Wildlife Journal: Episode Details

Tracking Turkeys

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Image from this episode Tracking Turkeys

New Hampshire's eastern wild turkeys were gone from the state -- unregulated hunting and habitat loss led to their extirpation in the mid-1800s. In the late 1970s, N.H. Fish and Game began a wild-turkey reintroduction, funded by a federal Wildlife Restoration Program grant. Careful monitoring and protection of the wild turkey and a focus on habitat management helped the flock flourish -- so that today, the birds are an increasingly common sight throughout New Hampshire, with an estimated total population topping 22,000.

It's a great comeback story -- and one that delights wildlife watchers and hunters, who need to be just as wily as the wild bird to make a sighting.

Wildlife Journal takes a look at continuing efforts to improve and protect New Hampshire's wild turkey population. Turkey biologists tell us about the science behind wild turkey protection, sharing research processes from rocket-netting to banding to feeding studies.

For more information on wild turkeys, including safety tips and hunting rules and seasons, see www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_turkey.htm.

Wild Ways: Cooking Wild: Wild Turkey

What's the difference between a wild turkey and a frozen butterball from the supermarket? After a successful wild turkey hunt, how do you prepare and cook the game? Wildlife Journal shows you how it's done -- with the expert help of Harold Huckaby, owner and chef of Crystal Quail Restaurant in Center Barnstead, N.H. www.crystalquail.com.

From the National Wild Turkey Federation, essential advice on caring for your wild turkey before it gets to the kitchen: www.nwtf.org/tips_adventures/tips.php?id=10

Do it yourself -- with these wild turkey recipes, courtesy of Harold Huckaby.

Roast Wild Turkey

Ingredients:
1 wild turkey
2 onions
4 carrots
1 bunch of celery
Parsley stems
Bay leaf

Method:
Clean and dry the turkey. Wash and clean the vegetables and coarsely cut. Place some of the vegetables inside the turkey, the rest on the bottom of the pan. Rub the turkey lightly with oil and place in pre-heated oven at 325°. Cook until an internal temperature of 170° has been reached, approximately 25 minutes per pound. As the outer layer cooks, natural juices turn to steam and penetrate the turkey. Remove the turkey from the oven and allow the bird to stand for a half hour before slicing.

Sauce for Wild Turkey
Ingredients:
1 quart of water or stock
Pan drippings and vegetables from the cooked turkey
4 oz. of butter
1/2 cup of flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Deglaze the cooking pan with the water or stock and place in a pot of suitable capacity along with the turkey trimmings. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

In a separate saucepan melt the butter and add the flour. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the fire and strain the turkey stock into this mixture. Stir constantly with a wire whisk to avoid sticking. Season with salt and pepper and serve with turkey.

Image from this episode Arthur Taylor & New Hampshire's Atlantic Salmon Fishery

Two types of artistry are featured in this episode about Atlantic salmon brood stock making their return to the Merrimack. Prominent Maine wildlife artist and illustrator Arthur Taylor talks about his passion for the wild salmon and painting (and fly fishing!). His watercolors are well-known in the world of wildlife art and his favorite subject is Atlantic salmon and their environment.

There's also artistry involved each spring as New Hampshire releases Atlantic salmon brood stock into its rivers. The program was created in 1993 by Fish and Game in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It provides an opportunity to catch what many anglers call "the king of fish," right in the Merrimack River. The salmon are anadromous fish, meaning they spend most of their adult life in the ocean but return to freshwater to reproduce. Salmon return with great precision to the river where they were spawned and reared.

The brood stock Atlantic salmon season runs year-round. Anglers must have an all-species New Hampshire fishing license and a $10 Atlantic salmon stamp (available at license agents along the Merrimack River and Fish and Game's Concord headquarters). Anglers can keep one tagged salmon per day and five for the season, though some restrictions apply.

In this episode of Wildlife Journal, learn how New Hampshire's Atlantic salmon brood stock program works, from the hatchery's efforts to the release of the stock. See some of Taylor's art, and learn more about the wild Atlantic salmon's habits and habitats.

Wild Places: Knight's Pond Conservation Area

Knight's Pond Conservation Area in Alton is great place to hike, hunt, fish, picnic or watch wildlife -- a welcome retreat from the workaday world. Managed by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, New Hampshire Fish and Game and local landowners as a "multi-use" area, Knight's Pond Conservation Area features beautiful and important wetland areas and an undeveloped shoreline.

A footpath follows the entire shoreline of the 31-acre pond, giving you a good view of visiting waterfowl or one of the resident beavers. Surrounding the pond are more than 300 acres of diverse woodlands that provide food and cover for wildlife like ruffed grouse and deer. Keep an eye out for rare plants and birds. You might also see moose, great blue heron, snowshoe hare and painted turtles.

Dedicated fishermen willing to carry in a small boat can cast for warmwater species including largemouth bass, bullheads, chain pickerel and sunfish.
Knight's Pond Conservation Area can be accessed off Route 28, south of Wolfeboro. Click here to download a map of the area.