In this episode, we explore the impacts of extreme cold weather on wild turkey populations.

Resources:

• Acorn production post (DrDisturbance IG)
• Austin, D. E., & DeGraff, L. W. (1975). Winter survival of wild turkeys in the southern Adirondacks. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 1975, 55-60.
• Brooke, J. M., et al. (2019). Effects of fertilization and crown release on white oak (Quercus alba) masting and acorn quality. Forest Ecology and Management, 433, 305-312.
• Gonnerman, M., et al. (2023). Dynamic winter weather moderates movement and resource selection of wild turkeys at high‐latitude range limits. Ecological Applications, 33(1), e2734.
• Gray, B. T., & Prince, H. H. (1988). Basal metabolism and energetic cost of thermoregulation in wild turkeys. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 133-137.
• Haroldson, K. J. (1995). Energy requirements for winter survival of wild turkeys. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 1995, 9-14.
• Lashley, M. A., et al. (2009). Masting characteristics of white oak: implications for management. In In: Proc. Annu. Conf. Southeast. Association Fish and Wildl. Agencies. 63: 21-26. (Vol. 63, pp. 21-26).
• Lashley, M. A., et al. (2025). Decreased female survival may explain wild turkey decline. bioRxiv, 2025-05.
• Lavoie, M., et al. (2017). Winter and summer weather modulate the demography of wild turkeys at the northern edge of the species distribution. Population Ecology, 59(3), 239-249.
• Lavoie, M., et al. (2025). Wildlife Management and Climate Change: How to Adapt Harvest Rates of Wild Turkey According to Extreme Weather Events. Environmental Management, 1-13.
• Porter, W. F., et al. (1983). Effects of winter conditions on reproduction in a northern wild turkey population. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 281-290.
• Seminar: Wild Turkey Management Academy

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Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF Game Lab @ufgamelab, YouTube

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Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak