Wild turkey populations have been declining for decades, and a conservation expert says the low numbers are due to production.
Reina Tyl, a wild turkey biologist, spoke with Missouri Department of Conservation about the state’s wild turkey population, fall harvest effects and more.
As far as lower numbers, Tyl said poor production of new young turkeys is the main reason, rather than survival or the harvest of adult wild turkeys.
One of MDC’s annual Wild Turkey Brood Survey has been to calculate a poult-to-hen ratio. Poults refer to new young turkeys. The ratio gives an indication how good production was that year.