October 2024 - 15

From left to right, Glenrock Game Warden Cody Bish, Casper Region Wildlife Biologist Brandon Werner, Casper College student Tristen Fleming and Converse County ranchers Keith and David
Moore release wild turkeys to their new home. (WGFD photo)
from wild turkeys perching and defecating.
These birds have even been responsible for
numerous traffic hazards in the neighborhoods
they frequent. Once Game and Fish
met or talked to the reporting parties, one
thing was similar in almost every report -
a neighbor or someone nearby was feeding
them. Feeding wild turkeys congregates them
and amplifies the problems they cause.
Game and Fish managers primarily use
hunting to manage wildlife populations.
When a population is too large, more licenses
are issued to increase harvest and vice-versa.
However, due to safety concerns, hunting
within city limits is often against city ordinances.
When this happens, Game and Fish
personnel must implement alternative tactics.
In Casper, the first step was to work with
the city to remove wild turkeys from the list
of animals that could be recreationally fed.
After much support from the public, the
Casper City Council removed wild turkeys
from the list in August 2023. Since then,
Casper Metro Animal Control has done a
great job enforcing the ordinance. The number
of calls related to wild turkeys decreased
75 percent from the winter of 2022 to the
following winter. Nuisance wild turkey calls
usually happen in the winter when the birds
are in bigger flocks. The rest of the year, they
are more dispersed, which lessens the issues
they cause.
The second step, since no hunting or projectiles
are allowed in Casper, was to find a
way to reduce the population. Game and
Fish personnel worked to trap and relocate
some of the town turkeys. Staff set a 60-footby-60-foot
drop net in three locations where
large flocks were causing problems. Scratch
grains were used to lure the birds under the
net, and the net was dropped onto them.
The birds became entangled so they could
not hurt themselves or each other.
Game and Fish personnel, along with
volunteers, untangled the birds. They were
aged and sexed, and a band was placed on
their left leg for identification. The birds were
placed in special turkey boxes provided by
the National Wild Turkey Federation and
hauled to a new home. These new locations
were chosen because the existing turkey population
was not doing as well. The birds were
shipped to Niobrara County, northern Converse
County and eastern Natrona County. In
total, 138 birds were removed in 2024 from
the city of Casper and nearby areas.
In Casper, the first step was to work
with the city to remove wild turkeys
from the list of animals that could
be recreationally fed. After much
support from the public, the Casper
City Council removed wild turkeys
from the list in August 2023.
Where turkeys can be hunted, Game and
Fish has worked with landowners to provide
access for hunters. Preference was given to
first-time turkey hunters, youth, disabled
and veterans. The hunter harvest has reduced
populations and helped move birds into other
areas with less conflict.
There will be continued wild turkey conflict
in Natrona County, and Game and Fish
has been working with the NWTF to design
and construct a smaller trap that would work
better in urban settings.
- Brandon Werner is a Game and Fish wildlife biologist
in the Casper Region.
Wyoming Wildlife | 15

October 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2024