You asked and we listened. In this episode, we are joined by Luke Garver, Wild Turkey Project Manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, to discuss the current state of the wild turkey in Illinois. We dive into long-term population trends, environmental factors impacting reproduction, predator-prey dynamics, habitat challenges posed by invasive species, on-going research initiatives, and more.

Resources:

IL DNR Wild Turkey Survey

IDNR Turkey Survey App

huntillinois.org/turkey

Parker, C., et al. (2021). Pyrodiversity matters: wild turkey habitat selection in a fire managed landscape. Forest Ecology and Management, 493, 119227.

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!

Luke Garver Illinois.gov/wildlifestaff

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF DEER Lab @ufdeerlab, YouTube

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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