GRAND RAPID, Mich — At this point, I think everyone knows about bird flu.
We know it’s causing a problem with chickens and can be an issue with wild birds like ducks and geese. But as the spring turkey hunting season gets going across Michigan, do we have to worry about gobblers, too?
"Well, the good news is we haven't had any detections in wild turkeys in Michigan," Julie Melotti, wildlife pathologist with the Department of Natural Resources, told me. "We've tested 20. So we don't get a whole lot of turkeys in for necropsy every year. So since 2022, when HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza), started across the country in wild birds, any turkey that we get in will test for HPAI, and they've all been negative so far."
But what makes turkey different?
“In wild birds, it's primarily spread in waterfowl. So these are going to be birds and lakes, waters, you know, congregating together in large numbers," Melotti told me. "And then the other species that we're seeing affected right now are birds that scavenge on those waterfowl, or dead waterfowl, or sick waterfowl. So like eagles, hawks, owls.”
So wild turkeys can get bird flu – they just typically don't. But they are not immune to disease, and do get something called Turkey Pox
“That causes some kind of like warty, like growth, some ahead and un-feathered portions of the body,” said Melotti.
These growths can cause the infected birds to have difficulty seeing, eating, and even breathing.
This isn’t too widespread and doesn’t jump to humans, but it can jump to other turkeys, so if you see something unusual, it can help to let the DNR know.
“Report it to their local DNR field office," said Melotti. "Or we have an app called Eyes in the Field, and that's the best route to go. It's you can have it on your phone or your mobile device. Case, and we do monitor those reports every day.”
As hunters, we are eyes in the field and can be the best resource for keeping our wildlife and ecosystem healthy.
“So when we have situations where we have something like avian influenza or EHD and deer, and especially when the public is made aware of those, and the reports go way up, because people know that that's a tool that we have, and they are more likely to report those things to us,” she said.
So if you see something, it helps to say something.
It's up to us hunters to help keep our wildlife healthy... because it's hard to hunt birds if there aren't any.
Read more stories from the FOX 17 Morning News team
Do you have an idea for the Morning News team or maybe an idea for a guest segment or something for the gang to come out and try? Send them an email at mornings@fox17online.com or call 616-447-5252 and leave a message.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
