Natural Resources University

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

Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab

Don't miss out on a chance to win a custom Benelli Super Black Eagle 3! This 28-gauge shotgun features a 28' barrel, 3" chamber, and is exclusively dipped in Mossy Oak Full Foliage not available to the public. Enter the online raffle below for a shot at owning this one-of-a-kind gun! This is literally a one-of-one collectable item. https://e.givesmart.com/events/Nqy/

We've launched our second online wild turkey course ! Enroll in Wild Turkey Manager: Biology, History & Habitat to learn about the principal biology, mating, behavior, food selection, human dimensions, hunter interactions, and historical context of wild turkeys. This course is accredited by the Society of American Foresters as a Category 2 course worth 7 Continuing Forestry Education credits. Participants can also earn up to 5 CEUs in Category I of The Wildlife Society's Certified Wildlife Biologist Program. Enroll now: https://tinyurl.com/WildTurkeyManagerBio

Be sure to check out our first comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Earn up to 20.5 CFE hours! Enroll Now!

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF Game Lab @ufgamelab, YouTube

Want to help wild turkey conservation? Please take our quick survey to take part in our research!

Do you have a topic you'd like us to cover? Leave us a review or send us an email at [email protected]!

Watch these podcasts on YouTube

Please help us by taking our (quick) listener survey - Thank you!

Check out the DrDisturbance YouTube channel! DrDisturbance YouTube

Want to help support the podcast? Our friends at Grounded Brand have an option to donate directly to Wild Turkey Science at checkout. Thank you in advance for your support!

Leave a podcast rating for a chance to win free gear!

This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to turkeysfortomorrow.org.

Music by Artlist.io

Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak

False information on social media isn't new, but the use of AI generated images can cause it to be more convincing. Join Drew and Joe as they discuss misinformation about wildlife on social media, how to spot it, and reputable sources where you can locate accurate information.

Dr. Joe Gerken and Dr. Drew Ricketts are extension specialists and faculty members in the Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management Program at Kansas State University. Find out more about the program at http://hnr.k-state.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/wildlife-outdoor-management.html

Watch the podcast on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@KSREWildlife

Wild turkey biologist Reina Tyl joins us to unpack her comprehensive study assessing population growth of Easterns in South Dakota.

Resources:

Lashley, M. A., et al. (2025). Decreased female survival may explain wild turkey decline. bioRxiv, 2025-05.

Tyl, R. M. (2019). Factors Influencing Survival, Productivity, and Population Growth of Eastern Wild Turkeys in Northeastern South Dakota. West Virginia University.

Tyl, R. M., Rota, C. T., & Lehman, C. P. (2025). Factors influencing eastern wild turkey population growth in northeastern South Dakota. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 49, e1636.

Tyl, R.M., Rota, C.T. and Lehman, C.P., 2020. Factors influencing productivity of eastern wild turkeys in northeastern South Dakota. Ecology and Evolution, 10(16), pp.8838-8854.

Tyl, R.M., Rota, C.T. and Lehman, C.P., 2023. Factors influencing survival of female eastern wild turkeys in northeastern South Dakota. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 47(2), p.e1429.

Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab

Don't miss out on a chance to win a custom Benelli Super Black Eagle 3! This 28-gauge shotgun features a 28' barrel, 3" chamber, and is exclusively dipped in Mossy Oak Full Foliage not available to the public. Enter the online raffle below for a shot at owning this one-of-a-kind gun! This is literally a one-of-one collectable item. https://e.givesmart.com/events/Nqy/

We've launched our second online wild turkey course! Enroll in Wild Turkey Manager: Biology, History & Habitat to learn about the principal biology, mating, behavior, food selection, human dimensions, hunter interactions, and historical context of wild turkeys. This course is accredited by the Society of American Foresters as a Category 2 course worth 7 Continuing Forestry Education credits. Participants can also earn up to 5 CEUs in Category I of The Wildlife Society's Certified Wildlife Biologist Program. Enroll now: https://tinyurl.com/WildTurkeyManagerBio

Be sure to check out our first comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Earn up to 20.5 CFE hours! Enroll Now!

