Public encouraged to take part in summer turkey survey

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is inviting the public to participate in its annual summer turkey survey July 1-Aug. 31.

The survey provides useful estimates about annual production by wild turkey hens and how many poults, or young turkeys, survive the summer brood-rearing period. These records and observations inform management decisions regarding wild turkeys, their population size and habitat needs.

During July and August, survey participants are asked to record all turkeys they see. They may visit outdoornebraska.gov and search for “turkey brood survey” for instructions and the survey link. The link may be bookmarked on a phone for easy use in the field.

“The results of this survey have been really important in helping us understand our turkey populations,” said Luke Meduna, Game and Parks’ big game program manager. “While we have seen declines in turkey numbers across the state, brood sizes, hen, poult and tom ratios in recent years have remained consistent with historic rates.”

People may view the 2022 survey results at outdoornebraska.gov by searching for “wildlife surveys.”