Readers have seen the ‘missing turkeys,’ and not just in Wheaton either

“The Case of the Missing Turkeys” was a real blast for me to research and write. I cannot believe all of the emails I received about the topic.

It is obvious that there have been plenty of wild turkeys living in Wheaton near Cantigny. It is also very probable that most of these birds have disappeared. I am happy to report that not all of Wheaton’s wild turkeys have vanished. They are still present but their numbers don’t seem to be as strong as they were in the past.

Local residents, like Mark Baggio, were kind enough to snap pictures of local birds and send them to me. I thank everyone who did so.

Said Awad reported: “I stumbled across this article and found it interesting. I live close to Cantigny and there are still two turkeys who visit my yard daily. They come from the Belleau Woods Forest Preserve.”

Terry Guimon cited Belleau Woods as the new turkey hot spot and says they may be coming back. “There is still hope,” Guimon said. John Larson sent me pictures he took on Mack Road.

David Fencl lives close by and sees the birds, “Usually they come in a pair, or the most I’ve seen is 5 at a time, usually gobbling at the garbage truck.”

“Thank you for the well-developed articles, but the turkeys are not all gone. We used to get 20 at a time in our yard, but we still occasionally get two. We really enjoy seeing them! I think they're coming from nearby Belleau Woods. They may be the last two turkeys roaming the area and I'd hate to see them disappear. Patricia Schwarze”

More evidence from Maria Flynn: “I've seen them. They used to hang out on Shaffner Road. Someone said they even had a Facebook page. I saw 3 or 4 of them in the last week or two on Mack Road. They were in someone's yard by the roadway so they are still around.”

There are wild turkeys in other places than Wheaton. South Elgin’s Jerry Gibson wrote, “First, I would like to mention that I seldom read your column as I am not an outdoorsy guy. That said, I could not let my story to you go untold.

“About two years ago during October, I got a five o'clock (just becoming dusk) text from my very next-door neighbor asking if my wife and I had starting a turkey raising business. Just then my wife looked out our front living room picture window and a gaggle of 12 wild turkeys were walking across our yard! We live a very heavily populated suburban area of South Elgin.

“Apparently, they continued their walk as our grandson and his wife who live on Sycamore Street just outside of South Elgin, on the Elgin side of Blackhawk Pond, but in the Elgin, city limits, saw the same group of turkeys a little while later that same late afternoon. When I worked part time for the village of South Elgin several years ago before all of the changes that have been made, I looked out the large plate glass windows of the Parks and Recreation building, where I worked, and watched a group of wild turkeys casually walk across the street feeding as they walked or strolled north across the front of the South Elgin Village Hall.”

Nancy Fisher reported that: “I just read your delightful article about the turkeys in Wheaton. While I can’t speak to that flock, I can tell you turkeys are also very active in Rockford.”

A reader calling herself “Iowa Gal” informed me: “The wild turkeys were a gift to Brooks McCormick when he lived at St. James Farm. They roamed Mack Road and Arrowhead for years. When the (DuPage County Forest Preserve District) bought St. James Farm, I do not know what happened to them.”

Joseph Grossi and his wife retired from the DuPage Sheriff’s Police and have seen wild turkeys in Wheaton, West Chicago, Oak Brook and Hinsdale. They even sent me a video.

Kevin Thomas sent me a video and said: “I live two blocks east of the Cantigny grounds and half a block from the Belleau Woods Forest Preserve. The turkeys are/were a regular (and normal) presence in my neighborhood, even my backyard. If someone doesn't believe you, show them this video. They actually tried to get into the house.”

Lisa Davis wrote: “I just read your article. The turkeys are real. I live in Glendale Heights. My son is a golf caddy at Cantigny golf course. In his 2023 golf season we saw and heard turkeys outside the clubhouse. One day while I was waiting for him, they were close enough to my car that I was able to snap a quick photo. I saw them in the front yards of homes on Shaffner Road before it turns into Mack Road.

“My son and I would laugh about how the birds looked like something out of Jurassic Park. I was shocked to know that wild turkeys even existed in DuPage County. The only bird that has surprised me more than the turkeys was seeing a bald eagle perched on a lamp post on North Avenue in Carol Stream.”

Thanks for all the correspondence, my friends. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

• Daily Herald Outdoors columnist Steve Sarley can be reached at sarfishing@yahoo.com.