Research findings

[blake_08]

I know many states are doing a lot of research right now. I was wondering, does your state post updates along the way on findings. For example, Oklahoma has a 4.5 year ongoing study, and they've been posting updates via their "upland updates" news release write ups on their website. I like to read them when they come out (every 3 or 4 weeks) and was wondering if other states did the same thing, I'd like to read them.

[Tail Feathers]

Texas does not.  I've tried to find the info and can't.  We have mandatory reporting on Eastern turkey havests in Texas and I can't even find the numbers from that for 2022.  Since it's a computer based program they should have final numbers within a week of season.  If they do, they aren't sharing.  I guess I could do an open records request.

[TurkeyReaper69]

Tennessee had the bright idea to further reduce bag limit and change season structure during an ongoing research project that's results hadn't yet been concluded. So yeah, you can thank the social media cry babies and the celebrity biologist for that one!

[deerhunt1988]

Here is a link for the Outdoor News section on Oklahoma's website. You can find 3 of the Upland Updates there that were mentioned in the original post.

https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/outdoor-news

And links to the specific updates:

April update:
https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/outdoor-news/upland-update-turkey-study-underway-transmitters-tissue-sampling

May update:
https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/outdoor-news/upland-update-more-turkeys-get-transmitters-five-nests-monitored-during-april

June update:
https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/outdoor-news/upland-update-researchers-track-three-wild-turkey-poults-may


Some good stuff! Thanks for sharing. Wish we had a lot more of this from state agencies.

[Tom007]

New Jersey takes a long time to provide yearly harvest results. I wish they would perform/share more timely, concise Turkey data for hunters to access. I look forward to reviewing all the harvest/brood size survival info. It gives you an idea of the population health and gives forecasts for future seasons. This research is very important now more than ever to monitor shrinking bird populations and survival rates.....

[Dtrkyman]

Missouri has a good data base available on their site.

Harvest records and brood information year to year.


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[bbcoach]

Here's NC research for past years.  https://www.ncwildlife.org/Learning/Species/Birds/Wild-Turkey

[GobbleNut]

I am not aware that New Mexico has any ongoing wild turkey studies at this time.  The most recent focus here has been on our small Gould's turkey population, and that has mostly been to monitor the trends in numbers and associated management goals, including the potential for increasing hunting opportunity. 

To my knowledge, most of NM's significant wild turkey research occurred back in the 1980's,...(as a footnote: a lot of that was instigated, and at least partially funded, by the NWTF and its chapters here in the state).  As for information related to hunting, NM does keep track of spring and fall hunting data, which can be found on the NM Game & Fish Department website.  That information usually lags behind by at least a year or two, but it is there. 

I do wish our G&F Department was more proactive with regards to trying to evaluate population trends and reproductive success in the various regions of the state, however.  The general mindset here is that our turkey population numbers are self-sustaining and totally a function of weather-related habitat and nesting/brood rearing conditions.  Although I agree MOSTLY with that mindset, I think more attention should be paid to extraneous factors such as our increasing hunter numbers and harvest rates,...and with comparative adjustments in hunting regulations resulting from those fluctuating regional population trends.   

[ragin-cajun]

    Alabama has a good harvest reporting system through an app. easy to use, kudos there...
like other states, Ala. recently adjusted the season back and bag limits (5/4) because that's what the biologist "study" that's floating around said to do. it focuses on breeding and not NESTING survival rates. the main issue here is loss of habitat (clear cutting) and predators. the state can't stop private timber harvesting but until they institute a sensible incentivized predator program I have little faith in what they're doing will work to improve populations. I emailed our head guy and several commissioners in March and got zero replies. most of our commissioners are political appointments that will vote whatever the lead biologist at auburn says to do. i tell folks burn, plant chufa, add clover to your deer greenfields and most important trap and kill as many predators as you can.

[Tail Feathers]

I wanted to get this spring's harvest data from Texas.  You would think with electronic reporting mandated within 24 hours they would have a total fairly quickly.  I had to do an open records request because they didn't think it important enough to put on the Parks and Wildlife website.
It's not always easy to get the data you want from the state.  And whatever study data they use or published, I can't find that either.