All Iowans are being recruited to help count the state’s population of wild turkeys. Whether you’re driving, riding a bike, or hiking through the woods, if you spot one of the big, black birds, take note. Jim Coffey, a forest wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the agency could use a hand in getting a handle on our turkey numbers.
This survey is done every July and August, as wild turkey sightings are recorded to estimate this year’s nesting rates and nest success. It’ll help if you can tell the sex of a turkey.
It’ll also be a big help if you see any baby turkeys, known as poults, to count them, too. Coffey is hoping Iowans will only report the turkeys they’re seeing one time.
In the late 1800s, when Iowa was first being settled, wild turkeys were hunted to near-extinction — and they vanished from the state’s fields and forests for several decades.
Iowa has wild turkeys in all 99 counties though Coffey says they’re most prevalent in the state’s eastern third and southern half. Find out more online at www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Turkey-Hunting/Wild-Turkey-Survey.
