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@wildturkeydna

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Account for wildturkeyDNA, a partnership between @wildturkeylab, @official_nwtf, @ducksunlimitedinc , @utep_miners, @lowcountry_gamebird_foundation

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Once in a lifetime comes to an end

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This Turkey Tuesday is about gobbling, which is an activity toms do all year long – including during fall. The other day, I was scrolling through cell camera images and saw a series that included several toms, and one image clearly showed a tom gobbling. That took me back decades to when I was deer hunting as a child and had a tom gobbling his head off most of the afternoon while I sat hoping (fruitlessly) to see a deer. So, what prompts a tom to gobble, sometimes quite a bit, during the fall? Well, ebbs and flows in testosterone result in some toms getting fired up enough in fall to start gobbling, particularly when around other toms. Unlike during spring when testosterone levels get high enough for toms to gobble daily, during fall you typically see one bird in a flock gobble whereas others do not. You’ll also see certain toms in a flock gobble at times but there may be no consistency to who gobbles and when. Regardless, gobbling around other toms in the same flock during fall is primarily a way to assert dominance and challenge other flock members. We think of spring as a time when toms focus on dominance, but the battles to establish dominance occur throughout fall and winter in the flocks we’re seeing. The take home is gobbling during the fall is a behavior that gets the ball rolling on seeing who will stand at the top of the dominance ladder come spring. Anyone been seeing or hearing toms gobble? Pic by @tommartineauimages #wildturkey #wildturkeys #fall #gobblegobble #gobble

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Mr. Irrelevant, Possible NFL MVP, Iowa State Legend, @brock.purdy13 with the Turkey Call?? What do y'all think of his turkey calls? Don't see wild turkeys on a golf course every day, let alone a fantastic turkey call from an NFL quarterback! #nwtf #wildturkey #turkeycall #49ers

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This Turkey Tuesday is about the feathers on a wild turkey’s head. Although toms have little feathering on their head and neck, hens have pronounced feathers in these areas that have important functions. Wild turkeys, like many birds, have bristle and specialized filoplume feathers that provide protection, sensory functions, communication, and camouflage. These feathers around the eyes help block debris, and coupled with multiple eyelids, keep the eyes clear – and vision is critical to a hen’s survival. Filoplumes also act as sensors of sort, helping the bird detect movement, changes in air flow, and vibrations – corpuscles at the base of the feathers basically allow the bird to “feel” changes in the environment around the head. It’s also believed that wild turkeys recognize each other at least partially from the appearance of their head, so differences in feather patterns serve as a form of communication and individual recognition. Lastly, feathering on the head of a hen helps her blend into the environment which is particularly important when she’s incubating. The take home is the feathers on a hen’s head serve important functions that influence many aspects of her life. Pic by Dale Kauzlaric #wildturkey #wildturkeys #feather #turkey #feathers

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Ever seen anything like this?? @hunterhampton20 stumbled across what appears to be a hen but is, in fact, a GOBBLER! Our National Director of Turkey Research, Patrick Wightman, gives his thoughts on this incredible footage! #nwtf #wildturkey

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This was a bit of a shocker. I took this first photo on September 5th and the second photo on September 13. The turkey poults in the first photo should be way larger, like seen in the second picture. If I were to guess, I would say that these poults are around 3 weeks of age, having hatched early to mid-August compared to the second photo where they are probably 6-8 weeks old.
I am presuming the first hatch must have failed for the first hen, leading to her trying again and producing a much later secondary hatch. This could be concerning with winter right around the bend, but she seems to be doing a good job with 8 living poults!
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Species: Eastern x Merriam's Wild Turkey
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#turkey #turkeys #wildturkey #wildlifephotographer #wildlife

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A diamond in the rough. Always on our minds no matter the time of year.

#footondahead

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This Turkey Tuesday is about agricultural crops. With fall right around the corner, fields of grain crops become increasingly important to wild turkeys throughout broad portions of their range. These grains provide an important source of forage starting in fall and lasting well into winter, whether it be standing crops ready for harvest or waste grain left on the ground after harvest. Agricultural grains such as corn, sorghum, soybeans, and wheat offer turkeys carbohydrates that serve as an energy source, and proteins that support molting and growth of juvenile birds still building muscle mass. These grains also provide a critical source of fats, and turkeys steadily build fat reserves throughout fall to help them withstand harsh winter weather conditions. In fact, research in agricultural landscapes has shown that waste grains dominate fall and winter diets and provide nearly all energy requirements for turkeys during winter. This reality is why the availability of grains has such an impact on wild turkey movements during fall and winter, as they key in on areas where they can efficiently consume high energy foods. As farming practices continue to evolve and technology allows increasingly efficient harvest of grains, it will likely become more challenging for turkeys living in agricultural landscapes, which places more importance on optimizing quality of other vegetative communities on the landscape. The take home is agricultural grains are important food sources for wild turkeys throughout much of their range, particularly as we transition into fall and winter. Pic by @darcydphotography #wildturkey #wildturkeys #turkeyhunting #agriculture #crop

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Attention fall turkey hunters in Virginia, West Virginia, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine! Your next hunt could unlock vital answers for wild turkey conservation.
The wildturkeyDNA research team wants to expand sample collection across these target states, and citizen-scientists like you hold the key.

Here is how you can help protect the future of the flock:

1. Visit wildturkeydna.com and click register.
2. If selected, a free, postage-paid collection kit will be sent to your door.
3. Harvest a bird this fall? Drop a sample in the vial and mail it back.
4. No harvest this season? Hold onto your kit for spring turkey season!

Every single sample gives researchers crucial insights into landscape and population genetics. Sign up today and make your hunt count for conservation.

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This Turkey Tuesday is about the benefits of occupying the high ground. Wild turkeys roost on elevated perches at night as a way to avoid predators, but the use of above-ground perches is not a behavior restricted to nighttime. For instance, perching above ground to preen allows the bird to focus entirely on self-maintenance rather than having to constantly scan for danger. Alternatively, when turkeys feel threatened or are uncertain about a potential nearby threat, they may fly up to perch where they have an expanded field of view. This strategy makes sense, because perching above ground allows the bird to see farther, and since the bird has already examined the potential for danger from ground-level, perching offers a much-improved understanding of what the playing field looks like on the ground. Ongoing research continues to show that many behaviors in wild turkeys vary dramatically from one individual to the next, and in my own experience, use of perches is one. I once radio-tracked a hen that would fly up to roost during the day on almost a daily basis, and rather than loafing on the ground during the day, she would roost as she would at night. I also once hunted a tom that folded the strategy of using perches into his routine, and it served him well based on my failures to get him within gun range. Each time we worked him towards us, he’d get within ~ 75 yards before flying up to perch above ground. From there, he’d walk around in the tree, scan the ground all around us, and even hop into adjacent trees to improve his field of view. He’d eventually pick us out and fly down in the opposite direction before leaving the area. The take home is the use of perches during the day is a strategy that offers wild turkeys ways to improve their perspective on potential dangers on the ground. Pic by Monte Loomis. #wildturkey #wildturkeys #turkey #turkeyhunting #perch

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Not saying my eastern wild turkey is a cinnamon phase, but he sure is pretty red!

Either way, he turned into a 100% stunning end table!

His DNA was submitted to @wildturkeydna for research!

Do you want one? Contact me!

$500 for 1.
$950 for a pair.

#turkeytable #turkeyfeathers #turkeyhunting #hunting #wildturkeydna

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The results are in. The turkey I shot was 100% wild. Thank k you @wildturkeydna

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