Wild Turkey Science

By Dr. Marcus Lashley & Dr. Will Gulsby

What's Wild Turkey Science about?

Wild Turkey Science is a science-based podcast bringing you the latest research on wild turkey ecology and management. This podcast is part of the Natural Resources University podcast network and made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow.

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Wild Turkey Science episodes:

05.27.2024
Managing pine rotations for turkeys | #80
Ted DeVos, co-founder of Bach and DeVos Forestry and Wildlife Services, walks us from ground zero through the various ways in which to manage pine plantations for turkeys. Whether your goal is to increase turkey or timber productivity, this episode...
05.20.2024
Conventional vs. Regenerative Ag | #79
Dr. Bronson Strickland, co-director of the MSU Deer Lab and founder of the Deer University podcast, joins us to explain regenerative agriculture and break down their new experiment testing the differences in nutrient density and deer use between conventional and...
05.13.2024
If not the season, what’s the reason? | #78
After much feedback from our latest episode, we sit down to review through recent episodes and lay out the available data known to us. Covering season timing and reproduction to the predator-habitat complex, there’s no tiptoeing around the controversy in...
05.06.2024
Season timing doesn’t affect reproduction | #77
Dr. Craig Harper and Dr. Dave Buehler from the University of Tennessee join us to discuss results from their seven-year, robust before-after control-impact study assessing the role of experimental season date delays on turkey reproduction. Spoiler alert: Season delays had...
04.29.2024
Harvest rates and season dates | #76
Adam Butler, Wild Turkey Program Coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks, joins us to discuss the turkey trends seen across Mississippi and the Southeast, what may or may not be influencing these cyclical patterns of productivity,...
04.22.2024
Do dominant gobblers dominate breeding? | #75
Dr. Alan Krakauer joins us to dive into his research on turkey kin selection and breakdown the many strategies gobblers use to pass on genes. Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey...
04.15.2024
Do turkeys lek and does it matter? | #74
Dr. Dwayne Elmore, Director of the Game Bird Program at Tall Timbers Research Station, joins us to breakdown the reproductive ecology and behavior of wild turkeys, how and why they lek, and if this impacts spring hunting. Donate to wild...
04.08.2024
We got bug problems | #73
Marcus and Will sit down under one roof to review the available literature on declining insect populations. They pull from studies across the globe to discuss the implications of insect declines on terrestrial, ground-nesting birds and how we can help...
04.01.2024
Fire timing in upland hardwoods | #72
Mark Turner, PhD candidate in Dr. Craig Harper’s lab at the University of Tennessee, joins us to disclose results from their recent study assessing the effects of canopy reduction and fire seasonality on turkey habitat quality and use in upland...
03.25.2024
Life for a gobbler | #71
Dr. Mike Chamberlain, Terrell Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management at the University of Georgia, re-joins the podcast to walk us through the various life stages of a gobbler. Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund ,...
03.18.2024
Turkey disease ecology | #70
Dr. Rick Gerhold, Associate Professor of Parasitology/Wildlife Diseases at the University of Tennessee, joins us to breakdown common diseases among turkeys and their symptoms, pathways of transmission, and infected biological effects. He also discusses histomonas and how you can get...
03.11.2024
Up close and personal with wild turkeys | #69
Tes Randle Jolly, award-winning professional wildlife and turkey photographer extraordinaire, joins Marcus and Will to share her deep insight and perspective into wild turkey behavior from over 25 years of photographing our favorite bird. Donate to wild turkey research:...
03.04.2024
Longer the snood, bigger the brood | #68
Dr. Richard Buccholz, Director of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation Research at the University of Mississippi, joins Will and Marcus to shed light on the fascinating world of wild turkey behavior. Learn of the interplay between displayed traits and...
02.26.2024
Gobbler survival across the south | #67
Dr. Patrick Wightman, Research Scientist at UGA, joins Marcus and Will to reveal results from a recent region-wide collaborative project - across 4 states, 8 study sites, and with over 900 banded birds - assessing the effects of hunting pressure...
02.20.2024
Habitat management = predator management | #66
New data brings to light more pieces of our habitat-predator puzzle. Join as Marcus and Will pull from recent studies to discuss the multifaceted effects of fire on wild turkey survival and how a new approach could knock off two...
02.12.2024
Snoods, feathers, and the Turkey Brotherhood | #65
Dr. Geoff Hill, professor of Biological Sciences at Auburn University, joins Marcus and Will to break down the unique evolutionary biology of our favorite bird. Learn which characteristics hens select for, what make decoys effective, if gene selection is impacted...
