Wild Turkey Science

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 in wild turkey productivity in the southeastern United States. In Proceedings of the National Wild Turkey Symposium (Vol. 11, pp. 329-351). Collier, B. A., Melton, K. B., Hardin, J. B., Silvy, N. J., & Peterson, M. J. (2009). Impact of reproductive effort on survival of Rio Grande wild turkey Meleagris gallop intermedia hens in Texas. Wildlife Biology, 15(4), 370-379. Randel, C. J., Aguirre, R., Jones, D. A., Schaap, J. N., Willsey, B. J., Peterson, M. J., & Silvy, N. J. (2005). Nesting ecology of Rio Grande wild turkey in the Edwards Plateau of Texas. In Proceedings of the National Wild Turkey Symposium (Vol. 9, pp. 37-243). Schwertner, T. W., Peterson, M. J., & Silvy, N. J. (2007). Effect of precipitation on Rio Grande wild turkey poult production in Texas. In Proceedings of the National Wild Turkey Symposium (Vol. 9, pp. 127-132). Dr. Bret Collier (drshortspur) (Academic Profile) Dr. Marcus Lashley (DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile) Dr. Will Gulsby (dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile) Turkeys for Tomorrow (turkeysfortomorrow) UF DEER Lab (ufdeerlab) Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund 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. Produced by Charlotte Nowak

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 Bulletin 46.2 (2022): e1279. Guthrie, Joshua D., et al. "Evaluation of a global positioning system backpack transmitter for wild turkey research." The Journal of Wildlife Management 75.3 (2011): 539-547. Londe, David W., et al. "Review of range‐wide vital rates quantifies eastern wild Turkey population trajectory." Ecology and Evolution 13.2 (2023): e9830. McGhee, Jay D., and James M. Berkson. "Estimation of a nonlinear density-dependence parameter for wild turkey." The Journal of wildlife management 71.3 (2007): 706-712. McGhee, Jay D., and Jim Berkson. "Correlation of eastern wild turkey poult: hen ratios with population indices to detect reproductive density dependence." Virginia Journal of Science 58.3 (2007): 3. Stevens, Bryan S., et al. "Structural uncertainty limits generality of fall harvest strategies for wild turkeys." The Journal of Wildlife Management 81.4 (2017): 617-628. Taylor II, Jimmy D., et al. "Seasonal survival and cause-specific mortality of northern bobwhites in Mississippi." National Quail Symposium Proceedings. Vol. 4. No. 1. 2000. Vangilder, Larry D., and Eric W. Kurzejeski. "Population ecology of the eastern wild turkey in northern Missouri." Wildlife Monographs (1995): 3-50. Dr. Mark McConnell (Academic Profile) Dr. Marcus Lashley (DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile) Dr. Will Gulsby (dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile) Turkeys for Tomorrow (turkeysfortomorrow) UF DEER Lab (ufdeerlab) Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund 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. Produced by Charlotte Nowak

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 those trajectories. This is the first release of the only known, all-inclusive meta-analysis on the wild turkey, so tune in, it is powerful. If you're thinking nesting or brooding success…think again. Paper: Londe, David W., et al. "Review of range‐wide vital rates quantifies eastern wild Turkey population trajectory." Ecology and Evolution 13.2 (2023): e9830. Figures: Figure 01 Figure 02 Dr. Colter Chitwood (Academic Profile) Dr. Marcus Lashley (DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile) Dr. Will Gulsby (dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile) Turkeys for Tomorrow (turkeysfortomorrow) UF DEER Lab (ufdeerlab) Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund 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. Produced by Charlotte Nowak

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 related to this topic. 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) (Academic Profile) Dr. Will Gulsby (dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile) Turkeys for Tomorrow (turkeysfortomorrow) UF DEER Lab (ufdeerlab) Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund 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. Produced by Charlotte Nowak

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) (Academic Profile) Dr. Will Gulsby (dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile) Turkeys for Tomorrow (turkeysfortomorrow) UF DEER Lab (ufdeerlab) Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund 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. Produced by Charlotte Nowak

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 progressing. Dr. Chris Moorman (Academic Profile) Dr. Marcus Lashley (DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile) Dr. Will Gulsby (dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile) Turkeys for Tomorrow (turkeysfortomorrow) UF DEER Lab (ufdeerlab) Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fundv 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. Produced by Charlotte Nowak

