Turkey 



Western Segment 



A new species was added to the study area with a turkey 

 plant (1 cock, 14 hens) in the spring of 1978 by the Department 

 of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The birds were released on the 

 Pimperton Ranch approximately 4 miles below Fort Benton along 

 the Missouri River. Sightings and reports of these birds have 

 generally occurred within a 5-6 mile radius of the plant site. 

 They are known to have crossed over to the lower Teton River 

 bottom and have been reported along the Missouri River between 

 Fort Benton and Loma . Young birds were reported to have been 

 found near the mouth of Shonkin Creek the last two summers 

 and 30 birds wintered at the Lundy Ranch in 1979-80. It appears 

 that this plant has had some success and the population appears 

 to be reproducing and increasing. Winter survival may depend 

 on local supplemental care and feeding. 



Eastern Segment 



No turkeys were observed in the study area for the second 

 consecutive year. Available data indicate that a small flock 

 of turkeys does occasionally use the extreme eastern end of 

 the study area, however. The past two extremely severe winters 

 probably caused higher than average mortality to these turkeys, 

 as turkeys in other parts of Fergus County experienced high 

 mortality. 



Surveys in the new study area, which is adjacent to this 

 study area, will provide more data on the status of these 

 turkeys . 



Waterfowl 



Western Segment 



Waterfowl habitat in the western segment of the Missouri 

 River project area is composed of two major types. The 

 first is the aquatic habitat provided by the Teton, Marias 

 and Missouri rivers. The second would be the upland lakes, 

 potholes and stock ponds. 



Species common to the river system are the Canada goose, 

 common merganser, common goldeneye, mallard, and pintail (Ap- 

 pendix Table 1) . These species all make use of river systems 

 for nesting and migratory purposes. Table 23 presents obser- 

 vations of waterfowl on the Missouri River during late fall 

 for 3 years. As can be seen, major concentrations can be 

 found, particularly between Morony Dam and Fort Benton. 



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