Wild Turkey Science

01:13:49

Offspring sex ratio in birds | #204

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/10/05

We deep dive into the complex mechanisms of sex determination in birds, focusing on how environmental and physiological factors influence sex ratios. Resources: Aslam, M. A., et al. (2014). Effect of corticosterone and hen body mass on primary sex ratio in laying hen (Gallus gallus), using unincubated eggs. Biology of Reproduction, 90(4). Curry, J., et al. (2023). Dietary fat supplements influence weight gain and egg production, but not offspring sex ratios in Japanese quail, Coturnix

en

53:38

Which Oaks Should You Cut? | #203

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/09/28

To kick off Oaktober, we break down the genetics behind why some oak trees are reliable acorn producers and others aren't, and how you as a landowner can use that variation to guide forest stand improvement decisions that benefit both turkeys and deer. Resources: Boggess, C. M., Strickland, B., Alexander, H. D., & Lashley, M. A. (2019). Mast Seeding in Oaks: A Strategy to Satiate Predators or Strengthen Apparent Competition?. In American Fisheries Society & The Wildlife Society 2019 Joint Annual

en

26:01

Where is the line between anecdote and research? | #202

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/09/21

In this episode, we discuss the difference between anecdote and research in wildlife science, limitations with unreplicated site-specific studies, how meta-analyses narrow the direction of an effect, and why seemingly conflicting results can each be right within their own context. Resources: Londe, David W., et al. "Review of range‐wide vital rates quantifies eastern wild Turkey population trajectory." Ecology and Evolution 13.2 (2023): e9830. Wann, G. T., et al. (2020). The influence of

en

01:09:28

How to transform fields into brooding cover | #201

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/09/14

We break down native early successional (old field) management for turkeys — how to identify the plants that really matter, when and why to use fire versus spot-spraying, and how to keep a field cycling through the diverse structure that makes great brooding cover. Resources: iNaturalist Seek App We manage DEER food plots for TURKEYS (video) Enter our raffle for a chance to win a Wild Turkey Science hunt with Dr. Will Gulsby and Dr. Marcus Lashley at the historic Westervelt Hunting

en

01:27:46

What we've learned in four years of turkey science |...

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/09/07

We step back to synthesize what's changed in wild turkey science since the show began and where the biggest open questions still remain. Resources: Huang, M. H., Demarais, S., Brookshire, W. C., & Strickland, B. K. (2022). Analysis of supplemental wildlife feeding in Mississippi and environmental gastrointestinal parasite load. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 9, 995437. Huang, M. H., Demarais, S., Strickland, B. K., & Brookshire, W. C. (2022). Identifying aflatoxin exposure risk from

en

01:03:48

What Affects Jake Survival? | #199

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/08/31

Dr. Craig Harper of the University of Tennessee rejoins us to share results from recent research assessing annual survival and resource selection of juvenile males in Tennessee. Resources: Bones, J. T., et al. (2026). Vegetation response varies by season of burning in pine woodlands across the southeastern US. Fire Ecology, 22(1), 19. Pollentier, C. D., et al. (2014). Survival and productivity of eastern wild turkey females in contrasting landscapes in Wisconsin. The Journal of Wildlife

en

53:36

We're talking about sperm, folks | #198

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/08/24

In this episode, we dive into turkey reproductive physiology, focusing on how photostimulation and photorefractoriness influence turkey breeding cycles. Resources: Dawson, A., et al. (2001). Photoperiodic control of seasonality in birds. Journal of biological rhythms, 16(4), 365-380. Turkey Predators | Ep 06 Enter our raffle for a chance to win a Wild Turkey Science hunt with Dr. Will Gulsby and Dr. Marcus Lashley at the historic Westervelt Hunting Lodge:

en

01:10:34

Are we losing the hardwoods that turkeys depend on? |...

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/08/17

We're bringing back the episode where we dig into decades-old crop-content studies to quantify exactly how much of a turkey's diet is acorns, and what the trends in declining oak forests mean for the future of wild turkeys. Resources: Alexander et al. (2021). Mesophication of oak landscapes: Evidence, knowledge gaps, and future research. BioScience, 71(5), 531-542. Burk et al. (1990). Wild turkey use of streamside management zones in loblolly pine plantations. In Proceedings of the National

en

01:03:05

How much turkey predation is actually avian? | #196

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/08/10

Will leads us through a deep dive of the scientific literature on the relative contribution of avian predators to wild turkey predation. Resources: Hughes, T. W., et al. (2005). The impacts of predation on wild turkeys. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 2005, 117-126. Palmer, W. E., et al. (2005). Effect of field borders and nest‐predator reduction on abundance of northern bobwhites. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 33(4), 1398-1405. Speake, D. W., et al. (1985). Mortality of wild turkey poults in

en

01:04:47

Impacts of vegetation structure on hen survival and...

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/08/03

Dr. Mark Turner joins us to discuss his newly accepted, peer-reviewed study examining how vegetation around wild turkey nests impacts both nest success and hen survival during incubation. Resources: Turner, M.A., et al. (2026). In Press. Vegetation composition and structure influences female wild turkey survival during incubation. Journal of Wildlife Management. (Not yet published, will link paper once available). Butler, N., et al. (2025). Vital rates and population trajectory of a declining

en

01:06:43

When predator control works | #194

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/07/27

Will walks us through a recent study assessing the effects of predator removal on a ground nesting bird - the Pigeon Gullimot - and how this translates to managing predators for wild turkey. Resources: Cherry, M. J., et al. (2015). Effects of predation risk and group dynamics on white-tailed deer foraging behavior in a longleaf pine savanna. Behavioral Ecology, 26(4), 1091-1099. Conner, L. M., et al. (2016). Predator exclusion as a management option for increasing white‐tailed deer

en

49:12

Which herbicides and when? | #193

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/07/20

In this episode, we discuss our go-to herbicides for various land management scenarios. Resources: Herbicides | Ep 102 Get your tickets to our 2nd Annual UF Game Lab Banquet here: https://tinyurl.com/UFGameLabBanquet Can't attend the banquet but still want to support us? Please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab. Thank you in advance for your support! We've launched our second online wild turkey course ! Enroll in Wild Turkey Manager: Biology, History & Habitat to learn about the

en

01:07:11

Tes shares her experience with brood imprinting | #192

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/07/13

Marcus sits down with Tes Randle Jolly - award-winning professional wildlife and turkey photographer extraordinaire - who shares insights from her time spent as a poult mama with our captive turkeys. Tes Randle Jolly @jovtes https://www.instagram.com/jovtes/?hl=en Get your tickets to our 2nd Annual UF Game Lab Banquet here: https://tinyurl.com/UFGameLabBanquet Can't attend the banquet but still want to support us? Please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab. Thank you in advance for your

en

43:21

Don't feed the coons, folks | #191

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/07/06

In this episode, we dig into raccoon population densities across the literature, uncovering how food subsidization can push numbers from under 10 to over 300 per square kilometer. Resources: Boone, W. W., et al. (2024). Frequent prescribed burns reduce mammalian species richness and occurrence in longleaf pine sandhills. Forest Ecology and Management, 553, 121596. Prange, S., Gehrt, S. D., & Wiggers, E. P. (2003). Demographic factors contributing to high raccoon densities in urban

en

51:09

Exploring new funding models | #190

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/06/29

In this episode, Marcus sits down with the UF Game Lab communications team – Charlotte and Dot – to share insights into the communication and fundraising efforts for a research lab that reaches the public. Get your tickets to our 2nd Annual UF Game Lab Banquet here: https://tinyurl.com/UFGameLabBanquet Can't attend the banquet but still want to support us? Please donate here: http://UFgive.to/UFGameLab. Thank you in advance for your support! We've launched our second online wild turkey

en

01:04:15

The Life and Legacy of Tom Kelly | #189

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/06/22

Join us as we explore the life and legacy of Tom Kelly through his daughter Laura Bates. Tom Kelly, Inc. (Website) (Facebook Page) (Instagram) Resources: No Place to Hide Tenth Legion: Bootleg Revival The Colonel and the Fox The Evolution of Turkey Calling: From bone to box | #177 The T.H. Kelly Handbook Wild Turkey Archives 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

en

01:38:46

What's eating your turkeys | #188

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/06/15

We're bringing back our episode where we dig into what the scientific literature actually says about what eats turkeys at every life stage. Resources from the episode: Chitwood, M. C., et al. (2020). Raccoon vigilance and activity patterns when sympatric with coyotes. Diversity, 12(9), 341. Gulsby, W. D., et al. (2017). Landscape heterogeneity reduces coyote predation on white‐tailed deer fawns. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 81(4), 601-609. Kelly, J. D., et al. (2015). Seasonal and

en

57:34

Burning During Nesting: What the research says | #187

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/06/08

We're bringing back our episode with Dr. Chris Moorman on the use of prescribed fire during the nesting season. Resources: Kilburg, Eric L., et al. "Wild turkey nest survival and nest‐site selection in the presence of growing‐season prescribed fire." The Journal of Wildlife Management 78.6 (2014): 1033-1039. Kilburg, Eric L., et al. "Wild turkey prenesting-resource selection in a landscape managed with frequent prescribed fire." Southeastern Naturalist 14.1 (2015): 137-146. Kroeger, Anthony

en

56:06

Trap the pigs, folks | #186

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/06/01

Feral pigs are bad news for wild turkeys – but how bad, and what should you actually do about it? In this episode, we break down the latest research on pig population impacts, what pigs are eating, and why it matters for turkeys. Resources: How pig removal affects turkeys | Ep 97 McDonough, M. T., et al. (2024). Population response of eastern wild turkey to removal of wild pigs. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 88(8), e22662. Stoakley, T. E., et al. (2025). Wild pigs impact reproductive

en

45:50

Blackberries buffer coyote predation | #185

Wild Turkey Science ·

2026/05/25

We break down a 2026 coyote diet study to reveal how blackberry availability actually buffers fawns from predation, and what that means for how you should be thinking about your turkey management. Resources: Gulsby, W. D., et al. (2015). White‐tailed deer fawn recruitment before and after experimental coyote removals in central Georgia. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 39(2), 248-255. Jensen, A. J., et al. (2026). An omnivore's options: Altered predator behavior during periods of overlapping

en

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

Beyond the Divide

Koala Moon

The SCP Experience

Dr. NoSleep Studios

John Michael Godier"s Event Horizon

John Michael Godier

La Science CQFD

France Culture

A Moment of Science

Indiana Public Media