WILDLIFE RESTORATION: Bringing turkey back to East Texas 
Texas…we’ll tell you more, ahead on Passport to Texas.
 
This is Passport to Texas

In the 1930s, it became evident that certain game animals 
were in decline, due, in part, to unregulated overharvest. 

In 1937, the Federal Government passed the Pittman-
Robertson Act, thus creating an excise tax on the 
purchase of ammunition and hunting equipment.

Today, millions of dollars of funds generated by these 
taxes are used to manage and restore both game and 
non-game species.  

One of Texas’ ongoing restoration projects involves the 
eastern wild turkey. Historically, the species occupied 
nearly 30 million acres in eastern Texas, but unregulated 
overharvest of both turkeys and timber led to their near 
extinction from that region. In 1942 there were fewer 
than 100 eastern wild turkeys remaining.  

From 1979 to 2003, TWPD translocated an estimated 
7,000 wild-captured birds into 58 counties in central and 
east Texas, eventually seeing the population climb to 
10,000; which is slow progress. 

In 2014 the agency began a “Super Stocking” initiative, 
translocating 80 eastern turkey at a time at selected sites. 
Production and survival of the birds has vastly improved 
with this method. 

Thus, creating a brighter future for this big bird in Texas.

The Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series and 
provides support for the translocation and surveying of 
eastern wild turkey. 
	
For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti



Total sound bite time:		                 0:00.0
Maximum Script time:		                 0:85.0                     Suggested show time: 85.0 = 1:25