An estimated 46 million turkeys will be cooked and eaten this Thanksgiving.
According to the National Turkey Federation, 95 percent of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving.
The vast majority of these turkey dinners will be the domesticated variety, but wild turkeys thrive throughout North America.
Wild turkeys are more abundant in Texas than any other state, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists estimate more than one million birds roam the state.
Fall turkey season in South Texas opened November 7 and runs thru January 17 or February 28 depending on the county.
The native Rio Grande turkey flourishes throughout much of the ranch country, and while a dry spring curtailed wild turkey reproduction on many properties, there are still plenty of mature gobblers.
After dropping to a low of approximately 30,000 birds by the early 1900’s, turkeys are thriving across North America today.
Thanks to hunting regulation, habitat management and restocking efforts there are estimated to be more than six million birds nationwide.
In an average year more than 100,000 hunters harvest some 31,000 wild turkeys statewide during the fall season.
While domestic turkeys do make a fine Thanksgiving meal, if you really want to dine like a pilgrim, there is nothing quite as tasty as a wild turkey.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKGBT