Wild Turkey Science

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 biological fitness, which traits influence sexual selection, and how this information can help us strategize research for better management...

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 on male survival.    Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund     Resources: Wightman, P. H., et al. (2024)....

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 objectives with one flame.  Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund   Resources: Boone, W. W., et al. (2024). Frequent prescr...

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 by hunter harvest, the intricacies of the turkey brotherhood, and much more.  Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund ,...

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 predation, and discuss four studies that would answer most of our questions related to the current decline in wild turkey populations. Donate to wild...

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 discuss why that may or may not translate into more turkeys on the landscape. Donate to wild turkey research:  UF Turkey Donation Fund , Aubu...

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: Habitat for the Hatch Women in the Outdoors Wheelin' Sportsman JAKES Program Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. Cocktails and Conversation...

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 with  Turkeys for Tomorrow's citizen-science land management today.   TFT: Facebook , Instagram , Twitter   Please help us by taking our...

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 us by taking our (QUICK) listener survey - Thank you! https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VR10xcKOMTvZH0   Dr. Marcus Lashley ( @DrDisturbance ) ( Academic...

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 by taking our (QUICK) listener survey below. Thank you in advance! https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VR10xcKOMTvZH0   Resources: I lease land…what ab...

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 Forest Conditions document Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture   Dr. Marcus Lashley ( @DrDisturbance ) ( Academic Profile ) Dr. Will...

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 Forest Conditions document Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture   Dr. Marcus Lashley ( @DrDisturbance ) ( Academic Profile ) Dr. Will...

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 which potential factors are bottlenecking brood survival.   Turkey Newsletter 2023   Dr. Andy Little ( Publications ) ( IG ) ( X ) AWESM Lab ( Website ) ( IG ) (...

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 flow made possible by hunter-donated feathers. And finally, a look into Will's next project inspired by our listeners.   Resources: AL Update: Is ther...

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 Youngmann, et al. (2023). Assessing springtime vertebrate prey of sympatric mesopredators in the southeastern United States using metabarcoding an...

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: Bogdziewicz, M., Crone, E. E., Steele, M. A., & Zwolak, R. (2017). E...

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, M., Crone, E. E., Steele, M. A., & Zwolak, R. (2017). Effects of nitrogen deposition on reproduction in a masting tree: benefits of higher seed producti...

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. Burk et al. (1990). Wild turkey use of streamside management zones in loblolly pine plantations. In Proceedings of the National...

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 regulations, challenges they faced as biologists, and thoughts on why we're seeing declines today.   Dr. Larry Vangilder , Eric...

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 your land.    Resources: Brooke, J. M., Basinger, P. S., Birckhead, J. L., Lashley, M. A., McCord, J. M., Nanney, J. S...

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. J. (2018). Human–nature interactions and the consequences and drivers of provisioning wildlife. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences...

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 )  UF DEER Lab ( @ufdeerlab ) ( YouTube )   Watch these podcasts on YouTube: Wil...

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 these risks for turkeys moving forward.   Resources: Cooper, S. M., & Ginnett, T. F. (2000). Potential effects of supplemental feeding of deer on nest pre...

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   Dr. Marcus Lashley ( @DrDisturbance ) ( Academic Profile ) Dr. Will Gulsby ( @dr_will_gulsby ) ( Academic Profile ) Turkeys for Tomorrow ( @turkeysfortomorrow )  UF DEER Lab ( @ufdeerlab ) ( YouTube )   Watch these p...

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 research and political science moving forward. Listen to Part 1 of this episode here: https://sites.libsyn.com/453219/can...