that state sought.

The turkeys were captured with cannon nets, which are used with waterfowl, and brought to the Granite State.

“It didn’t take, though,” said Ellingwood, noting that it was a first attempt and the creatures didn’t find this the best habitat.

The following decade, another effort was made, bringing the same number of birds from the Allegheny National Forest in New York. The forested area likely allowed the turkeys to continue to thrive there, and in 1975, they returned to the Granite State. Their numbers dwindled a bit, but Ellingwood credits New Hampshire Fish and Game with sound management of the program.

“Now there are between 50,000 and 60,000 in the state,” he said. 

They spend most of their time on the ground, and while they’re fast runners, their natural predators include bobcats. They usually lay 12 eggs a season, but there’s a high mortality rate, as other creatures prey on their nests.

“Skunks and raccoons really like their eggs,” said Ellingwood. “They may seem indifferent to us, but they have remarkable hearing and vision, so they’re difficult to approach.”

Referring to wild turkeys as a cultural icon, in spite of over four decades in the field, Ellingwood marvels at them being restored to the Granite State.

“They were gone for 125 years, and now they’re back; it’s magical,” he said.