![]() Brood rearing habitat would be the quarterback, for example. Each important factor is a different position. Declining habitat quality, including changing agricultural practices.Ĭhamberlain says that hunters should think about turkey population dynamics like a football team.(In other words, hunters were spoiled by unsustainably high turkey numbers in decades past the population densities we see now could be the new normal.) A natural “contraction” after reintroduction and historic high populations.“There are many hypotheses for why turkey populations have declined,” Stiller says, listing them off. (The statewide population has been relatively stable since a serious statewide decline in the 2000s.) Wild turkeys stack up on private lands and in areas protected from hunting, like this one in Shenandoah National Park. New York Department of Environmental Conservation wildlife biologist Josh Stiller highlights recent, localized declines in western New York. In the East, key issues include habitat loss and degradation, an increase in predators, and, yes, hunting pressure.īut as Chamberlain notes, this drop isn’t limited to the Southeast. Mike Chamberlain says there are a variety of factors contributing to turkey population declines. In addition, South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks has partnered with the National Wild Turkey Federation to study survival and reproduction research as well as weather impacts on survival and productivity of the Eastern wild turkey in South Dakota.īetter understanding of the causes of the decline in wild turkeys will help inform better state wildlife agency management approaches for this very popular species.As these troubles continue to creep from state to state, the real question is, why? The Factors of a Population Decline ![]() In an effort to reverse that decline, the Missouri Department of Conservation and the University of Missouri have embarked on a multi-year research project to identify the reasons why poult survival is low using sophisticated technology to track these young birds. Preliminary 2021 turkey hunting season results suggest a decline in hunting license sales and resulting harvests compared to last year.Ī five-year Missouri study that wrapped up in 2019 concluded that poult survival was far less than normal rates. However, the 2020 season was very atypical due to the pandemic, and there were more hunters and greater harvest than in previous seasons (both in Missouri and generally in other states). In north Missouri, the turkey harvest has declined by almost 50% compared to 2004, and harvest rates are closely correlated to population numbers. Missouri’s population has plummeted by more than a third of its former harvest levels based upon harvest data. Vegetation quality contributes to the success or failure of nesting sites and brood rearing, little vegetation means little chance of poult survival.Carrying capacity becomes an issue, productivity is declining because hens are nesting in suboptimal habitat.With high population densities, a significant number of hens won’t access quality nesting habitat and may not successfully hatch or raise a brood.Production, not predation, drives turkey populations.Researchers have identified four factors as potential causes for the decline:
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