New Habitat Guide Helps Missouri Wild Turkey Populations

By Blake Jackson

Missouri landowners aiming to enhance habitats for wild turkeys now have access to a helpful new resource. Developed by University of Missouri Extension in partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), a new publication offers tools to assess and improve turkey habitat conditions.

Titled “Improving Habitats for Eastern Wild Turkeys in Missouri: Conducting a Habitat Evaluation,” the publication is available as a free download at https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9529.

“We created a publication with two evaluation tools, each with a set of important habitat criteria that turkeys require,” says Bob Pierce, MU Extension associate professor and state wildlife and fisheries specialist.

“These habitats can then be assessed and ranked based on their availability and quality on an area. This process helps determine the habitat components that may be in short supply, or that may be limiting, and which need to be addressed.”

According to NWTF district biologist John Burk, a common limiting factor is a lack of suitable brood-rearing cover. High-quality brood-rearing areas typically include early successional plant communities consisting of native grasses, seed-producing forbs, and legumes.

“These plant communities also attract an abundance of insects, which are important food items for young poults,” says Burk.

To establish and maintain these habitats, landowners can implement management techniques such as prescribed burns, timber stand improvements, and other practices that reset plant succession.

MDC’s Turkey Habitat Initiative offers guidance and support for landowners interested in habitat restoration for wild turkeys.

“The Website provides a series of videos that showcase management activities that can be used to help restore habitats, and the habitat evaluation tools will help determine the current conditions on your property that need to be addressed,” says MDC biologist Nicholas Oakley.

Photo Credit: istock-peopleImages