A male wild turkey often appears on the doorstep of a home in Osoyoos.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Josee Converse

A wild turkey without a flock has made himself comfortable on a property on Anarchist Mountain in Osoyoos to the amusement of resident Josee Converse who named the bird Tom.

“He’s a loner and moves around the area but every single day I look up and see him through the glass door, standing on the doorstep,” she said.

The bird first started showing up at the same time Converse opened up a home bakery in late summer where she makes meat pies, lemon loaves and cookies for local deliveries.

“I think he might like the smells of apple pies or maybe just wants company,” she said. “He sits around outside and waits for me to give him food I think, but I never do.”

The turkey appears curious and friendly, and gobbles once in awhile. Converse isn’t sure where the nearest flock of wild turkeys is, but would like Tom to find a flock.

“We’re very close to the border, I believe there is a flock down there, he must be an American turkey who crossed over,” Converse said. “It would be nice to see him find some hens and start his own haram.”

The wild turkey is native to North America dating back millions of years. They have been reintroduced and introduced into almost every ecosystem.

Flocks of the birds have been found in the Kootenays for decades and are more recently becoming a fixture in the Okanagan.

Conservation coordinator with the BC Wildlife Federation Steve Hamilton said wild turkey populations are growing in both areas. 

“They’re expanding as animals tend to do and will continue to spread north in the Kootenays,” Hamilton said in a previous interview with iNFOnew.ca. “Hunters are helping to control their numbers to an extent, and they are heavily predated on by many other animals. I don’t see the populations exploding yet.” 

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A native species from the United States, the birds were introduced to the Kootenays over 100 years ago as game for hunting, and were introduced in Lake Country for the same reason roughly two decades ago.

The wild turkeys are not invasive or a threat to native flora and fauna or the health of domestic poultry, and the birds coexist easily with other wildlife and pets. They are a food source for other wildlife and hunters looking to pursue organic meat.

Hunters in the province are allowed to bag one wild turkey in the spring and one in the fall.

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Converse said Tom will not end up in one of her organic meat pies.

“I’ll definitely not eat Tom, I want the wildlife here to thrive,” she said. “I’d like to see someone catch and release him somewhere he could have his own flock.”

Go here to learn more about Converse’s home bakery.

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