TWRA’s Annual Turkey Survey showed fewer birds than the recent average.
Turkey Program Coordinator Rodger Shields said the survey measures turkey reproduction by evaluating how many poults there are relative to hens in an area. Shields said the state average for poults per hen was 2.2 per hen this year. That’s down slightly from the five-year average of 2.4. Shields said the organization also examines the percentage of hens observed with young poults. Shields said that figure is 60 percent this year.
“And it maybe is not as high as we would like to see but it’s not bad,” Shields said. “There is a lot of predation that happens with poults, especially with the first couple weeks of life. Then sometimes you’ll have the entire brood gets eaten.”
Shields said a good year will look like 70 percent, while a bad year can drop down to 50 percent of hens with poults.
The western side of the state showed lower numbers than the northeastern side, reaching a 2.6. Shields said the Northeast benefited from the cicada population coming in when poults began to hatch.
“The hen gets really wet and that causes more odor around her that allows predators around her to track her and find her easier,” Shields said. “Then destroy the nest.”
Shields said the elements can impact results. Heavy rain can affect nests, as nests can become damaged and wet weather leads to poor nesting success. Shields said this Spring we had very wet weather, which could have contributed to these results. Shields said as the seasons changed and Summer came, the numbers seemed to improve.
“They have helped their nesting success and poult survival, such that, you know just so some of those successful nests were hatching, and the young turkeys were hitting the ground, that’s when all of these cicadas where out there.”
Shields said the program has carried on since the 1980s, providing indicator for reproductive success in wild turkeys. TWRA officials can predict nest success, brood survival and overall activity from this survey year after year. Shields said the TWRA uses the information collected to guide the organization when making recommendations for regulations.
“It just kind of helps us have another sense of whats going on with the population besides just the hardest numbers that we get from the Spring hunting season,” Shields said.
Shields said the turkey population is prone to increases and decreases, never truly stable. Shields said if the survey were to show a consistent decline in the population, the TWRA could recommend action. Shields said if the survey indicated an increase in the population, they could expand hunting seasons in the Spring and the Fall.