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Are Our Turkeys in Trouble?

Are Our Turkeys in Trouble?

By Gordy J. Krahn

This is one of those good news/bad news things, and I always like to start with the good news. You know the story. Estimates put the pre-colonial North American wild turkey population as high as 10 million birds — until unregulated hunting and widespread land development nearly led to their extinction by the early 1900s. And then a wonderful thing happened. Through the considerable efforts of the National Wild Turkey Federation and other conservation groups — largely funded by sportsmen via the purchase of hunting licenses and taxes paid on hunting equipment — they made an incredible comeback to nearly 7 million birds. This spawned the modern Golden Age of wild turkey hunting, with populations thriving in all but one U.S. state (Alaska), several Canadian provinces and parts of Mexico.

OK, now the bad news. In recent years there has been a decline in the wild turkey population — down, in fact, to an estimated 6 to 6.2 million birds. While this decline might be cyclical or an indication that most wild turkey habitat niches have been filled, it warrants some concern about exactly what’s going on in the turkey woods. There are many possible explanations for this decline — but most likely it’s a combination of a variety of factors. Here are some of the most obvious.

Predation, of course, could be a culprit. With fur prices at historical lows following the fur market crash of 1987, and fewer trappers in the field during the three decades that followed, predator populations have increased and could certainly be affecting turkey populations — especially nest raiding critters such as raccoons and skunks.

Predator avoidance and nesting success is, of course, closely linked to high-quality habitat. Poor habitat with poor cover makes it easier for predators to locate nesting hens. Without significant recruitment, turkey numbers decline.

And then there’s carrying capacity — which is directly liked to habitat quality. Any given piece of ground can support only so much wildlife, and that includes turkeys. When carrying capacity is exceeded, food becomes scare, as does quality nesting habitat. This will affect a hen’s ability to successfully hatch or raise a brood. The likely outcome is that the number of birds on the property will decline, as predation loss exceeds recruitment.

There’s also the possibility that avian diseases are having a detrimental effect on turkeys. Avian pox, quine encephalitis, lympholiferative disease virus (LPDV), histomoniasis AKA … oh my!  Could these and other diseases be contributing to the population decline?

Is it time to panic? Probably not, but it is cause for concern and warrants vigilance. Managing wild turkeys requires taking good care of the places they call home. Predator control, habitat improvement, reporting sick turkeys, and funding those conservation organizations whose goal is to acquire and improve habitat are the responsibilities of all hunters — to ensure healthy turkey populations in vibrant environments.

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