02.05.2024
The habitat vs. predator stalemate | #64
Marcus and Will explain why our current data on turkeys supports both sides of this ongoing debate and what is needed to determine whether habitat or predation is to blame. They also discover another interesting link between supplemental feeding and...
01.29.2024
Habitat vs. predator control | #63
Will and Marcus discuss why they and other biologists are more likely to endorse habitat management, versus predator control, to increase turkey populations. They also cover a study showing trapping can effectively reduce raccoon populations by up to 90% and...
01.22.2024
Habitat for the hatch | #62
Mark Hatfield, National Director of Science and Planning for NWTF, joins Marcus and Will to discuss how their organization has helped wild turkeys through research involvement, areas of focus throughout the decades, and ongoing programs and events. Resources: ...
01.15.2024
Science-based solutions for long-term sustainability | #61
Jason Lupardus, Director of Business Operations and Partnerships for Turkeys for Tomorrow, joins Marcus and Will to reveal TFT’s vision, solution, and strategies for addressing some of the biggest challenges facing the wild turkey. Learn how you can get involved...
01.08.2024
Prioritizing management efforts | #60
Marcus calls Will from the road to reflect upon and breakdown their recent site visit to a landowner managing for deer and turkey, the primary factors weighed when juggling multiple objectives, and when to use which strategies. Please help...
01.01.2024
What we’ve learned and where we’re going | #59
Marcus and Will wrap up our first year of production by reflecting upon the most memorable moments from recording, favorite segments from the season, unexpected feedback from listeners, and our plans for the show moving forward. Please help us...
12.25.2023
Managing bottomland hardwoods for turkeys (Part 2/2) | #58
Duck Locascio, Forestry Program Manager for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, joins Marcus and Will to demystify and provide actionable steps to managers interested in improving turkey habitat in bottomland hardwood forests. Resources: Desired...
12.18.2023
Managing bottomland hardwoods for turkeys (Part 1/2) | #57
Duck Locascio, Forestry Program Manager for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, joins Marcus and Will to demystify and provide actionable steps to managers interested in improving turkey habitat in bottomland hardwood forests. Resources: Desired...
12.11.2023
NE Update: Year 1 results | #56
Dr. Andy Little joins Marcus and Will to break down the study design and year 1 results from his research assessing wild turkey habitat needs across the state of Nebraska. Then, how landscape changes may be impacting population trends and...
12.04.2023
Findings from AL and upcoming research | #55
Will provides us with updates on his ongoing, hunter-led AL project quantifying fertility indexes in wild turkeys and how it relates to behavior and disease. Then, an update from Marcus on the FL genetic study assessing habitat connectivity and gene...
11.20.2023
Thanksgiving Special | #54
Marcus and Will kick off the holiday season by reviewing a newly published predator-prey diet selection study, discussing fall diets for turkeys during poor oak masting years, and touching upon the American tradition of fall turkey hunting. Resources ...
11.13.2023
Managing hardwoods for turkeys (Part 2/2) | #53
Marcus and Will pull from the literature to discuss the science-based management strategies across fire, silviculture, herbicide, and more, that can help turn your hardwoods into turkeys. Listen to Part 1 of this episode here: https://sites.libsyn.com/453219/WildTurkeyScience/managing-hardwoods-for-turkeys-part-12-52 Resources: ...
11.06.2023
Managing hardwoods for turkeys (Part 1/2) | #52
Marcus and Will pull from the literature to assess various management strategies across fire, silviculture, herbicide, and more, that can help turn your hardwoods into turkeys. Part 2 of this episode releases next Monday. Resources: Bogdziewicz,...
10.30.2023
How important are hardwoods to turkeys? | #51
Will and Marcus comb through the available literature to analyze the relationships between hardwood forests and wild turkeys. Resources: Alexander et al. (2021). Mesophication of oak landscapes: Evidence, knowledge gaps, and future research. BioScience, 71(5), 531-542. ...
10.23.2023
Legends of turkey research | #50
Marcus and Will travel back in time with legendary turkey researchers Dr. Larry Vangilder and Eric Kurzejeski. Join as they discuss the early days of restocking and lessons learned, how hunting regulations changed as populations grew, initial assumptions impacting today’s...
10.16.2023
Managing hardwoods: Oak biology | #49
Will and Marcus launch our hardwoods series by discussing oak masting biology. They review studies assessing acorn production variation across and within oak species, discuss study results of wildlife acorn preference, and provide management tools to increase acorn productivity on...
10.09.2023
Feeding…the positives? | #48
Marcus and Will wrap up our feeding series by reviewing global drivers of supplemental feeding and breakdown a study reporting positive effects on wild turkey populations from supplemental feed. Resources: Cox, D. T., & Gaston, K....
