With very limited funds, and no fund raising once again, there wasn’t much we could do as far as feeding, so if you had a good spring turkey season in Area J, consider yourself very lucky. You may not see that much more often again up here as once again we have no meetings, fund raisers, events, or winter turkey feeding scheduled, and it appears that the Chapter, for all points and purposes, no longer exists.
Our former chapter president Rick Riley apparently did enter into an agreement with the DNR to purchase 200 special Gambel oak trees, which are resistant to drought and oak wilt, which is spreading in this area, for planting in the area at a cost of $1400, with the chapter paying half that amount as a match. You’ll have to check with Rick to see if the chapter ever received those trees, or where they were planted, I have not been successful in getting him or anyone else on the board of directors on the phone.
And we, meaning me and some friends and family members, are still doing our periodic MDOT Adopt A Highway trash pick-ups on M-66, which gives us good exposure to the public and lets those driving through the area know that someone cares about the wild turkeys in Area J.
We have a fall season scheduled for this area this year, several people who were once members of the chapter were not happy to hear this, but since it appears that we will now be relying primarily on private property owners to get our birds through the winters, unless someone wants to step up, others believe that we need the hunt. Personally, I’m looking forward to it.
Our spring hatch appears, at best, to be minimal, but under the circumstances a much smaller population of wild turkeys in Area J is probably a good thing.
Take care, enjoy the fall seasons!
