Wild Turkey Science

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 this one.

• Isabelle, J. L., et al. (2018). Considerations for timing of spring wild turkey hunting seasons in the southeastern United States. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 5, 106-113.

• Kurzejeski, Eric W., and L. D. Vangilder. "Population management." The wild turkey: biology and management. Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA (1992): 165-184.

• Londe, David W., et al. "Review of range‐wide vital rates quantifies eastern wild Turkey population trajectory." Ecology and Evolution 13.2 (2023): e9830.

• Quehl, J. O., et al. (2024). Assessing wild turkey productivity before and after a 14-day delay in the start date of the spring hunting season in Tennessee. Ecology and Evolution, 14, e11390.

• Vangilder, Larry D., and Eric W. Kurzejeski. "Population ecology of the eastern wild turkey in northern Missouri." Wildlife Monographs (1995): 3-50.

• Watts, C. R., & Stokes, A. W. (1971). The social order of turkeys. Scientific American, 224(6), 112-119.

Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF DEER Lab @ufdeerlab, YouTube

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

Check out the NEW DrDisturbance YouTube channel! DrDisturbance YouTube

Watch these podcasts on YouTube

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.

Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family.

Music by Artlist.io

Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak

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 no effect on any of the 8 vital rates they measured.

Quehl, J. O., et al. (2024). Assessing wild turkey productivity before and after a 14-day delay in the start date of the spring hunting season in Tennessee. Ecology and Evolution, 14, e11390.

Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund

Dr. Craig Harper Website, Publications

Dr. Dave Buehler Website, Publications

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF DEER Lab @ufdeerlab, YouTube

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

Check out the NEW DrDisturbance YouTube channel! DrDisturbance YouTube

Watch these podcasts on YouTube

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.

Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family.

Music by Artlist.io

Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak

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, and a general rule of thumb for how many gobblers to harvest on your property.

Resources:

• How Many Gobblers Should I Take? (Article)

• Isabelle, J. L., et al. (2018). Considerations for timing of spring wild turkey hunting seasons in the southeastern United States. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 5, 106-113.

• Wild turkey population dynamics and what the manipulative study of season dates in Mississippi tells us about the role of hunting, ft. Adam Butler | #02

Adam Butler Contact, MDWFP

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Academic Profile

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Academic Profile

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF DEER Lab @ufdeerlab, YouTube

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

Check out the NEW DrDisturbance YouTube channel! DrDisturbance YouTube

Watch these podcasts on YouTube

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.

Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family.

Music by Artlist.io

Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak

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 Donation Fund

Resources:

• Krakauer, A. H. (2005). Kin selection and cooperative courtship in wild turkeys. Nature, 434(7029), 69-72.

• Krakauer, A. H. (2008). Sexual selection and the genetic mating system of wild turkeys. The Condor, 110(1), 1-12.

• Watts, C. R., & Stokes, A. W. (1971). The social order of turkeys. Scientific American, 224(6), 112-119.

Dr. Alan Krakauer Website, Academic Profile

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Academic Profile

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Academic Profile

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF DEER Lab @ufdeerlab, YouTube

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

Check out the NEW DrDisturbance YouTube channel! DrDisturbance YouTube

Watch these podcasts on YouTube

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

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 turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund

Resources:

• Honeycomb Custom Calls

• Red-capped manakin bird

Dr. Dwayne Elmore Tall Timbers, Academic Profile

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Academic Profile

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Academic Profile

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF DEER Lab @ufdeerlab, YouTube

Please help us by taking our (QUICK) listener survey - Thank you! https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VR10xcKOMTvZH0

Check out the NEW DrDisturbance YouTube channel! DrDisturbance YouTube

Watch these podcasts on YouTube: Wild Turkey Science YouTube

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.

Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family.

Music by Artlist.io

Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak

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 mitigate these effects for the wild turkey.

Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund

Resource:

• Blösch, S., et al. (2023). A systematic review on the effectiveness of crop architecture-related in-field measures for promoting ground-breeding farmland birds. Journal for Nature Conservation, 126515.

• DrDisturbance IG Post

• Haaland, C., et al. (2011). Sown wildflower strips for insect conservation: a review. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 4(1), 60-80.

• Powell, B. L., et al. (2022). Vegetation structure and food availability following disturbance in recently restored early successional plant communities. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 46(5), e1372.

• Schmidt, A., et al. (2022). Effects of perennial wildflower strips and landscape structure on birds in intensively farmed agricultural landscapes. Basic and Applied Ecology, 58, 15-25.

• Tallamy, D. W., & Shriver, W. G. (2021). Are declines in insects and insectivorous birds related? Ornithol Appl 123: duaa059.

• What is a forb? (Video)

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Academic Profile

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Academic Profile

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF DEER Lab @ufdeerlab, YouTube

Please help us by taking our (QUICK) listener survey - Thank you! https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VR10xcKOMTvZH0

Watch these podcasts on YouTube: Wild Turkey Science YouTube

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.

Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family.

Music by Artlist.io

Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak

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 hardwoods.

Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund

Resources:

• Burning during nesting | #19

• Nichols, R. A., et al. (2021). Alter fire timing to recouple forage nutrients with herbivore nutrient demands. Forest Ecology and Management, 500, 119646.

• Turner et al. (2024). Canopy reduction and fire seasonality effects on deer and turkey habitat in upland hardwoods. Forest Ecology and Management, 553, 121657.

Mark Turner @markturner442, Academic Profile

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Academic Profile

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Academic Profile

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF DEER Lab @ufdeerlab, YouTube

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

https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VR10xcKOMTvZH0

Watch these podcasts on YouTube: Wild Turkey Science YouTube

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.

Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family.

Music by Artlist.io

Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak

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 , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund

Resources:

• Goodwin, C. C., et al. (2024). Experimental infection of domestic turkeys with lymphoproliferative disease virus of North American origin. Veterinary Pathology.

• Krakauer, A. H. (2005). Kin selection and cooperative courtship in wild turkeys. Nature, 434(7029), 69-72.

• Nelson, S. D., et al. (2023). Age‐based shifts in habitat selection of wild turkey broods. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 87(8), e22494

• Wightman, P. H., et al. (2024). Survival and cause‐specific mortality of male wild turkeys across the southeastern United States. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 88(2), e22531.

Dr. Mike Chamberlain (@wildturkeydoc) (Wild Turkey Lab)

Dr. Marcus Lashley (@DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile)

Dr. Will Gulsby (@dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile)

Turkeys for Tomorrow (@turkeysfortomorrow)

UF DEER Lab (@ufdeerlab) (YouTube)

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

https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VR10xcKOMTvZH0

Watch these podcasts on YouTube: Wild Turkey Science YouTube

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.

Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family.

Music by Artlist.io

Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak

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 involved in cutting-edge egg research.

Dr. Rick Gerhold ([email protected]) (Academic Profile)

Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund

Dr. Marcus Lashley (@DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile)

Dr. Will Gulsby (@dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile)

Turkeys for Tomorrow (@turkeysfortomorrow)

UF DEER Lab (@ufdeerlab) (YouTube)

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

https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VR10xcKOMTvZH0

Watch these podcasts on YouTube: Wild Turkey Science YouTube

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.

Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family.

Music by Artlist.io

Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak

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: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund

Tes Jolly (@jovtes)

Dr. Marcus Lashley (@DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile)

Dr. Will Gulsby (@dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile)

Turkeys for Tomorrow (@turkeysfortomorrow)

UF DEER Lab (@ufdeerlab) (YouTube)

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

https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VR10xcKOMTvZH0

Watch these podcasts on YouTube: Wild Turkey Science YouTube

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.

Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family.

Music by Artlist.io

Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak