Wild Turkey Science

In this episode, we dive into the controversies and complexities of decoy use while turkey hunting. Join as we discuss the biological implications of using decoys, trends in decoy adoption among hunters, the relationship between decoy usage and hunter success, preliminary results from Will's study, and more.

Resources:

Butler, A. B., & Wang, G. (2022). Connecting hunt outcomes to the demographics, behaviors, and experiences of wild turkey hunters in Mississippi. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 46(2), e1268.

Deer & Turkey Hunting Survey (Dr. Zachary Steele)

Pre-enroll for our online wild turkey training course!

Ep 65 | Snoods, feathers, and the Turkey Brotherhood

Ep 68 | Longer the snood, bigger the brood

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources [SCDNR]. (2018). 2018 avid South Carolina turkey hunter survey. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Columbia, SC. 27pp.

Survey Plot: Percentage of respondents using decoys

New, comprehensive online wild turkey course launching - Pre-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 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!

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

Check out the NEW DrDisturbance YouTube channel! DrDisturbance YouTube

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Get a 10% discount at Grounded Brand by using the code 'TurkeyScience' at checkout!

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

Over 700 birds studied, 400 nesting attempts monitored, 100 broods followed, and in collaboration with over 250 landowners…all on private lands?! In today's episode, we are joined by Hannah Plumpton and Chris Kreh, Upland Game Bird Biologist and Assistant Chief for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. They disclose preliminary results from their massive statewide turkey research project across North Carolina, and share trends across harvest, population, nesting success, survival rates, and policy regulations.

Resources:

Game and Furbearer Program

Highlights from the North Carolina Wild Turkey Ecology Research Project 2020–2024

How to measure turkey nesting cover

Lashley, M. A. (2014). The importance of including natural variability in fire prescriptions: Fruits, forages, and White-tailed Deer space use. North Carolina State University.

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

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.

Review of Wild Turkey Data and Management

What does nesting cover look like? | Ep 121

Wild Turkey Webpage

Wildlife Feeding & Baiting in North Carolina (Report)

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

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

Hannah Plumpton (Contact)

Chris Kreh (Contact)

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF Game Lab @ufgamelab, 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!

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!

Get a 10% discount at Grounded Brand by using the code 'TurkeyScience' at checkout!

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

How much area are these gobblers using? What does the literature say? Join us as we dive into the published science on home ranges for each subspecies and share preliminary results from our research tracking Osceola movement.

Resources:

Cohen, B. S., et al. (2015). Space use, movements, and habitat selection of translocated eastern wild turkeys in northwestern Louisiana. In Proceedings of the National Wild Turkey Symposium (Vol. 11, pp. 165-174).

Craft, R. A. (1986). Characteristics and use of wild turkey roost sites in southcentral South Dakota.

Davis, A., et al. (2018). Landscape-abundance relationships of male Eastern Wild Turkeys Meleagris gallopavo silvestris in Mississippi, USA. Acta ornithologica, 52(2), 127-139.

De La Cruz, J. L. (2012). Habitat Selection of Male Eastern Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) in West Virginia.

Fleming, W. H., & Webb, L. G. (1973). Home range, dispersal and habitat utilization of wild turkey gobblers during the breeding season. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department.

Grisham, B. A., et al. (2008). Spatial ecology and survival of male wild turkeys in a bottomland hardwood forest. In Proceedings of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Vol. 62, pp. 70-76).

Gross, J. T. (2014). Assessing movements and ecology of male wild turkeys during spring reproductive and hunting seasons using micro-GPS technology (Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia).

Gross, J. T., et al. (2015). Space use, daily movements, and roosting behavior of male wild turkeys during spring in Louisiana and Texas.

Hall, G. I., et al. (2006). Rio Grande wild turkey home ranges in the southern Great Plains. In Proceedings of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Vol. 60, pp. 36-42).

Hoffman, R. W. (1991). Spring movements, roosting activities, and home-range characteristics of male Merriam's wild turkey. The Southwestern Naturalist, 332-337.

Hurst, G. A., et al. (1991). Wild turkey gobbler habitat use and home range in loblolly pine plantations. In Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Vol. 45, pp. 115-123).

Isabelle, J. L. (2010). Survival, home range size, habitat selection, and reproductive ecology of eastern wild turkeys in east Texas. Stephen F. Austin State University.

Lambert, E. P. (1986). Home range, movements, and habitat use of the eastern wild turkey in commercially managed pine forests of southeast Louisiana. Southeastern Louisiana University.

Lutz, R. S., & Crawford, J. A. (1989). Habitat use and selection and home ranges of Merriam's wild turkey in Oregon. The Great Basin Naturalist, 252-258.

Porter, W. F. (1977). Home range dynamics of wild turkeys in southeastern Minnesota. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 434-437.

