More than 600 Kootenay turkeys have taken a one-way trip to Alberta through a relocation program that’s been running for four years.
The Alberta Conservation Association launched the Turkey Translocation Project in 2022 to capture wild turkeys and relocate them to southwestern Alberta, where the population has declined and hunting opportunities are limited.
The project has involved six Kootenay communities. The original proposal identified Kimberley, Invermere, Radium, Edgewater, Nelson and Castlegar as potential capture areas.
The association provided an update on the project to the Regional District of Central Kootenay board Thursday.
Wildlife biologist and researcher Michael Jokinen, who leads the project, said 612 turkeys have now been relocated. That includes 177 in 2023, 182 in 2024, 124 in 2025 and 129 so far this year.
He described the program as mutually beneficial for both B.C. and Alberta.
“It’s really a, a win-win for those B.C. residents that want them gone from their yards and their neighborhoods and for Alberta, where we wanna boost our turkey populations.”
Jokinen said the birds can become a problem in communities because they have access to fruit trees, bird feeders and other food sources, while there are few predators.
“They can fly through windows, damage vehicles, and they could also become a bit aggressive at certain times of the year,” he said.
The turkeys are captured using large box traps before being taken to holding pens, where they are tested for diseases, such as avian flu.
Once they receive clearance, the birds are then transported to southwestern Alberta and released, primarily on ranches with access to winter food sources.
“These are large open spaces where landowners feed livestock, ideally through the winter months because the turkeys really do depend on a winter food source when the winters get especially tough,” said Jokinen.
Benefits for Alberta
The program is also aimed at increasing hunting opportunities in Alberta.
Jokinen said Alberta currently awards just 50 turkey hunting tags each year through a draw, and demand is high.
“It’s a very different situation from what B.C. has.”
But one RDCK director cautioned Alberta could eventually find itself dealing with the same turkey problems as B.C. in the future.
Town of Creston Director Arnold DeBoon, a retired conservation officer, said he trapped turkeys in the area in the 1990s and relocated them to the States.
“Be careful what you wish for,” said DeBoon, recalling problems with turkeys getting into cattle feed.
“One of the problems we had was turkeys contaminating cattle feed. So when cattle were in feedlots, the turkeys were in there a lot,” he said. “I don’t know if you’re having those problems yet, but if they become large in number you may regret doing this because of the problems they’ve caused locally.”
Jokinen said the project isn’t releasing birds near feedlots and that ranchers involved understand the potential risks.
“We do understand that they could create problems. We all know that and the ranchers know that, and they’re okay with that. And we’re willing to also mitigate any issues that do come up if they come up.”
What’s next
Looking ahead, the group plans to focus its trapping efforts between Castlegar and Nelson this winter.
Jokinen said there continues to be demand from Kootenay residents looking to have problem turkeys removed from their properties.
“We just don’t know where all the problem birds are, so any information would be really helpful,” said Jokinen.
The project requires a Wildlife Act permit to continue. The Alberta Conservation Association has submitted its application and a decision is expected within the next one to two months.
The association is also asking local governments for letters of support.
The board did not decide whether to do that on Thursday, but directors can bring a motion forward for a letter of support at a later meeting.
The program is funded by the Alberta Conservation Association, Alberta fish and game associations and other volunteer groups. The B.C. government does not provide project funding, but contributes staff time to the work.
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