x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Wild Turkey Science

Dr. Marcus Lashley & Dr. Will Gulsby

Wild Turkey Science is a science-based podcast bringing you the latest research on wild turkey ecology and management. This podcast is part of the Natural Resources University podcast network and made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow.

science natural sciences

All Episodes

45:42

From Poults to Super Jakes: A year inside the aviary...

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/02/23

As last year's poults mature into jakes and jennies, Marcus shares firsthand observations of how behavior, vocalizations, dominance, and personality change with age. Resources Longer the snood, bigger the brood | Ep 68 Snoods, feathers, and the Turkey Brotherhood | Ep 65 Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab Don't miss out on a chance to win a custom Benelli Super Black Eagle 3! This 28-gauge

en

49:06

Extreme winter and the wild turkey | #171

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/02/16

In this episode, we explore the impacts of extreme cold weather on wild turkey populations. Resources: Acorn production post (DrDisturbance IG) Austin, D. E., & DeGraff, L. W. (1975). Winter survival of wild turkeys in the southern Adirondacks. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 1975, 55-60. Brooke, J. M., et al. (2019). Effects of fertilization and crown release on white oak (Quercus alba) masting and acorn quality. Forest Ecology and Management, 433, 305-312. Gonnerman, M., et al. (2023)

en

40:58

Factors influencing SD wild turkey populations | #170

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/02/09

Wild turkey biologist Reina Tyl joins us to unpack her comprehensive study assessing population growth of Easterns in South Dakota. Resources: Lashley, M. A., et al. (2025). Decreased female survival may explain wild turkey decline. bioRxiv, 2025-05. Tyl, R. M. (2019). Factors Influencing Survival, Productivity, and Population Growth of Eastern Wild Turkeys in Northeastern South Dakota. West Virginia University. Tyl, R. M., Rota, C. T., & Lehman, C. P. (2025). Factors influencing eastern

en

51:23

Are turkeys eating quail? | #169

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/02/02

Is the cause of quail decline because turkeys are eating them? Join us as we sit down with Dr. Mark McConnell to bust this myth… Resources: Check out Dr. McConnell's Gamebird Podcast (Here)! Dr. Mark McConnell (Contact) MSU Gamebird Extension (Facebook) (Instagram) (YouTube) We got bug problems | Ep 73 (Watch Here) Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab We've launched our second online wild turkey

en

38:46

Debunking the Drowning Poults | #168

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/01/26

Sometimes, the best stories are embellished but grounded in a little bit of truth… Join as we peel back the myth that poults drown when they look up at rainfall. Resources: Boone, W. W., et al. (2025). Effects of temperature and precipitation on wild turkey brood survival in the southeastern United States. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 49, e70003. Healy, W. M., & Nenno, E. S. (1985). Effect of weather on wild turkey poult survival. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 1985, 91-101. Roberts, S. D., &

en

29:07

How often you burn matters more than when | #167

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/01/19

We discuss how repeated fire disturbance influences plant structure, fuel loads, and wildlife use, and why focusing on timing alone often misses the point. Resources: How does burning outside of the dormant season affect pine survival and growth? (Fire University Ep 15) Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab Coming Soon: Wild Turkey Manager: Biology, History, & Heritage! Our newest online wild

en

43:38

Are fire ants causing the turkey decline? | #166

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/01/12

We explore the myths surrounding fire ants and their negative impacts on nests, hens, and poults. Resources: Allen, C. R., et al. (2004). Red imported fire ant impacts on wildlife: a decade of research. The American Midland Naturalist, 152(1), 88-103. Brennan, L. A. (1993). Fire ants and northern bobwhites: a real problem or a red herring?. Wildlife Society Bulletin (1973-2006), 21(3), 351-355. Jones, J. C., Hodges, B. N., Tegt, J., & Butler, A. B. (2015). INVASIVE NON‐NATIVE SPECIES AND

en

01:22:12

Does rain impact nest predation risk? | #165

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/01/05

Does water on a hen make it more susceptible to predation? In this episode, we comb through the literature on olfactory camouflage, dissecting studies assessing correlations between nest survival, weather, and environmental conditions, and divulging into the complicated web of ecology dynamics. Strap on your science boots for this one, it's gonna be dense… Research papers referenced: Bakner, N. W., et al. (2019). Incubation recess behaviors influence nest survival of Wild Turkeys. Ecology and

en

01:16:13

Wild Turkey Symposium Takeaways | #164

Wild Turkey Science ·

2025/12/29

In this episode, we review papers that stood out to each of us from the 2025 Wild Turkey Symposium. Resources: Collier, B. A., & Chamberlain, M. J. (2025). The Notorious PIG: wild pigs are not primary predators of wild turkey nests. Wildlife Society Bulletin, e1618. Danks, Z. D., et al. (2025). A national standardized wild turkey brood survey: The first 6 years. Wildlife Society Bulletin, e164 Moscicki, D. J., et al. (2025). Multi‐scale evaluation of eastern wild turkey nest‐site

