Wyoming lifts ban on Narragansett turkeys

[HallFamilyFarm]

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Wyoming transplanted all the current wild turkeys in 1935. Wyoming is not native for wild turkeys.

Please go to post #1 to view important phone numbers and first thing Monday morning start calling the numbers. Be polite, but educated. Ask what evidence Wyoming has that a domesticated livestock is indeed wild. Ask them why Wyoming Game & Fish is correct and the USDA, Rhode Island Fish and Wildlife, Canada and all other States are wrong. Note, Rhode Island is the home of the creation of the Narragansett Turkey and Rhode Island does not regulate it because it is not wild.

 

[SkyWarrior]

Quote:
Wyoming transplanted all the current wild turkeys in 1935. Wyoming is not native for wild turkeys.

Please go to post #1 to view important phone numbers and first thing Monday morning start calling the numbers. Be polite, but educated. Ask what evidence Wyoming has that a domesticated livestock is indeed wild. Ask them why Wyoming Game & Fish is correct and the USDA, Rhode Island Fish and Wildlife, Canada and all other States are wrong. Note, Rhode Island is the home of the creation of the Narragansett Turkey and Rhode Island does not regulate it because it is not wild.

I think Wyoming Game & Fish is wrong here. Thankfully, I don't live there. I'll get some emails off tonight and some phone calls tomorrow.

 

[wyturkey]

So what about Standard Bronze turkeys? They say the coloring is different and they get bigger than the wild turkeys.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

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So far they are only banning the Narragansett. But their agument in favor of the ban can also be used with the Bronze. But then they would to ban the Bronze, the Broad Breasted Bronze, teh Broad Breasted White and all its "transgenic" products like Thanksgiving Turkey!

 

[wyturkey]

I just sent a comment to the Governor. I said that the state needs to find new "experts" if they can't tell the difference between wild and domestic turkeys. I said they should at least look through poultry catalogs and go to some local stores to see what is being sold as domestic. Then they need to spell out what varieties people can have.

 

[SkyWarrior]

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Yeah, it makes you wonder.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

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Oh, and

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Maybe not Victory, but it is a start. Received this email today from an ETF member, K. Anderson. Notice the part I have placed in bold.


From: Scott Talbott

To: K. Anderson

Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 9:45 AM

Subject: Re: WGF Ban of Narragansett Turkey!




Mr. Anderson,

I appreciate your correspondence and would like to offer the following as my response to your email.

I have discussed this issue with Mr. Brian Nesvik and others from the Wildlife Division of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. I believe they have advised you about the requirements of Wyoming Game and Fish Commission Regulation Chapter X, Regulation for the Importation, Possession, Confinement, Transportation, Sale and Disposition of Live Wildlife. Years ago, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission recognized the potential threats from the importation of various species of wildlife to our treasured native wildlife species and adopted this regulation as law in order to protect all of Wyoming's wildlife from the introduction of species that may hybridize with native wildlife.



With that being said, in reviewing information on the Internet, it appears that the Narragansett turkey may be considered a domestic animal, in which case the Commission does not have the authority to regulate the importation of such species.



I appreciate your commitment to your cause and would ask that you allow Mr. Nesvik and personnel in the Wildlife Division to further explore issues relating to the potential hybridization of Narragansetts with Wyoming's wildlife turkey resource and respond to you in the near future. I understand he has been in contact with some individuals who are quite knowledgeable on this issue. Your patience is appreciated.

Best Regards

Scott Talbott

Director

Wyoming Game and Fish Department

 

[SkyWarrior]

Quote:

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

More news from Wyoming today. LaDonna sent us this today ....

Mark Nelson of WY G&F called me this morning. Someone must of looked at the photos and my exhaustively detailed description of differences between Narri's and wild turkeys. He says that the denial of the Narragansetts now is based on their behavior, as " they roost and are fast runners".

I replied that all turkeys will roost, even broad breasted birds will fly 40 feet to the top of the barn. (OK, so they fly like bowling balls, but they do get up there at some point. A friend has a photo of the BB's she raises doing this, I'll see if I can get a copy to send them). I don't think that Narragansetts are any faster than any other domestic turkey, excepting those BB's. He told me they are not so concerned with the Bronze's integrating with the wild flocks because of behavior. Huh?? I haven't heard of any behavior differences between Bronzes and Narragansetts--but maybe other turkey breeders have?

He said they their information was from a "quick web search" but wouldn't give me the references. If any of you know what sites he was talking about could you privately send me the link? The only one I could find http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/turkey/Narragansett-Turkey/3442 and I certainly wasn't very impressed with the "facts" presented. Without their sources (if they can produce them, at this point I'm not very trusting) I have a hard time as I am always on the defensive of the G&F arguments.

On the plus side the G&F turkey expert, or maybe one of his assistants, is supposed to call me this week so hopefully I can worm references out of him.

LaDonna