In recent years, the survey has helped identify about 910 flocks on average, with about 16,488 birds reported per year.
Those numbers can fluctuate based on winter conditions. The birds are more likely to congregate at backyard feeders during winters with heavy snow and limited food, driving up reported numbers. On the other hand, when birds can easily get the food they need in the wild, reports tend to decrease, according to Daniel Ellingwood, a wildlife biologist and turkey project leader at New Hampshire Fish and Game.
He said the state has been conducting the survey for about 20 years. This year, the survey started in December and will run through March.
Right now, the turkey population in New Hampshire includes about 48,000 birds, Fish and Game estimated.
But just over 50 years ago, there weren’t any turkeys in the state at all. In fact, Ellingwood said, turkeys had been absent from New Hampshire’s landscape for about 125 years — starting in the 1850s and lasting until a successful reintroduction effort began in 1975.
Populations were diminished to the point of disappearing because of human activities like hunting and deforestation.
Then, in 1975, the state launched a successful effort to bring the turkeys back.
“A single flock from southwest New York was captured and translocated to Walpole, New Hampshire in ’75,” Ellingwood said. “That population took hold and began to expand.”
That first flock included about 25 birds. In the following years, other flocks were relocated to New Hampshire, and the turkey population began spreading to other parts of the state.
At this point, the birds have made a remarkable recovery.
“The population is largely stable and healthy,” Ellingwood said.
This story appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. To receive it via email Monday through Friday, sign up here.
Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.
Walpole Police and New Hampshire State Police are investigating a shooting incident at Jiffy Mart in Walpole, N.H. on Route 12. Police report no danger to the community. One person was transported for injuries to Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, N.H.
No other information is available at this time.
CONCORD, NH — The Powerball jackpot for Wednesday night is expected to be the sixth largest in history, according to the New Hampshire Lottery.
The jackpot is expected to be $1.25 billion. The one-time cash payout should be around $572 million before taxes. No one has won the jackpot since Sept. 6, when winners who purchased tickets in Missouri and Texas split a $1.78 billion jackpot.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 292.2 million to 1. The odds of winning the $1 million prize — matching five numbers without the Powerball are 1 in 11.7 million.
Charlie McIntyre, the executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery, said last week, $2.4 million worth of tickets were sold in the state.
“We’ve gone a number of drawings without a winner, giving this Powerball jackpot plenty of time to rise to the sixth largest of all time,” said “There’s still time to make your holiday season brighter with a chance at this $1.25 billion prize — all you need is $2 to play.”
Revenue from the sales, he said, helps the commission “continue our daily mission to deliver the maximum amount of revenue to public schools in New Hampshire.”
Since 1964, more than $3 billion has been contributed to schools in the Granite State.
Deer have evolved to survive the stark winter months, with adaptations like a warm winter coat and stores of body fat they can use for extra energy. The animals also reduce their activity and food intake to conserve energy and migrate to a forested shelter called a deer yard, which can provide some protection from the elements.
“Although people may feel badly for deer and want to help, the Fish and Game Department would like to remind the public to never feed deer as it may actually harm them,” said Becky Fuda, the deer project leader at New Hampshire Fish and Game.
In 2015, 12 deer were found dead around a feeding site in South Hampton, after they were given food they could not digest, according to Fish and Game.
Microorganisms in the deer’s stomach help them to digest food. The natural diet of deer gradually changes with the seasons, and the microorganisms also change over the course of a few weeks to help them digest different foods.
But a sudden shift from a high-fiber woody diet to a high-carbohydrate diet offered by humans can disrupt the deer’s stomach chemistry, making deer less able to digest food, and releasing toxins.
And Fuda said feeding can have other negative consequences for deer, like increased risk of getting hit by a car and increased risk of disease transmission.
“Fish and Game strongly discourages the practice,” she said.
There are about 100,000 white-tailed deer in New Hampshire, according to an estimate from Fish and Game.
This story appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. To receive it via email Monday through Friday, sign up here.
Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.
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