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Wild Turkey Symposium Takeaways | #164

Wild Turkey Science

Release Date: 12/29/2025

Are turkeys eating quail? | #169 show art Are turkeys eating quail? | #169

Wild Turkey Science

Is the cause of quail decline because turkeys are eating them? Join us as we sit down with Dr. Mark McConnell to bust this myth…   Resources:   Check out Dr. McConnell’s Gamebird Podcast ()! Dr. Mark McConnell () MSU Gamebird Extension () () () We got bug problems | Ep 73 ()   Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   We’ve launched our second online wild turkey course  ! Enroll in  to learn about the principal biology, mating, behavior, food selection, human dimensions, hunter interactions,...

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Debunking the Drowning Poults | #168 show art Debunking the Drowning Poults | #168

Wild Turkey Science

Sometimes, the best stories are embellished but grounded in a little bit of truth… Join as we peel back the myth that poults drown when they look up at rainfall.   Resources:              Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   We’ve launched our second online wild turkey course  ! Enroll in  to learn about the principal biology, mating, behavior, food selection, human dimensions, hunter interactions, and historical context of wild turkeys. This course is...

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How often you burn matters more than when | #167 show art How often you burn matters more than when | #167

Wild Turkey Science

We discuss how repeated fire disturbance influences plant structure, fuel loads, and wildlife use, and why focusing on timing alone often misses the point.   Resources:   Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   Coming Soon: Wild Turkey Manager: Biology, History, & Heritage! Our newest online wild turkey training is launching soon! Be the first to know when our new course launches by signing up !   Be sure to check out our comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple...

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Are fire ants causing the turkey decline? | #166 show art Are fire ants causing the turkey decline? | #166

Wild Turkey Science

We explore the myths surrounding fire ants and their negative impacts on nests, hens, and poults.   Resources:         t       Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   Coming Soon: Wild Turkey Manager: Biology, History, & Heritage! Our newest online wild turkey training is launching soon! Be the first to know when our new course launches by signing up !   Be sure to check out our comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions...

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Does rain impact nest predation risk? | #165 show art Does rain impact nest predation risk? | #165

Wild Turkey Science

Does water on a hen make it more susceptible to predation? In this episode, we comb through the literature on olfactory camouflage, dissecting studies assessing correlations between nest survival, weather, and environmental conditions, and divulging into the complicated web of ecology dynamics. Strap on your science boots for this one, it’s gonna be dense… Research papers referenced: Episodes referenced:   Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:  ...

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Wild Turkey Symposium Takeaways | #164 show art Wild Turkey Symposium Takeaways | #164

Wild Turkey Science

In this episode, we review papers that stood out to each of us from the 2025 Wild Turkey Symposium.   Resources:                   Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   Coming Soon: Wild Turkey Manager: Biology, History, & Heritage! Our newest online wild turkey training is launching soon! Be the first to know when our new course launches by signing up !   Be sure to check out our comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple...

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Turkeys in Wisconsin : A success story | #163 show art Turkeys in Wisconsin : A success story | #163

Wild Turkey Science

Wisconsin gamebird ecologist Taylor Finger joins us to breakdown the status of turkeys in the state. Join as he shares details on how Wisconsin has achieved successful turkey populations unlike any other state in the country.    Resources:           Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   Coming Soon: Wild Turkey Manager: Biology, History, & Heritage! Our newest online wild turkey training is launching soon! Be the first to know when our new course launches by signing up !...

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Turkeys and Grouse | #162 show art Turkeys and Grouse | #162

Wild Turkey Science

Dr. Ben Jones, CEO of RGS & AWS, joins us to explore how active forest stewardship - from prescribed fire to targeted timber harvests and new wood markets - can restore age-class diversity and habitat for ruffed grouse and wild turkey across eastern forests.   Resources: (NDA article)   Dr. Ben Jones   Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   Coming Soon: Wild Turkey Manager: Biology, History, & Heritage! Our newest online wild turkey training is launching soon! Be the first to know when our new...

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Why to Science | #161 show art Why to Science | #161

Wild Turkey Science

Strap in for a philosophical episode as we sit with Dr. Dwayne Elmore and explore the complex nature of critically evaluating information in an age of information overload.   Resources:   Dr. Dwayne Elmore - ,   Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here:   We’ve launched our SECOND online training course focused on wild turkey biology, history, and heritage! Be the first to know when our new course launches by signing up !   Be sure to check out our comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring...

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NEW Online Wild Turkey Training | #160 show art NEW Online Wild Turkey Training | #160

Wild Turkey Science

We’ve launched our SECOND online training course focused on wild turkey biology, history, and heritage! Be the first to know when our new course launches by signing up !   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...

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More Episodes

In this episode, we review papers that stood out to each of us from the 2025 Wild Turkey Symposium.

 

Resources:

 

Collier, B. A., & Chamberlain, M. J. (2025). The Notorious PIG: wild pigs are not primary predators of wild turkey nests. Wildlife Society Bulletin, e1618.

 

Danks, Z. D., et al. (2025). A national standardized wild turkey brood survey: The first 6 years. Wildlife Society Bulletin, e164

 

Moscicki, D. J., et al. (2025). Multi‐scale evaluation of eastern wild turkey nest‐site selection and nest survival. Wildlife Society Bulletin, e1635.

 

Ogawa, R., et al. (2025). Is wild turkey habitat selection spatially consistent? A three‐decade meta‐analysis in Mississippi. Wildlife Society Bulletin, e70000.

 

The Wildlife Society Bulletin - Wild Turkey Symposium

 

Thogmartin, W. E. (2001). Home-range size and habitat selection of female wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in Arkansas. The American Midland Naturalist, 145(2), 247-260.

 

Ulrey, E. E., et al. (2025). Use of LiDAR to examine habitat selection by incubating female wild turkeys in South Carolina. Wildlife Society Bulletin, e1628.

 

What does wild turkey nesting cover look like? (Video)

 

Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab

 

Coming Soon: Wild Turkey Manager: Biology, History, & Heritage! Our newest online wild turkey training is launching soon! Be the first to know when our new course launches by signing up here!

 

Be sure to check out our 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! Enroll Now! 

 

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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Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak