{"id":42953,"date":"2016-11-02T05:42:43","date_gmt":"2016-11-02T11:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=42953"},"modified":"2025-10-18T10:52:33","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T15:52:33","slug":"wild-turkeys-in-utah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/11\/02\/wild-turkeys-in-utah\/","title":{"rendered":"Wild Turkeys in Utah"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WildWild Turkey hen in Wayne County \u2013 Nikon D810, f8, 1\/800, ISO 400, -0.3 EV, Nikon 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited or called in<\/span><\/p>\n

Last month while I was out in the canyons of the Stansbury Mountains I hoped to see some Wild Turkeys. I know they are out there, I have photographed them before but as big as theses game birds are they can be difficult to find.<\/p>\n

When I lived in Virginia it wasn’t uncommon for me to see them in the woods next to my home or find them scratching around in my garden with their young. I wasn’t always happy to see the turkeys in my garden, especially when the seedlings were just coming up.<\/p>\n

\"WildWild Turkey hen at a small pond \u2013 Nikon D810, f6.3, 1\/1600, ISO 500, -0.3 EV, Nikon 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited or called in<\/span><\/p>\n

I enjoy seeing the turkeys though wherever I can find them. Some people might think they are a bit ugly because of their bald heads but I sure don’t.<\/p>\n

I was pretty happy when I found and pointed out this hen turkey in the Dixie National Forest in Wayne County, Utah last year. She was feeding near a small pond and was fairly cooperative.<\/p>\n

\"FirstFirst fall Wild Turkey tom \u2013 Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/320, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited or called in
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

And then last fall, finding turkeys in one of the canyons of the Stansbury Mountains of the West Desert, was pretty exciting too but they weren’t as cooperative as the hen in Wayne County had been.<\/p>\n

All but one of them had moved into the junipers before I could even get my lens on them.<\/p>\n

When I was up in the canyons the last time there were deer hunters all over the place so they might have pushed the turkeys deep into the woods.<\/p>\n

Maybe next time I up in the canyons I will get lucky and spot some of the Wild Turkeys<\/span><\/a> that make their home in the Stansbury Mountains.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Wild Turkey photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Maybe next time I up in the canyons I will get lucky and spot some of the Wild Turkeys that make their home in the Stansbury Mountains. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":160786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,3427,1316,358,26,2486,1314,3793],"tags":[195,4070,4359,4674,4062,1984,5502,5501,401,3794,5503],"class_list":["post-42953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-dixie-national-forest","category-stansbury-mountains-utah","category-tooele-county","category-utah","category-wayne-county","category-west-desert-utah","category-wild-turkeys","tag-canyons","tag-female","tag-hen","tag-junipers","tag-male","tag-pond","tag-tom","tag-turkeys","tag-upland-game-birds","tag-wild-turkey","tag-woods"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/wild-turkey-hen-mia-mcpherson-8388.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-baN","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":137565,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/11\/28\/wild-turkey-images-happy-thanksgiving-2024\/","url_meta":{"origin":42953,"position":0},"title":"Wild Turkey Images – Happy Thanksgiving 2024","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, I'm sharing Wild Turkey images of foraging hens I found in the Stansbury Mountains of northern Utah because it's Thanksgiving Day. It was a lovely day.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Foraging Wild Turkey hen in the mountains of the West Desert, Tooele County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wild-turkey-hen-west-desert-mia-mcpherson-1433.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wild-turkey-hen-west-desert-mia-mcpherson-1433.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wild-turkey-hen-west-desert-mia-mcpherson-1433.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wild-turkey-hen-west-desert-mia-mcpherson-1433.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29756,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/10\/13\/wild-turkeys-in-the-stansbury-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":42953,"position":1},"title":"Wild Turkeys In The Stansbury Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday while up in one of the canyons of the Stansbury Mountains some movement caught my eye and when I looked closely I could see a small flock of Wild Turkeys in the junipers.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wild Turkey in the Stansbury Mountains, West Desert, Tooele County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/wild-turkey-young-mia-mcpherson-3986.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/wild-turkey-young-mia-mcpherson-3986.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/wild-turkey-young-mia-mcpherson-3986.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/wild-turkey-young-mia-mcpherson-3986.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":112035,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/04\/04\/spring-wild-turkey-photos-with-snow\/","url_meta":{"origin":42953,"position":2},"title":"Spring Wild Turkey Photos With Snow","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 4, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Three years ago by this date I was already taking Wild Turkey photos in the canyons of the sky island mountains of the West Desert of Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Displaying Wild Turkey tom in spring snow, West Desert, Tooele County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/wild-turkey-tom-displaying-spring-mia-mcpherson-1438.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/wild-turkey-tom-displaying-spring-mia-mcpherson-1438.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/wild-turkey-tom-displaying-spring-mia-mcpherson-1438.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/wild-turkey-tom-displaying-spring-mia-mcpherson-1438.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":74511,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/10\/09\/kinglets-and-turkeys-plus-one-scrub-jay\/","url_meta":{"origin":42953,"position":3},"title":"Kinglets And Turkeys Plus One Scrub-Jay","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Wild Turkeys and the Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay made the very bumpy and extremely dusty ride into the mountain canyons well worth taking.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Woodhouse\u2019s Scrub-Jay in the West Desert, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/woodhouses-scrub-jay-in-juniper-mia-mcpherson-5214.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/woodhouses-scrub-jay-in-juniper-mia-mcpherson-5214.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/woodhouses-scrub-jay-in-juniper-mia-mcpherson-5214.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/woodhouses-scrub-jay-in-juniper-mia-mcpherson-5214.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51480,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/03\/31\/wild-turkey-tom-strutting-and-displaying-plus-memories-turkeys-arouse-in-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":42953,"position":4},"title":"Wild Turkey Tom Strutting and Displaying Plus Memories Turkeys Arouse In Me","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 31, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Breeding season has begun for Wild Turkeys so when I spotted a flock of them yesterday in the Stansbury Mountains in Tooele County I was hoping to photograph a tom turkey strutting.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Strutting Wild Turkey tom, Stansbury Mountains, West Desert, Tooele County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/wild-turkey-tom-strut-mia-mcpherson-1438.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/wild-turkey-tom-strut-mia-mcpherson-1438.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/wild-turkey-tom-strut-mia-mcpherson-1438.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/wild-turkey-tom-strut-mia-mcpherson-1438.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":74216,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/09\/30\/autumn-wild-turkey-close-up-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":42953,"position":5},"title":"Autumn Wild Turkey Close Up Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"There were a few times when the Wild Turkeys stood upright and looked right at me as I photographed them and I took full advantage of the opportunity to take portraits of the large birds.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Foraging Wild Turkey portrait, West Desert, Tooele County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wild-turkey-close-up-mia-mcpherson-1786.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wild-turkey-close-up-mia-mcpherson-1786.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wild-turkey-close-up-mia-mcpherson-1786.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wild-turkey-close-up-mia-mcpherson-1786.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42953\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}