Long before the European settlers arrived in North America, the Native Americans took part in hunting wild turkeys.
[1] By the early 1900s, the turkey population had been decimated in North America because of habitat destruction, commercial hunting, and a lack of wildlife regulations.
Hunters, wildlife agencies and conservation organizations intervened and turkey populations rebounded dramatically.
More than 7 million wild turkeys now roam North America, with populations in every U.S. state but Alaska.
[2] Depending on local rules and regulations, the wild turkey is hunted either in the spring or fall.