Wild Turkeys During the Civil War

donna

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Yathin S Krishnappa [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Wild Turkey was enjoyed before and during the Civil War. After the war the turkeys suffered serious decline with the widespread logging of southern and eastern forests. During the war it was a prized source of protein and the turkey feathers made quills for correspondence.

There are several mentions of turkeys by soldiers in letters. They include:

John B. Jones, clerk to the Confederate secretary of war in Richmond, Va. on March 19, 1864.
"I saw a large turkey today in the market (wild) for which $100 was demanded."

A Major from 3rd Louisiana Infantry in letter to his father from the Yazoo River above Vicksburg on April 3, 1863 .
"The woods, or I might rather say the canebrakes, abound with wild turkey, and now and then the boys waste a cartridge in killing one----which is strictly forbidden."

Lt. Theodore A. Dodge, 101st N.Y. Volunteers, near Harrison Landing, Va. on July 3, 1862.
"Such a country for productiveness and I saw___ wild turkey and quail run through our camp all the time."

This shows wild turkey was available as food and much sought after by soldiers and probably the civilians.
 
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Turkey Soup (recreated recipe from 19th century)

1 turkey carcass
water to cover
1 medium onion
1 stalk celery
1/2 teaspoon extract of beef
2 tablespoons rice
salt and pepper to taste

Break carcass into pieces. Cover with water, add onion and simmer two hours. Meanwhile cook rice in salted water. Remove turkey bones and strain. Add extract of beef and rice. Bring to the boiling point. Season and serve.
 
Turkeys have made a real recovery in Missouri since the 1960s. I would venture a guess that their population is at an all time high here and still rising, but that's only a hunch. I'm not sure what their population might have been like in the 1860s in central Missouri. I'm not surprised they were prized as camp food. Wow, that $100 price tag sounds astronomical for the 1860s--but just about right for a license, clothing, ammunition, etc. for a current day turkey hunt.
 
The quotes were from book, "Flora and Fauna of the Civil War: an Environmental Reference Guide" by Kathy Ouchley.

She talked about foods they ate at this time plus types of animals and plants.

As you say it could reference cost at the time but also how dear it was to purchase a turkey in Richmond.

The solders at above Vicksburg used shot to get a turkey even though they were told not and to conserve their ammunition. It shows to me, they must have been hungry and wanted a taste of turkey badly.
 
I saw a bunch of them, mostly young - turklings? - when visiting a friend in the Catskills a few years ago. The state had wanted to restore the wild population, so they had released a large number of them a few years earlier. Unfortunately they overlooked that it was right before hunting season........ A year or two later they tried again, cancelled turkey hunting for that year, now there's plenty of them.
 
Those 7 million wild turkeys that you say are in the United States I believe they all live on my property.you can hear the male gobbles all day long and my dogs chase them all over.we see them walking my neighbors pasture in groups of 15- 20 hens with a big ol'Tom standing watch .when the spring turkey is in season there must be several hundred around as they know it's a safe haven.they are an interesting bird to watch.no wonder Ben Franklin wanted them as the national bird.
 
Some more information on wild turkeys. The eastern wild turkey belongs to a group of ground nesting birds that include grouse, quail and pheasant. Wild turkeys are the largest game birds found in North America. Males called gobblers weigh between 17 and 28 pounds. Hens weigh from 8 to 12 pounds.

Wild turkeys are slimmer than domestic turkeys . The wild turkey has a larger brain and more developed endocrine system than domestic turkeys, which accounts for the difference in wildness and survival.

Wild turkeys are found throughout North America with six races being recognized. Turkeys require 3 habitat types: winter summer-fall and nesting. Prime winter habitat consists of at least 50 percent mature hardwood forest. Turkeys use winter habitat from late fall until early spring.
 
Turkeys have made a real recovery in Missouri since the 1960s. I would venture a guess that their population is at an all time high here and still rising, but that's only a hunch. I'm not sure what their population might have been like in the 1860s in central Missouri. I'm not surprised they were prized as camp food. Wow, that $100 price tag sounds astronomical for the 1860s--but just about right for a license, clothing, ammunition, etc. for a current day turkey hunt.


Patrick H. is correct. We have many Turkeys right on the edge of town here. I used to see them all of the time. When I worked outside of town I saw them a lot. One time I saw a huge number poults in a field foraging for insects and other foods. I had never seen so many in my life. There are plenty to hunt all over the state. They would have been still plentiful during the war. It is hard to beat turkey for food. Wild or domestic, it is fine eating. I welcome turkey to eat at any time of the year. my favorite.
 
Joke's on me - I thought I had told my wild turkey story before, so before posting on the new thread I did a search for "turkeys" but didn't find it - didn't recall that I had referred to them as "turklings?" a couple of years ago, so I posted what turns out to be a duplicate. Mea culpa :wink:
 
@Boonslick and I saw a pair of them strolling in a suburban neighborhood (with forrested hollows behind the houses) just this past Friday. As I said last year, they have been a real success story for the MO Department of Conservation. They are challenging to hunt, but great to eat.
 
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