My friends and I are completely perplexed by the situation unfolding in Shoreview ("Shoreview takes aim at turkeys,'' Feb. 27). Was it not long ago that the state was reintroducing wild turkeys? Last year several of my friends applied for licenses to hunt turkey in Minnesota. Some were unable to get a tag to hunt because there were too few birds. Another group got tags but could hunt only in specific locations, on a certain day, and they could take only one bird. Now the city of Shoreview is overrun with turkeys. Am I the only person questioning why they are all going to be slaughtered and donated to food shelves? Don't get me wrong. I'm all for donating food to the poor. My question is: Why we couldn't relocate the birds? I understand that you can't just release them onto private land, but we do have state land. Once again, I am questioning the judgment of the Department of Natural Resources. This just seems like a no-brainer.

CHARLENE TALLEN, MAPLE Plain