en

51:02

Turkeys in Wisconsin : A success story | #163

Wild Turkey Science ·

2025/12/22

Wisconsin gamebird ecologist Taylor Finger joins us to breakdown the status of turkeys in the state. Join as he shares details on how Wisconsin has achieved successful turkey populations unlike any other state in the country. Resources: Lashley, M. A., et al. (2025). Decreased female survival may explain wild turkey decline. bioRxiv, 2025-05. Legends of turkey research | #50 Pollentier, C. D., et al. (2021). Gobbling across landscapes: Eastern wild turkey distribution and occupancy–habitat

en

01:02:14

Turkeys and Grouse | #162

Wild Turkey Science ·

2025/12/15

Dr. Ben Jones, CEO of RGS & AWS, joins us to explore how active forest stewardship - from prescribed fire to targeted timber harvests and new wood markets - can restore age-class diversity and habitat for ruffed grouse and wild turkey across eastern forests. Resources: EQUIP Food Plots, Feed or Fire: The Real Costs Per Pound of Deer Forage (NDA article) Ruffed Grouse Society Dr. Ben Jones benj@ruffedgrousesociety.org Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support

en

01:08:57

Why to Science | #161

Wild Turkey Science ·

2025/12/08

Strap in for a philosophical episode as we sit with Dr. Dwayne Elmore and explore the complex nature of critically evaluating information in an age of information overload. Resources: Pre-Print: Lashley et al. (2025) Female Wild turkey survival meta-analysis Dr. Dwayne Elmore - Tall Timbers, Publications Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab We've launched our SECOND online training course focused

en

42:10

NEW Online Wild Turkey Training | #160

Wild Turkey Science ·

2025/12/01

We've launched our SECOND online training course focused on wild turkey biology, history, and heritage! Be the first to know when our new course launches by signing up here! Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab We've launched a comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Earn up

en

39:13

AL results on LPDV in wild turkeys | #159

Wild Turkey Science ·

2025/11/24

We dive into Will's recent research assessing the effects and prevalence of Lymphoproliferative Disease Virus (LPDV) in wild turkeys in Alabama. Resources: Alger, K., et al. (2017). Risk factors for and spatial distribution of lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV) in wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in New York State, USA. Journal of wildlife diseases, 53(3), 499-508. Goodwin, C. C., et al. (2024). Experimental infection of domestic turkeys with lymphoproliferative disease virus of North

en

46:41

Landscape level habitat corridor sustains turkeys | #158

Wild Turkey Science ·

2025/11/17

In this episode, we discuss our recent paper quantifying turkey abundance, highlighting the Florida Wildlife Corridor and exploring how this project preserves turkey habitat amidst increasing development pressures. Paper will be linked as soon as it is released. Resources: Citizen science for turkeys Ep119 https://youtu.be/LEbFvaRhNKA?si=a1Mvzya561e0o52B eBird https://ebird.org/home Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation https://floridawildlifecorridor.org/ FWC Summer Brood Survey

en

01:02:07

Restoring the functionally extinct American Chestnut...

Wild Turkey Science ·

2025/11/10

We're bringing back our episode exploring the American chestnut's history, ecological importance, challenges faced due to habitat change and disease, on-going conservation efforts, and how you can get involved in its ecological restoration. Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab Resources: Diamond, S. J., et al. (2000). Hard mast production before and after the chestnut blight. Southern Journal of

en

01:05:56

Scale of management for wild turkeys | #156

Wild Turkey Science ·

2025/11/03

In this episode, we discuss how management scale and arrangement influence turkey behavior and productivity. Resources: Chitwood, M. C., et al. (2015). Do biological and bedsite characteristics influence survival of neonatal white-tailed deer?. PloS one, 10(3), e0119070. Day, M. S. (2024). Factors impacting gobbling chronology and activity of male wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in Alabama (Master's thesis). Decreases in hen survival may explain declines | #153 Managing nesting &

en

01:09:28

Managing old fields for turkey | #155

Wild Turkey Science ·

2025/10/27

In this episode, we walk you through the steps on managing your fallow fields for turkey and deer. We cover the plants we're after and those we want to manage against, as well as herbicide preparation, broadcast application, timing of management, and more. Resources: iNaturalist Seek App We manage DEER food plots for TURKEYS (video) Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab We've launched a

en

46:08

Managing turkeys on steep terrain | #154

Wild Turkey Science ·

2025/10/20

Dr. Craig Harper returns to share insights on how sloped topography affects plant communities, wild turkey use, and management strategies for both turkey and deer. Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab Dr. Craig Harper (Website) We’ve launched a comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for

en

01:07:32

Decreases in hen survival may explain declines | #153

Wild Turkey Science ·

2025/10/13

In this episode, we reveal results from our latest research analyzing the role of hen survival in turkey population dynamics. Our lab is primarily funded by donations. If you would like to help support our work, please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab Resources: Pre-Print: Lashley et al. (2025) Female Wild turkey survival meta-analysis Byrne, M. E., et al. (2015). Potential density dependence in wild turkey productivity in the southeastern United States. In Proceedings of the

en

176 results

Similar Podcasts

Classic Radio Science Fiction

solgoodmedia.com

Mission to Mars

Inception Point Ai

The 365 Days of Astronomy

365DaysOfAstronomy.org

Creek Devil

william Jevning

UFO Chronicles Podcast

Nik Hunter