Wild Turkey Science

Dr. Colter Chitwood re-joins the podcast to give us an update of the on-going turkey research in the state of Oklahoma. Learn details of the hunter-led work estimating vital rates to increase poult per hen ratios, and learn how state-wide genetics can help us understand turkey movement across the landscape. Dr. Colter Chitwood ( Academic Profile ) Dr. Marcus Lashley ( DrDisturbance ) ( Academic Pr...

In this episode, we review our episodes on the density-dependence hypothesis, what we learned from conversations with experts, and implications this may have on management of the wild turkey moving forward.  Papers: Bond, Bobby T., et al. "Thirty-year case study showing a negative relationship between population and reproductive indices of eastern wild turkeys in Georgia." Georgia Journal of Scien...

In this episode, we give you an update on the ongoing projects in Alabama including preliminary results on which gobblers can breed, the most common predators of nests, effects of hunting on gobbling, and more.  Paper: Proportion of tom's had testes large enough that they could breed Dr. Marcus Lashley ( DrDisturbance ) ( Academic Profile ) Dr. Will Gulsby ( dr_will_gulsby ) ( Academic Profile ) T...

Is density dependence operating on wild turkeys? Dr. Bret Collier walks us through his point of view on density dependence and whether it is responsible for observed changes in turkey populations. We cover a lot of ground and discuss various aspects of wild turkey biology from many studies and regions.  Papers  Byrne, M. E., Chamberlain, M. J., & Collier, B. A. (2015). Potential density dependence...

What is density-dependence and could it be driving the patterns we're seeing in declining populations? Dr. Mark McConnell joins Marcus and Will to pull knowledge from research on density-dependence in upland game bird species and how these factors may affect wild turkey populations. Papers: Byrne, Michael E., et al. "Nest site fidelity and nesting success of female wild turkeys." Wildlife Society...

What does the available wild turkey research tell us and what gaps need to be filled moving forward? Dr. Chitwood walks us through 50+ years of published literature on eastern wild turkey vital rates. They literally incorporated all of the vital rates published on easterns into a model, to determine the status of population trajectories, and identify which factor was most important in driving thos...

It's obvious that we need to do something about poult-rearing cover. What are the opportunities for you to help on land you don't own? Join Marcus and Will as they discuss what desirable brooding cover looks like, how to achieve it, and how and where our listeners have improved turkey habitat on the places they hunt. This is a bonus episode for the tremendous feedback and questions received relate...

While at the Southeast Deer Study Group, Marcus and Will sit down to reflect on the recent predation episodes. They discuss key takeaways, lessons learned, and where mindsets began to shift. Paper: Palmer, William E., et al. "Effect of field borders and nest‐predator reduction on abundance of northern bobwhites." Wildlife Society Bulletin 33.4 (2005): 1398-1405. Dr. Marcus Lashley ( DrDisturbance...

200 private landowners, 25,000+ acres of private land, years of data… on hundreds of birds!?! If you live or hunt in North Carolina this episode is a must-listen! Dr. Chris Moorman joins Marcus and Will to reveal details on a unique, multi-regional wild turkey research project taking place in the state of North Carolina. Stay tuned for a later NC research update for details on how the project is p...

Dr. Bret Collier joins Marcus and Will to challenge the status quo of how we view wild turkey nest predation. Bringing a new perspective to how we define predators, Dr. Collier breaks down our conventional approach, while proposing a few new methods, to controlling wild turkey predation. Resources from the episode: Byrne, Michael E., and Michael J. Chamberlain. "Seasonal space use and habitat sele...

With limited research on wild turkey predator trapping, Marcus and Will turn to Dr. Dwayne Elmore for his professional and personal experience with predator trapping across various game bird species. Join as they pull and apply concepts from the available body of literature to help us further understand predator control for wild turkeys.  Resources from the episode: Ellis‐Felege, Susan N., et al....

Marcus and Will delve deeper into the research on wild turkey predator trapping. Join as they break down key findings, interpret study designs, discuss strengths and limitations, and continue the conversation of controversy surrounding wild turkey predator trapping. Resources from the episode: Speake, Daniel W. "Predation on wild turkeys in Alabama." 4th National Wild Turkey Symposium. Little Rock...

What eats turkeys? Has the predator context changed? We give you a look from the literature, historical writings, discuss underrepresented predators, and breakdown important concepts in predator prey dynamics. Resources from the episode: Chitwood et al. 2020. Raccoon Vigilance and Activity Patterns When Sympatric with Coyotes Gulsby et al. 2017 Landscape heterogeneity reduces coyote predation on w...

Thank you for the overwhelmingly positive feedback. We felt compelled to address major themes in the questions y'all gave us from the first topic series. Here we address several major questions and also highlight things brought to our attention by the audience. Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family. Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donatio...

Is the science settled? Will and Marcus have a deep discussion about what we learned from the first few episodes, what data we have, what is missing, and where we should go from here. Paper: Considerations for Timing of Spring Wild Turkey Hunting Seasons in the Southeastern United States Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family. Donate to wild turkey...

In this episode, Dr. Mike Chamberlain discusses various aspects of wild turkey biology and ecology, signs of problems across many states, how hunter harvest could be contributing to wild turkey decline, and potential solutions. Paper: Status and distribution of wild turkeys in theUnited States in 2019 Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family. Click he...

In this episode, Adam Butler gives us an historical context for wild turkey population dynamics and reveals results from the ongoing season date manipulation across several wild turkey populations in Mississippi.  Paper: Considerations for Timing of Spring Wild Turkey Hunting Seasons in the Southeastern United States  Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and...

In this episode, Dr. Craig Harper fills us in on their experimental manipulation of season dates across several counties in Tennessee and how it affected wild turkey productivity. We also cover several topics that are critical to understand about wild turkey populations. Papers: Nest-site Selection and Survival of Wild Turkeys in Tennessee Vegetation structure and food availability following distu...

In our inaugural episode, Marcus and Will discuss what we are trying to accomplish with this podcast and how it was made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow. Help us help turkeys by subscribing and sharing with your friends and family. Click here to donate to wild turkey research. Dr. Marcus Lashley ( DrDisturbance ) Dr. Will Gulsby ( dr_will_gulsby ) UF DEER Lab ( ufdeerlab ) Turkeys for Tomorrow (...

Here is a sneak peak of the upcoming episodes of Wild Turkey Science. Subscribe now because it's going to get intense quick! Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family. Click here to donate to wild turkey research. Dr. Marcus Lashley ( DrDisturbance ) Dr. Will Gulsby ( dr_will_gulsby ) Turkeys for Tomorrow ( turkeysfortomorrow ) UF DEER Lab ( ufdeerlab...