Outdoors: Gobble Gobble Gobble

There was a time in our area that, wild turkeys weren't seen. And when there was a sighting, it was a big deal, and almost hard to be believed. And hunting wild turkeys? That was a foreign concept.

Now though, turkeys are thriving in the Havre area, especially in the Bear Paw Mountains, and thanks to the Milk River Gobblers, more and more people can now learn not only about turkeys, but about the sport of turkey hunting.

Jeff Dibblee helped start Milk River Gobblers. He says that a group of local turkey enthusiasts had been associated with the National Wild Turkey Federation, but, wanting to keep things, including volunteerism and raised funds local, Dibblee decided to branch out and form a local turkey club.

"Our club was reborn out of the National Wild Turkey Federation," Dibblee said. "We were associated with that club, but we found we weren't really getting the support from them for the things that we would like to do locally. So we broke from them and formed our own club.

"And one of the things we want with this club is, all the monies we raise, from things like our gun raffle going on right now, and other fund raisers we'll be doing, all of that money will stay local."

Dibblee said money from the current gun raffle the Gobblers are holding will go to buy frozen turkeys that will be donated to this year's Thanksgiving Community Feed. He said funds raised in the future will also go for events such as a community picnic next year and towards a youth day where kids will learn about not only turkeys, but all upland game birds, and more.

And education is a big part of the Milk River Gobbler's goals.

"Our motto is, share the hunt, save the habitat," Dibblee said. "We want to not only promote turkey hunting and game bird hunting overall, but also habitat protection. Also, we want to educate our youth. We want to get them out there and let them enjoy the outdoors. We want to teach them about turkeys and turkey hunting, and share that heritage with them, and maybe they'll pass it down to future generations."

And, the time is now to pass turkeys down to future generations. Dibblee remembers a time when turkeys weren't seen in the Havre area, but, slowly, that started to change.

"Growing up around here, I never saw a turkey," Dibblee said. "People who liked to hunt turkeys, what they would do is go buy wild turkeys from a feed store and then release them. But it took a while for them to get a foothold because they're a bird that's really susceptible to predation. Raptors, eagles, owls, they'll go after the young ones. Coons and skunks will go after the eggs in the spring, and coyotes and fox also prey on them. So, they really struggled in the early years. But, there did come a time when they finally started to take off, and now, you see plenty of them. For example, last year, I saw five separate flocks of them throughout the Bear Paws. So it's really cool how they have finally gained a foothold around here."

In the United States, there are six species of wild turkey. The Havre area is home to the Merriam Turkey, which is one of the species that can tolerate colder weather and harsh winter conditions better. The Eastern Turkey is known to habitat other areas of Montana, and Dibblee said he'd like to see that species introduced to our area.

But for now, Dibblee and the Milk River Gobblers are focused on growing their club, which anyone can join, as well as continuing to educate the area on turkeys and turkey hunting. It's something he and other members of the club are very passionate about.

"One of my goals is, I would just like to see more people out hunting birds," Dibblee said. "Turkeys are one good excuse to get out and hunt. I would like to see a more active interest in turkeys. Basically, we want to get people talking turkey."

Anyone who wants to talk turkey, learn more about the species, and bird hunting in general, can join the Milk River Gobblers. They meet the second Thursday of every month. For more information, contact Dibblee at 945-1632.