Turkey-lovers have cause to celebrate this Thanksgiving. Not only will domestic fowl grace holiday tables, but their wild cousins are thriving in Colorado’s backcountry.

Rick Hoffman, Colorado Divison of Wildlife’s lead turkey biologist, said there are currently more turkeys in the state than Colorado ever had historically.

These numbers are echoed by Sheryl Rose, director of the Montelores Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. "A lot of people say that their numbers are increasing; I have more and more people tell me that they see the wild ones around," said Rose.

This is good news for wild turkeys that were in "serious decline" just a few decades ago. Now, thanks to reintroduction and transplant efforts, the Colorado Division of Wildlife reports that North America’s largest game bird is booming in Colorado.

In 1990, Mesa Verde National Park reintroduced wild turkeys. Since then the population has grown to 120 turkeys that have spread to the eastern and northern areas of the park.

Will Morris, a park spokesman, described the population as "stable and healthy."

Colorado hosts two subspecies of wild turkeys. The Merriam’s wild turkey, a Colorado native, inhabits areas where ponderosa pine, oakbrush, and piñon-juniper woodlands thrive.

The Rio Grande wild turkey started as a native to the central plains states, but was introduced into eastern Colorado in 1980.

It inhabits cottonwood and riparian areas adjacent to agricultural lands. Much of the bird’s decline occurred at the beginning of the century, when heavy poaching and loss of habitat reduced the number of birds to under 500.

But with stepped-up law enforcement, designed to protect the birds from poachers, the turkey population doubled.

In 1973, concern for the bird helped galvanize national efforts to form a conservation organization, the National Wild Turkey Federation.

In addition to increased protection, mild winters have also improved wild-turkey population levels. Mark Elkins, senior terrestrial biologist in Colorado Springs, said the birds handle the snow and cold very well, but when the snows are deep, it is more difficult for them to find food and populations can suffer significant losses.

Elkins stressed that though turkeys "may not be the smartest bird in the tree," their hearing and sight are excellent.

Their keen senses have made them a challenging target for hunters. Bruce Watkins, a state terrestrial biologist in Montrose, said turkey-hunting used to be a specialized sport.

But in recent years it has become more popular due to more specialized gear and published instructions on hunting the bird.

Colorado has a spring and fall turkey-hunting season. During the spring turkey hunt, hunters are more likely to hear a turkey before they see one. The familiar "gobble-gobble" can be heard throughout the state in early spring because the flocks of adult males begin to break up.

The males are easily heard in the field when territorial squabbles ensue and mating calls begin.

A turkey taken in the spring must have a beard. During the fall turkey season, hunters can harvest either sex.

For shoppers interested in purchasing a domestic turkey for their Thursday dinners, both City Market and Walmart Supercenter in Cortez have deals.

If you buy $25 to $100 worth of groceries at City Market, they are offering Jennie-O turkey’s for 39 cents a pound, and with a purchase of more than $100, any size of Jennie-O turkey is free.

Patrick Nowak at the Wal-Mart meat department said Monday that they could "hardly keep up," with the demand for turkeys. Wal-Mart is running a special on "Turkhenduck," a conglomeration of boneless Cajun-spiced duck, roasted chicken, and turkey breast, for $39.99.

They said they would "match anyone’s prices" as well.