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Recruitment is down, decoys are up | #136

Wild Turkey Science

Release Date: 06/16/2025

Landscape level habitat corridor sustains turkeys | #158 show art Landscape level habitat corridor sustains turkeys | #158

Wild Turkey Science

In this episode, we discuss our recent paper quantifying turkey abundance, highlighting the Florida Wildlife Corridor and exploring how this project preserves turkey habitat amidst increasing development pressures. Paper will be linked as soon as it is released.   Resources:    Citizen science for turkeys Ep119 eBird Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation FWC Summer Brood Survey iNaturalist Merlin Bird ID Snapshot USA   00:00 Introduction to the Conversation 01:23 Exploring Turkey Management and Habitat 02:48 The Impact of Human Population on Turkey Habitats 05:47...

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Restoring the functionally extinct American Chestnut | #157 show art Restoring the functionally extinct American Chestnut | #157

Wild Turkey Science

We’re bringing back our episode exploring the American chestnut's history, ecological importance, challenges faced due to habitat change and disease, on-going conservation efforts, and how you can get involved in its ecological restoration.    Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   Resources:             Do you have a topic you’d like us to cover? or send us an email at !   Sara Fitzsimmons ,   We’ve launched a comprehensive online wild turkey course...

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Scale of management for wild turkeys | #156 show art Scale of management for wild turkeys | #156

Wild Turkey Science

In this episode, we discuss how management scale and arrangement influence turkey behavior and productivity.    Resources:         Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   We’ve launched a comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Earn up to 20.5 CFE hours!     Dr. Marcus Lashley , Dr. Will Gulsby , Turkeys for Tomorrow   UF Game Lab ,  ...

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Managing old fields for turkey | #155 show art Managing old fields for turkey | #155

Wild Turkey Science

In this episode, we walk you through the steps on managing your fallow fields for turkey and deer. We cover the plants we’re after and those we want to manage against, as well as herbicide preparation, broadcast application, timing of management, and more.   Resources:     Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   We’ve launched a comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Earn...

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Managing turkeys on steep terrain | #154 show art Managing turkeys on steep terrain | #154

Wild Turkey Science

Dr. Craig Harper returns to share insights on how sloped topography affects plant communities, wild turkey use, and management strategies for both turkey and deer.    Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   Dr. Craig Harper ()   We’ve launched a comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Earn up to 20.5 CFE hours!     Dr. Marcus Lashley , Dr. Will Gulsby , Turkeys for...

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Decreases in hen survival may explain declines | #153 show art Decreases in hen survival may explain declines | #153

Wild Turkey Science

In this episode, we reveal results from our latest research analyzing the role of hen survival in turkey population dynamics.   Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   WATCH this episode ()!   Resources:                         We’ve launched a comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Earn up to 20.5 CFE...

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Why predator bounties don’t work | #152 show art Why predator bounties don’t work | #152

Wild Turkey Science

In this conversation, Will leads us through the available research on the effectiveness of predator bounty programs.   Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   Resources:           We’ve launched a comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Earn up to 20.5 CFE hours!     Dr. Marcus Lashley , Dr. Will Gulsby , Turkeys for Tomorrow   UF Game Lab , ...

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We asked AI why turkeys are declining | #151 show art We asked AI why turkeys are declining | #151

Wild Turkey Science

Join as we explore and critique ChatGPT’s answers to why wild turkeys are declining. Submit your prompt to !    Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   Resources:           We’ve launched a comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys.     Dr. Marcus Lashley , Dr. Will Gulsby , Turkeys for Tomorrow   UF Game Lab ,   Donate to...

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Managing deer for turkeys | #150 show art Managing deer for turkeys | #150

Wild Turkey Science

In this episode, we discuss the overlaps and tradeoffs between managing your property for both deer and turkey.    Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   Resources:       We’ve launched a comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys.     Dr. Marcus Lashley , Dr. Will Gulsby , Turkeys for Tomorrow   UF Game Lab ,   Donate to our wild turkey...

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Planting trees for turkeys | #149 show art Planting trees for turkeys | #149

Wild Turkey Science

We’ve brought back our episode with Dudley Phelps, Mossy Oak Nativ Nurseries plant expert and co-host of the Gamekeeper Podcast, to learn about his go-to species and successful strategies for planting trees to attract turkeys.   Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   Resources:         We’ve launched a comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys.     Dr....

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More Episodes

In this episode, we review trending data across hunter age, hunter recruitment, decoy use, and reaping as Dr. Zach Steele, Post-doctoral associate and interdisciplinary ecologist specializing in human dimensions, walks us through his newest publication. 

Resources:

Harris, A. (2006). Turkey hunting in 2006: an analysis of hunter demographics, trends, and economic impacts. USFWS Report, 7.

Maryland Spring Turkey Hunter Survey – Results Summary. August 2017

Steele, Z.T., & M.A. Lashley. (2025). Reviewing human dimensions of wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) hunting research and synthesizing future directions. Zenodo.

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.

 

We’ve launched a comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Enroll Now! 

 

Dr. Zach Steele Publications

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow 

UF Game Lab @ufgamelab, YouTube

 

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Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund 

Do you have a topic you’d like us to cover? Leave us a review or send us an email at wildturkeyscience@gmail.com!

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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

 

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Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak