Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
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Collaborative study looking at
turkey populations in Nebraska
Game and Parks, through a $1.8 million grant, is funding a five-year study to
understand wild turkey populations in Nebraska. The study, which began in 2023, is
a collaboration among the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Nebraska Cooperative
Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and the University of Georgia.
The project will provide insight into the dynamics of Nebraska's turkey
populations, which have declined about 45% in the past 15 years, according to
the Rural Mail Carrier Survey. The state has little information on wild turkey
reproduction, their distribution across various land types, their genetic diversity or
the effects of harvest. These variables play a role in wild turkey population numbers.
This study hopes to establish a baseline for wild turkey numbers, their annual
reproduction and survival rates, their resource selection and their movements.
Researchers are focusing primarily in southwest Nebraska and the Pine Ridge, where
wild turkeys are being captured, banded and outfitted with GPS units over the first
three years. Turkeys are being monitored throughout the year, with an emphasis
on nesting and roost locations during peak seasons. Data collected will be used to
inform future management decisions of this species.
Wild turkey capture for
monitoring project in the
Pine Ridge.
