Unit 33

[hunterofcoues]

Out scouting this afternoon, ran into a bunch of turkey. Anyone ever see these in the Catalinas before?

[Kilimanjaro]

WHAAAAA?????? In the Catalinas???

[billrquimby]

The Catalinas have had turkeys throughout my memory.

 

I was told they had been stocked there and elsehwere in southern Arizona in the 1930s.

 

I shot two gobblers over the years in the Catalinas, and missed another, back when we could buy tags over the counter. I shot one in the canyon where Rose Canyon Lake now sits; missed one on what now is the Aspen Trail near the ski lodge, and killed one in the ocotillos near the Burney Mines low down on the north slope. Friends report they still see turkeys in the ocotillos.

 

Interestingly, in the 1950s, the San Pedro River between Reddington and Cascabel still was a jungle of mesquite and I heard lots of reports about turkeys hanging around the river.

 

Sabino Canyon and the slopes on the south side of the mountain used to be loaded with feral goats, too.

 

Bill Quimby

[Kilimanjaro]

never woulda guessed it Bill! At least not in recent times. I could see those mountains being covered in them back in the days before everybody and their brother moved here to AZ. Now the question is.. Are these birds Merriams or Goulds? Kinda right on the line for either species..

 

I've seen Goulds several times down near Parker Canyon Lake and once in the Chiracahua mts. as well. Heard that there are some birds on Mt. Graham as well and that they are Goulds.

 

And, can you hunt these birds in the Catalinas?? I've never heard of anyone seeing turkeys in there much less hunting them.. In recent times, of course...

[DesertBull]

Didn't they transplant some Goulds into the Catalinas last year?

[billrquimby]

"never woulda guessed it Bill! At least not in recent times."

 

I suspect there still are turkeys in the ocotillos in that Burney Mines country.

 

Bill

[Diamondbackaz]

I came across a Turkey as I was driving up Pepersauce Canyon about 20 years ago, they're in there.

[105Coues]

I have seen them also but its been a few years back. I don't think they were Goulds as they were not that colorful.

[audsley]

Gentlemen,

 

Cheap labor isn't the only thing that's been coming in from Mexico lately. The National Wild Turkey Federation is in the process of a massive transplant of Goulds. They trap them in Mexico, hold them in quarantine for a few weeks and then bring them across for release. The Santa Ritas, Rincons and Catalinas recently received transplants, and I believe Goulds are also in the works for the Atascosas, Pajaritas and possibly the Tumacacoris as well. Thank Jim Warren, Chris Kaputa and the rest of the NWTF people who held the turkey fundraisers and got it done.

 

I believe all of the Merriams that were transplanted into the Catalinas have been gone for years. It is believed that the Goulds will do much better here. The Huachucas are already full of them.

 

These are amazing birds. They're a lot taller than Merriams and make an impressive trophy. If I'm ever lucky enough to take one, I'll have it mounted.