Last Updated on July 5, 2023 by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
You can help the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) learn more about the state’s wild turkey population by sharing observations of hens with and without poults (i.e., young turkeys) through Aug. 31.
Each summer, DNR personnel and community members from across Indiana conduct brood surveys, counting hens and poults to estimate how many young turkeys live through the summer. Summer brood survival is one of the primary factors influencing wild turkey population trends in various regions of the state and informs the DNR’s wild turkey management.
This year, the DNR aims to collect 3,000 reports across the state with at least 25 reports per county.
Observations can be shared at on.IN.gov/turkeybrood. No password is needed. This link provides survey instructions, an illustrative guide to turkey identification, and results of previous brood surveys.
For more information about wild turkey biology and DNR’s management of the species, see on.IN.gov/turkey.
SOURCE: News release from Indiana Department of Natural Resources