Norse,back in 1928 through about 1951 the Dept of Fish & Game made many feeble attempts to try and establish farm stock over many different counties.Finally in 1959 a deal was made with Texas and 59 Rio' s were introduced to the golden state and immediately took hold!By 1970 an estimated 5,000 birds were thriving here and an aggressive trap and transfer program spread the birds through 57 of our 58 counties!As a result todays turkey hunter enjoys an overall estimated population of around the 100,00 mark that roost somewhere over the state!!Whats interesting is over that period of time Merriams were introduced as well and interbreeding with the Rio' s over the years has produced what the DNR calls the Calif hybrid!Good topic my friend![8D]