BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 17, 2023
There is a pox on wild turkeys in Maine. It’s a virus that can make the meat of the game bird unsafe to eat and that can spread to domestic poultry. Cases of avian — or turkey — pox are tracked closely by state wildlife officials. Most recently a case was reported in a wild turkey carcass found in the Sebago area. Since each case could mean the harvested bird is unsafe to eat, officials want hunters to know that just because they shot an infected bird, they aren’t stuck with it. Kelsey Sullivan, biologist with Maine IF&W, said, “We understand they don’t want to eat an unhealthy bird, so they can then go out and take another bird.”