World 080719

SPORTS & OUTDOORS
Think Twice before Taking a Native Turtle Home
Each year, Steve Parren, wildlife biologist
with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife
Department, gets contacted about pet turtles
people no longer want. Some turtles grow
too large. Others require more complicated
care than owners realize--turtles kept indoors
require full-spectrum lighting for healthy
shell development. And with lives that can
last 50 years or longer, turtles often outstay
their welcome. Not only is it illegal to keep
native turtles as pets in Vermont, releasing
captive native turtles into the wild could
introduce diseases to, or mix up the genetics
of, local turtle populations. Often, releasing a
pet turtle is not a safe option, so a facility
must be found to take in the turtle.
“In the past, I or someone from the
Department, have tried to find appropriate
homes for unwanted turtles,” says Parren,
who heads up the wildlife diversity program
and has worked with turtles for 35 years. “If
the turtle is legal in the pet trade some pet
stores or individuals will take them, but not
all. A reptile welfare facility in New
Hampshire that could legally re-home native
species no longer takes some species and
they aren’t alone.”
Parren notes many facilities have too many
of some species and aren’t accepting common
ones anymore. This could result in
unwanted pet turtles being put down. While
a drastic option, it’s better than risking a disease
outbreak that could affect many wild
animals.
Deadline for Antlerless Deer Applications is Aug. 14
The deadline to apply for an antlerless deer
permit to be used during Vermont’s December
7-15 muzzleloader deer hunting season is
Wednesday, August 14.
Paper antlerless permit applications are not
available this year. You can apply online at the
Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s website www.vtfishandwildlife.com),
or license agents across
the state that sell hunting and fishing licenses
can process your application for you.
Landowners who do not have a
Conservation ID number will need to create a
profile through the online license sales system
to apply for a landowner application even if
they do not intend to purchase a hunting
• • •
Taking less-common species home is an
even worse idea.
“Removing even a few adults each year can
send a local turtle population into decline,”
says Parren. “So please, enjoy Vermont’s
native turtles in the wild. Help move one off
the road safely in the direction it’s traveling.
Take a photo with a phone.”
Make a report to the Vermont Reptile and
Amphibian Atlas https://www.vtherpatlas.
org/
But don’t take a turtle home.
For more information on Vermont’s native
turtles, see www.vtfishandwildlife.com.
license. Landowners who post their land may
not apply for a muzzleloader landowner antlerless
deer permit.
“The winter of 2019 was severe in central
and northeastern Vermont, causing the permit
allocation to be 51 percent less in those
areas than in 2018,” said Nick Fortin, deer
project leader for the Fish & Wildlife
Department. “Elsewhere, the permit allocation
is similar to 2018 as little change is expected
in the deer population in those areas.”
A lottery drawing for muzzleloader antlerless
permit recipients will be held
September 17.
Vermont Turkey Brood Survey Starts Aug. 1
Hunters Take 5,349 Turkeys in VT’s Spring Seasons
A preliminary report from Vermont Fish
& Wildlife shows that hunters brought home
5,349 wild turkeys during the spring hunting
season, including 571 turkeys taken during
the April youth weekend hunt.
“Although this year’s results represent a
modest decrease in harvest from those
observed over the past few record setting
years, the harvest was only slightly below the
average harvest of the past ten years,” said
Vermont Fish and Wildlife turkey biologist
Chris Bernier.
“The prolonged cold and wet conditions
experienced during the season likely contributed
to the decline. Low production of
turkey poults in 2017 due to harsh spring
weather also likely resulted in fewer twoyear
old gobblers this past spring.”
Hunter success rates remained high with
23 percent of resident hunters taking birds,
and 35 percent of those successful hunters
harvested a second bearded bird to fill the
two-bird spring bag limit.
“The 5,349 turkeys represent an estimated
122,000 servings of locally sourced, organic
wild turkey meat as well as countless memories
and an enduring connection to the land,”
added Bernier.
Turkeys were hunted statewide and were
harvested in 240 of Vermont’s 253 towns.
The northern Lake Champlain Valley and
the Connecticut River Valley continued to be
productive regions for turkey hunters with
• • •
Wild turkeys are found throughout most
of Vermont, but their reproductive success is
monitored annually by the Vermont Fish &
Wildlife Department with help from “citizen
scientists” who report the number and size
of turkey families they see during August.
Fish & Wildlife is again asking the public
for help. If you see a group of young turkeys
in Vermont during August, the department
asks you to go to the turkey brood survey on
its website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com) so
you can record where and when you
observed the number of adult and young
turkeys, or poults.
“When combined with annual harvest
data, information gathered from this survey
helps to establish long-term trends in
Vermont’s wild turkey population,” said
Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s wild turkey biologist
Chris Bernier. “It also helps us assess the
impacts of spring and winter weather on the
survival of poults and adult turkeys which is
an important consideration in the management
of turkeys.”
“We monitor and manage wild turkey
numbers annually in order to maintain a
healthy, abundant and sustainable population
of these iconic and ecologically significant
birds throughout the state,” added
Bernier. “Beyond providing Vermonters
with a local source of protein and an enduring
connection to their environment, turkey
hunting is the principal mechanism for managing
Vermont’s turkey population. Please
help us scientifically manage the turkey population
by reporting your Vermont turkey
sightings during August.”
the highest harvests again recorded in these
parts of the state.
Vermont continues to prioritize high quality
spring turkey hunting over fall turkey
hunting opportunities. “This strategy certainly
helped us sustain an abundant turkey
population and realize a successful spring
season despite the shortage of beechnuts and
acorns we experienced last fall and the challenging
winter and spring weather turkeys
faced,” said Bernier.
“Vermont’s long history of careful and
considerate management of wild turkeys has
positioned us to maximize the benefits we all
receive from this remarkable bird. Beyond
the simple enjoyment and sustenance people
get from watching and hunting wild turkeys,
these birds play a critical role in the environment
as an important prey item and influence
the populations of many other species.”
Conservation of wild turkey habitat continues
to play a key role in the health and
vitality of their population. Bernier notes
that a patchwork of fields and forests provide
most of what a turkey needs to survive. He
says the efforts to protect and manage habitat
by private landowners, volunteer-based
conservation groups like the National Wild
Turkey Federation, and state and NGO conservation
organizations will help ensure
Vermont has a sustainable and abundant
wild turkey population for the future.
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page 22 The WORLD July 31, 2019
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