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 selection of adult raccoons (Procyon lotor) in a Louisiana bottomland hardwood forest." The American midland naturalist 166.2 (2011): 426-434. Dreibelbis, Justin Z., et al. "Predation of Rio Grande wild turkey nests on the Edwards Plateau, Texas." The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120.4 (2008): 906-910. Fyffe, Nathan, et al. "Nesting perseverance by a female Gould's Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo mexicana) under multiple direct predation threats." The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 130.4 (2018): 1041-1047. Healy, W. M., and S. M. Powell. Wild turkey harvest management: biology, strategies, and techniques. US Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Technical Publication. BTP-R5001-1999, Washington DC, USA, 1999. Keever, Allison C., et al. "Early nest initiation and vegetation density enhance nest survival in Wild Turkeys: La iniciación temprana del nido y la densidad de la vegetación mejoran la supervivencia del nido en Meleagris gallopavo silvestris." Ornithology 140.1 (2023): ukac050. Schwertner, T. Wayne, Markus J. Peterson, and Nova J. Silvy. "Raccoon abundance and Rio Grande wild turkey production in central Texas." Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Vol. 58. 2004. Dr. Bret Collier (drshortspur) (Academic Profile) Dr. Marcus Lashley (DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile) Dr. Will Gulsby (dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile) Turkeys for Tomorrow (turkeysfortomorrow) UF DEER Lab (ufdeerlab) Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fundv 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. Produced by Charlotte Nowak

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. "Predator reduction results in compensatory shifts in losses of avian ground nests." Journal of Applied Ecology 49.3 (2012): 661-669. Messmer, Terry A., et al. "United States public attitudes regarding predators and their management to enhance avian recruitment." Wildlife Society Bulletin (1999): 75-85. Sanders, Heather Nicole. Impacts of invasive wild pigs on wild turkey reproductive success. Diss. Texas A&M University-Kingsville, 2017. Cooper, Susan M., and Tim F. Ginnett. "Potential effects of supplemental feeding of deer on nest predation." Wildlife Society Bulletin (2000): 660-666. Huang, Miranda HJ, et al. "Identifying Aflatoxin Exposure Risk from Supplemental Feeding of Deer." The Journal of Wildlife Diseases 58.2 (2022): 384-388. Dale, Leah L., Timothy J. O'Connell, and Dwayne Elmore. Aflatoxins in wildlife feed: Know how to protect wildlife. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, 2015. Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund Dr. Marcus Lashley (DrDisturbance) Dr. Will Gulsby (dr_will_gulsby) Turkeys for Tomorrow (turkeysfortomorrow) UF DEER Lab (ufdeerlab) 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. Produced by Charlotte Nowak

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, Arkansas (USA). 2-5 Mar 1980.. 1980. Williams Jr, L. E., D. H. Austin, and T. E. Peoples. "Turkey nesting success on a Florida study area." 4th National Wild Turkey Symposium. Little Rock, Arkansas (USA). 2-5 Mar 1980.. 1980. Gulsby, William D., et al. "White‐tailed deer fawn recruitment before and after experimental coyote removals in central Georgia." Wildlife Society Bulletin 39.2 (2015): 248-255. Smith, Rebecca K., et al. "Effectiveness of predator removal for enhancing bird populations." Conservation Biology 24.3 (2010): 820-829. Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund Dr. Marcus Lashley (DrDisturbance) Dr. Will Gulsby (dr_will_gulsby) Turkeys for Tomorrow (turkeysfortomorrow) UF DEER Lab (ufdeerlab) 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. Produced by Charlotte Nowak

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 white-tailed deer fawns Kelly et al. 2015. Seasonal and Spatial Variation in Diets of Coyotes in Central Georgia Nelson et al. 2022. Fine-scale resource selection and behavioral tradeoffs of eastern wild turkey broods Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund Dr. Marcus Lashley (DrDisturbance) Dr. Will Gulsby (dr_will_gulsby) Turkeys for Tomorrow (turkeysfortomorrow) UF DEER Lab (ufdeerlab) 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. Produced by Charlotte Nowak