Rauch, S. E. (2009). Home range characteristics of the male eastern wild turkey in West Virginia. West Virginia University.

Ruttinger, J. A. (2013). Habitat and roost site seleciton by male eastern wild turkeys in southwestern Georgia (Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia).

Wightman, P. H. (2022). Influence of Predation Risk on the Ecology of Male Eastern Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) (Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia).

Wigley, T. B., Sweeney, J. M., Garner, M. E., & Melchiors, M. A. (1986). Wild turkey home ranges in the Ouachita Mountains. The Journal of wildlife management, 540-544.

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

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

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF Game Lab @ufgamelab, 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!

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!

Get a 10% discount at Grounded Brand by using the code 'TurkeyScience' at checkout!

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

Welp, he would sit in the blind for hours on end next to a nesting hen to collect intricate details about her every move and behavior. Listen in as we cover all aspects of his pioneering nest behavior work.

Resources:

DrDisturbance #WildTurkeyHistory (video series)

Ideal Nesting Cover | Ep 121

Illumination in the Flatwoods, by Joe Hutto

Little House in the Flatwoods | Ep 87

The Book of the Wild Turkey, by Lovett Williams

You Need to Monitor Nesting Cover (video)

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

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

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF Game Lab @ufgamelab, 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!

Get a 10% discount at Grounded Brand by using the code 'TurkeyScience' at checkout!

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

Will leads us on another deep dive, this time focused on roosting behavior. Join as we journey through the available literature on roost site habitat preferences, roosting behavior, factors influencing roost site selection, roosting patterns, roost site fidelity, and the impact of habitat quality on their movements.

Resources:

Adey, E. A., et al. (2023). Seasonal roost selection of wild turkeys at their northern range edge. Wildlife Biology, 2024(1), e01133.

Byrne, M. E., et al. (2015). Potential density dependence in wild turkey productivity in the southeastern United States. In Proceedings of the National Wild Turkey Symposium (Vol. 11, pp. 329-351).

Chamberlain, M.J., B.D. Leopold, and L.W. Burger. 2000. Characteristics of roost sites of adult wild turkey females. Journal of Wildlife Management 64:1025-1032.

Exum, J. H., et al. (1987). Ecology of the wild turkey in an intensively managed pine forest in southern Alabama. Tall Timbers Res. Sta. Bull, (23).

Fleming, W.H., and E.G. Webb. 1974. Home range, dispersal and habitat utilization of eastem wild turkey gobblers during the breeding season. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeastem Association of Game and Fish Commissioners 28:623-632.

Gross, J. T., et al. (2015). Movements of wild turkey hunters during spring in Louisiana. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 2(127), 130.

Kilpatrick, H. J., Husband, T. P., & Pringle, C. A. (1988). Winter roost site characteristics of eastern wild turkeys. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 461-463.

Kimmel, F. G., & Zwank, P. J. (1985). Habitat selection and nesting responses to spring flooding by eastern wild turkey hens in Louisiana. In Proceedings of the National Wild Turkey Symposium (Vol. 5, pp. 155-171).

Mosby, H. S., & Handley, C. O. (1943). The wild turkey in Virginia: its status, life history and management.

Sasmal, I., et al. (2018). Eastern wild turkey roost-site selection in a fire-maintained longleaf pine ecosystem. Southeastern Naturalist, 17(3), 371-380.

Smith, W.P., and R.D. Teitelbaum (1986). Habitat use by eastern wild turkey hens in south‐eastern Louisiana. In Proc Annu Conf Southeast Assoc Fish Wildl Agencies (Vol. 40, pp. 405-415).

Smith, D.R., G.A. Hurst, J.D.Burk, B.D. Leopold, and M.A. Melchiors. 1990. Use of loblolly pine plantations by wild turkey hens in east central Mississippi. Proceedings of the National Wild Turkey Symposium 6:61-66.

Wakefield, C. T., et al. (2020). Hunting and nesting phenology influence gobbling of wild turkeys. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 84(3), 448-457.

@DrDisturbance IG Post

How to measure turkey nesting cover (Video)

Inside the Turkey Poult Facility (Video)

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

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

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF Game Lab @ufgamelab, 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!

Get a 10% discount at Grounded Brand by using the code 'TurkeyScience' at checkout!

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

Will walks us through a thought experiment, pulling from his Wild Turkey Management Academy presentation, to portray the magnitude effect that quality habitat has on gobbler populations. Join us for napkin math as we break down the numbers on how comprehensive habitat quality affects nesting success, brood survival, and wild turkey populations.

Resources:

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

Porter, W. F. (1992). Habitat analysis and assessment. The Wild Turkey: Biology and Management, 187.

Speake, Daniel W. "Predation on wild turkeys in Alabama." 4th National Wild Turkey Symposium. Little Rock, Arkansas (USA). 2-5 Mar 1980.. 1980.