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF Game Lab @ufgamelab, YouTube

Want to help wild turkey conservation? Please take our quick survey to take part in our research!

Do you have a topic you'd like us to cover? Leave us a review or send us an email at [email protected]!

Watch these podcasts on YouTube

Please help us by taking our (quick) listener survey - Thank you!

Check out the DrDisturbance YouTube channel! DrDisturbance YouTube

Want to help support the podcast? Our friends at Grounded Brand have an option to donate directly to Wild Turkey Science at checkout. Thank you in advance for your support!

Leave a podcast rating for a chance to win free gear!

This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to turkeysfortomorrow.org.

Music by Artlist.io

Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak

Jacob and Eric catch up with Dr. Bronson Strickland to discuss what deer managers can do now that deer season is over.

Check out the MSU Deer Lab's online seminar series (here) and select the Natural Resources option from the Categories drop-down menu. You will need to create an account to view the seminars. The seminars are free unless you are seeking professional educational credits.

Also, be sure to visit our YouTube channel (here)

This month we are joined by Carlie Gizel, Wild Turkey Biologist with National Wild Turkey Federation and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. As a native species of Nebraska, wild turkeys have lived and evolved in the Great Plains for years, at times exploding in numbers and at others succumbing to new threats. Through it all, they have remained an iconic species of the landscape, and hunters from near and far come to Nebraska seeking out this special bird. Join Carlie, along with co-hosts Andy and Nate, to talk about all things turkey.

Resources:

• Wild turkey hunting in Nebraska (Nebraska Game and Parks Commission)

• Nebraska State Chapter of NWTF

• Current Research: Wild Turkey Ecology in Western Nebraska (AWESM Lab)

Carlie Gizel [website]

Dr. Andrew Little [academic profile, @awesmlabdoc]

Nathan Pflueger [website]

AWESM Lab [website, @awesmlab]

Nebraska Pheasants Forever [website, @pheasants_quailforever_of_ne]

Watch these podcasts on YouTube

If you enjoy this podcast, leave a rating and review so others can find us!

We are dedicated to bringing important information and new ideas to listeners just like you. Help us keep WildAg going by donating to the podcast: https://nufoundation.org/fund/01155570/

Or, learn more about how your organization can sponsor episodes: https://awesmlab.unl.edu/wildag-sponsorship/

Music by Humans Win

Produced and edited by Iris McFarlin

Is the cause of quail decline because turkeys are eating them? Join us as we sit down with Dr. Mark McConnell to bust this myth…

Resources:

Check out Dr. McConnell's Gamebird Podcast (Here)!

Dr. Mark McConnell (Contact)

MSU Gamebird Extension (Facebook) (Instagram) (YouTube)

We got bug problems | Ep 73 (Watch Here)

Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab

We've launched our second online wild turkey course ! Enroll in Wild Turkey Manager: Biology, History & Habitat to learn about the principal biology, mating, behavior, food selection, human dimensions, hunter interactions, and historical context of wild turkeys. This course is accredited by the Society of American Foresters as a Category 2 course worth 7 Continuing Forestry Education credits. Participants can also earn up to 5 CEUs in Category I of The Wildlife Society's Certified Wildlife Biologist Program. Enroll now: https://tinyurl.com/WildTurkeyManagerBio

Be sure to check out our first comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Earn up to 20.5 CFE hours! Enroll Now!

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF Game Lab @ufgamelab, YouTube

Want to help wild turkey conservation? Please take our quick survey to take part in our research!

Do you have a topic you'd like us to cover? Leave us a review or send us an email at [email protected]!

Watch these podcasts on YouTube

Please help us by taking our (quick) listener survey - Thank you!

Check out the DrDisturbance YouTube channel! DrDisturbance YouTube

Want to help support the podcast? Our friends at Grounded Brand have an option to donate directly to Wild Turkey Science at checkout. Thank you in advance for your support!

Leave a podcast rating for a chance to win free gear!

This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to turkeysfortomorrow.org.

Music by Artlist.io

Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak

In this episode of Gamebird University, hosts James Callicutt and Brian Davis sit down with Dr. Scott Stephens, Senior Director of Prairie and Boreal Conservation Strategy with Ducks Unlimited, for a timely and thought-provoking conversation on duck breeding, population trends, and the future of waterfowl conservation. The trio explores the sharp declines in duck populations since 2015 and unpacks the critical role that prairie breeding grounds—especially small wetlands and intact grasslands—play in sustaining duck numbers. Scott shares insights from decades of research and conservation strategy, highlighting how environmental conditions, habitat loss, and climate variability are reshaping the waterfowl landscape. The discussion covers the complex interplay between habitat availability, agricultural practices, and conservation economics, emphasizing the importance of working with private landowners and leveraging programs that support voluntary conservation. They also examine harvest management in the context of declining populations, underscoring the need for adaptive approaches that reflect habitat conditions on the ground. Throughout the episode, listeners will gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms driving duck population dynamics and the urgent need for collaborative, landscape-scale conservation. From duck stamp funding to community engagement, this conversation reinforces why safeguarding waterfowl habitats across the Prairie and Boreal regions is more important than ever—for hunters, landowners, and future generations alike.

Today we discuss arguably the most important topic facing our working forests, that of the excess supply of small-diameter timber. Shaun and Brady are joined by Dr. Matthew Pelkki, Director of the Center for Forest Business at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

He discusses the consequences of not finding market outlets for this material, both economic and ecological, and walks us through several alternative futures that could help in dealing with this wicked problem that will require multiple solutions to ultimately bring our forests back in balance in the near and longer term. The purpose is to provide the listener with items that they promote to their policymakers and legislators to help smooth the expansion of existing and creation of new end use markets that utilize already developed technologies that are ready to scale.

For More on UAM''s Center for Forest Business, please click the link below.

https://www.uamont.edu/academics/CFANR/acfb.html

In this episode of Gamebird University, hosts James Callicutt and Mark McConnell sit down with Dr. Frank Rohwer, President and Chief Scientist of Delta Waterfowl, for a wide-ranging conversation about waterfowl research, management, and conservation. The trio reflects on Frank's long career—from his early academic days at LSU to leading Delta's scientific programs—and explores the questions and challenges in understanding duck behavior and habitat use. They talk about how weather and temperature shape ducks' movements and foraging habits, sharing surprising insights about when ducks feed, move, and seek refuge across varying temperatures. The conversation delves into advances in GPS and transmitter technology that have opened new windows into waterfowl movements, as well as long-running studies of ring-necked ducks that reveal unexpected connections between southern wintering areas and western boreal breeding grounds. Throughout the episode, the group explores new methods for assessing duck production, including the use of drones and thermal imaging to locate nests, track brood survival, and measure reproductive success. They also discuss the role of predator management in boosting duck production and the growing focus across wildlife disciplines on making conservation more cost effective. The puzzling range expansion of black-bellied whistling ducks emerges as a point of discussion, along with questions about the species' ecology and its future impacts across southern landscapes. The conversation also touches on the role ducks, quail, and pheasants play as vital ecosystem services that benefit rural economies and wildlife heritage. At its heart, this episode captures the deep connections between hunters, researchers, and their dogs, reminding listeners why waterfowl conservation matters—not just for its ecological benefits, but for the traditions, stories, and shared passions that accompany it.

Freshwater mussels are important animals in a healthy aquatic ecosystem but they are facing widespread declines in Kansas and throughout their native ranges. Join Joe and Drew as they discuss freshwater mussel life history characteristics, how humans have used them in the past, and steps you can take to help ensure they persist for future generations.

Dr. Joe Gerken and Dr. Drew Ricketts are extension specialists and faculty members in the Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management Program at Kansas State University. Find out more about the program at http://hnr.k-state.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/wildlife-outdoor-management.html

Watch the podcast on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@KSREWildlife