10.02.2023
Lessons from the NE prairie | #47
While in Nebraska, Marcus and Will discuss the shared challenges they see across states when trying to integrate multiple objectives into working landscapes. Dr. Marcus Lashley (@DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile) Dr. Will Gulsby (@dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile) Turkeys for Tomorrow (@turkeysfortomorrow) ...
09.25.2023
What we know about the effects of feeders on wild turkeys | #46
Marcus and Will dive deeper into the literature surrounding the potential impacts of feeding on wild turkeys. Join as they discuss the data on risks of feeding across species, predation, pathogens, and contaminants and what we can do to mitigate...
09.18.2023
Corn Nation | #45
Will and Marcus characterize the available data on wildlife feeding across the South and discuss the implications for wild turkeys. Resources: SC 2006 AK 2011 FWC 2019 Land Ethic...
09.11.2023
Can conservation governance save turkeys? (Part 2/2) | #44
Dr. Kelly Dunning, Associate Professor at Auburn University and Timberline Professor at the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, joins Will and Marcus to discuss the complexities associated with conservation policy-making and how we can better integrate wild turkey...
09.04.2023
Can conservation governance save turkeys? (Part 1/2) | #43
Dr. Kelly Dunning, Associate Professor at Auburn University and Timberline Professor at the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, joins Will and Marcus to discuss the complexities associated with conservation policy-making and how we can better integrate wild turkey...
08.28.2023
MO research update (Part 2/2) | #42
Dr. Mike Byrne joins Marcus and Will to discuss the ongoing comprehensive private-land wild turkey research project in northern Missouri studying the effects of nest survival. They also cover important topics related to raccoon movements in relation to hen nesting...
08.21.2023
MO research update (Part 1/2) | #41
Dr. Mike Byrne joins Marcus and Will to discuss the ongoing comprehensive private-land wild turkey research project in northern Missouri studying the effects of nest survival. They also cover important topics related to raccoon movements related to hen nesting and...
08.14.2023
TX state update | #40
Marcus and Will are joined by Jason Hardin, Wild Turkey Program Leader for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Listen to learn details on the status of our favorite bird in the Lonestar State. Jason Hardin [email protected] Dr. Marcus...
08.07.2023
What not to do | #39
Will and Marcus discuss what not to do on your property when managing for wild turkey. Resources: Wild nesting cover ft. Dr. Craig Harper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6xsKyis404&lc;=Ugyq5o49_is0gQOzEQl4AaABAg Wild Turkey Habitat Improvements for Leased Land: https://huntinland.libsyn.com/wild-turkey-habitat-improvements-for-leased-land...
07.31.2023
Shooting gobblers: which one, how many, and when? | #38
Marcus and Will discuss the origins of hypotheses related to timing and intensity of spring harvest and how they may affect reproduction. They also discuss the challenges landowners face when establishing property level harvest decisions. Resources: ...
07.24.2023
How to science | #37
How to science | #37 In this episode, Marcus and Will break down the research process. Join as they discuss the nuts and bolts of experimental design, identifying objectives, how to generate funding, which agencies are involved, financial expenses,...
07.17.2023
Q & A | #36
We asked and you answered! Join Marcus and Will as they review questions from followers covering brooding cover, disease, decoys, effective trail cam use, timing of fire, and more. Resources: Wild nesting cover ft. Dr. Craig Harper:...
07.10.2023
Land & Legacy | #35
Marcus and Will sit down with Adam Keith and Matt Dye, co-owners, consultants, and fellow podcasters of Land and Legacy. Listen as they share from years of habitat consulting experience on what they’re seeing across landowner landscapes and which factors...
07.03.2023
Turkey Working Group recap | #34
Marcus and Will wrap up their time at the Southeast Wild Turkey Working Group conference by discussing their key takeaways, study results from the experts, exciting plans across an array of states, and how you as a hunter can help...
06.26.2023
MO update | #33
Marcus and Will sit down at the Southeast Wild Turkey Working Group Meeting with Nick Oakley, Wild Turkey Biologist for Missouri. Join as Nick discloses the state’s turkey history and trends, current status and hunting guidelines, and a breakdown of...
06.19.2023
Which plants? | #32
Marcus and Will recap Dr. Harper’s dense episodes by discussing indicator plants to evaluate success in brood field management. Resources: iNaturalist Seek Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses ...
06.12.2023
What is TFT about? | #31
Turkeys for Tomorrow Legal Council and board member Carter Weeks joins us to discuss how TFT got started, the vision of the organization, and how you can get involved to make a difference. To learn more about TFT, check out...

What's Wild Turkey Science about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Wild Turkey Science episodes:

Managing pine rotations for turkeys | #80

Conventional vs. Regenerative Ag | #79

If not the season, what’s the reason? | #78

Season timing doesn’t affect reproduction | #77

Harvest rates and season dates | #76

Do dominant gobblers dominate breeding? | #75

Do turkeys lek and does it matter? | #74

We got bug problems | #73

Fire timing in upland hardwoods | #72

Life for a gobbler | #71

Turkey disease ecology | #70

Up close and personal with wild turkeys | #69

Longer the snood, bigger the brood | #68

Gobbler survival across the south | #67

Habitat management = predator management | #66

Snoods, feathers, and the Turkey Brotherhood | #65

The habitat vs. predator stalemate | #64

Habitat vs. predator control | #63

Habitat for the hatch | #62

Science-based solutions for long-term sustainability | #61

Prioritizing management efforts | #60

What we’ve learned and where we’re going | #59

Managing bottomland hardwoods for turkeys (Part 2/2) | #58

Managing bottomland hardwoods for turkeys (Part 1/2) | #57

NE Update: Year 1 results | #56

Findings from AL and upcoming research | #55

Thanksgiving Special | #54

Managing hardwoods for turkeys (Part 2/2) | #53

Managing hardwoods for turkeys (Part 1/2) | #52

How important are hardwoods to turkeys? | #51

Legends of turkey research | #50

Managing hardwoods: Oak biology | #49

Feeding…the positives? | #48

Lessons from the NE prairie | #47

What we know about the effects of feeders on wild turkeys | #46

Corn Nation | #45

Can conservation governance save turkeys? (Part 2/2) | #44

Can conservation governance save turkeys? (Part 1/2) | #43

MO research update (Part 2/2) | #42

MO research update (Part 1/2) | #41

TX state update | #40

What not to do | #39

Shooting gobblers: which one, how many, and when? | #38

How to science | #37

Q & A | #36

Land & Legacy | #35

Turkey Working Group recap | #34

MO update | #33

Which plants? | #32

What is TFT about? | #31