What does nesting cover look like? Ep 121

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

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

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF Game Lab @ufgamelab, 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!

Get a 10% discount at Grounded Brand by using the code 'TurkeyScience' at checkout!

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

Strap in for another research review as we dive into scientific studies assessing characteristics of effective nesting sites. We discuss the critical aspects of nesting cover for wild turkeys, the dilemma of habitat preference versus availability, and the implications of these factors on turkey population success.

Resources:

What does wild turkey nesting cover look like? (video)

Crawford, J. C., et al. (2021). Wild turkey nest success in pine‐dominated forests of the southeastern United States. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 85(3), 498-507.

Everett Jr., D. D. (1982). Factors limiting populations of wild turkeys on state wildlife management areas in north Alabama. Auburn University.

Habitat Management = Predator Management | #66

Johnson, V. M., et al. (2022). Nest site selection and survival of wild turkeys in Tennessee. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 9, 134-143.

Kilburg, Eric L., et al. "Wild turkey nest survival and nest‐site selection in the presence of growing‐season prescribed fire." The Journal of Wildlife Management 78.6 (2014): 1033-1039.

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

Porter, W. F. (1992). Habitat analysis and assessment. The Wild Turkey: Biology and Management, 187.

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.

Speake, Daniel W. "Predation on wild turkeys in Alabama." 4th National Wild Turkey Symposium. Little Rock, Arkansas (USA). 2-5 Mar 1980.. 1980.

Thogmartin, W. E., & Johnson, J. E. (1999). Reproduction in a declining population of wild turkeys in Arkansas. The Journal of wildlife management, 1281-1290.

Wild Turkey Management Academy (March 8th) Get your tickets now!

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

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

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF Game Lab @ufgamelab, 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!

Get a 10% discount at Grounded Brand by using the code 'TurkeyScience' at checkout!

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. Craig Harper re-joins the podcast to share preliminary results from his on-going research comparing dormant, early-, mid-, and late-growing season fire treatments and assessing their effects on plant communities and wildlife, including turkeys and deer.

Resources:

Gruchy, J. P. (2007). An evaluation of field management practices to improve bobwhite habitat.

Gruchy, J. P., & Harper, C. A. (2014). Effects of field management practices on northern bobwhite habitat. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 1(1), 133-141.

Harper, C. A., et al. (2016). Fire effects on wildlife in the Central Hardwoods and Appalachian regions, USA. Fire Ecology, 12, 127-159.

Johnson, V. M., et al. (2022). Nest site selection and survival of wild turkeys in Tennessee. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 9, 134-143.

Kilburg, E. L., et al. (2014). Wild turkey nest survival and nest‐site selection in the presence of growing‐season prescribed fire. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 78(6), 1033-1039.

Kilburg, E. L., et al. (2015). Wild turkey prenesting-resource selection in a landscape managed with frequent prescribed fire. Southeastern Naturalist, 14(1), 137-146.

McCord, J. M., et al. (2014). Brood cover and food resources for wild turkeys following silvicultural treatments in mature upland hardwoods. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 38(2), 265-272.

Powell, B. L., et al. (2025). Changes in Plant Composition Following Disturbance in Restored Native Early Successional Communities. Rangeland Ecology & Management, 98, 480-489.

Turner, M. A., et al. (2020). Improving coastal plain hardwoods for deer and turkeys with canopy reduction and fire. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 44(4), 705-712.

Turner, M. A., et al. (2025). Effect of growing season fire timing on oak regeneration. Fire Ecology, 21(1), 6.

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

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

Dr. Craig Harper Website, Publications

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF Game Lab @ufgamelab, 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!

Get a 10% discount at Grounded Brand by using the code 'TurkeyScience' at checkout!

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. Corey Callaghan, Assistant Professor of Wild Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida, joins us to discuss the dynamics of citizen science and how data collected by bird watchers and turkey hunters can contribute to wildlife research. Be sure to download the eBird app in the show notes below to help us double the turkey observations this season!

Resources:

Callaghan, C. T., et al. (2021). Global abundance estimates for 9,700 bird species. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Deer University

eBird

Florida Wildlife Corridor

iNaturalist

Merlin Bird ID

Natural Resources University Network

NWTF Proposal Application

Snapshot USA

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

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

Dr. Corey Callaghan 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!

Get a 10% discount at Grounded Brand by using the code 'TurkeyScience' at checkout!

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

Bob Long, Wild Turkey and Upland Game Bird Project Manager for the Maryland DNR, joins us to share insights on the state's turkey populations, historical trends, current challenges, and details on their on-going comprehensive, multi-state wide turkey research project.

Resources:

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Maryland Turkey Hunting Season and Regulations

MD Wild Turkey Information (including Summer Survey)

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

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

Bob Long, Contact

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!

Get a 10% discount at Grounded Brand by using the code 'TurkeyScience' at checkout!

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