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Breeding Range. Wild populations of introduced Turkeys of the eastern subspecies Meleagris gallopavo silvestris Vieillot have become established in the Missouri River valley including adjoining stretches of the Heart and Knife rivers from Garrison Dam downstream to the vicinity of the mouths of Apple Creek and Little Heart River. Wild introduced populations of Merriam's race of Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo merriami Nelson, also have become established in the badlands along the Little Missouri River within Slope County.

By 1954, more than 700 birds occurred along the Missouri River and its tributaries, the Heart and Knife rivers (Miller 1955), and about 300 birds were found in Slope County by 1958 (Johnson 1964). The statewide population was estimated to be 1,000 in 1955, and 2,500 to 3,000 in 1956, by the Isaac Walton League. State Game and Fish Department estimates ranged from 1,500 in 1960-1961 to 1,800 in 1962-1963.

Breeding Habitat. Two distinct types of habitat are utilized by wild Turkeys in North Dakota. Along the Missouri River and adjoining river valleys, floodplain forests dominated by cottonwood, together with adjacent fields and clearings, represent the principal habitat complex. In Slope County, Turkeys are largely restricted to upland semi-open stands of ponderosa pine and Rocky Mountain cedar, associated brushland habitats, and nearby fields and clearing.