Wild turkeys are found throughout most of Vermont, but their reproductive success is monitored annually by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department with help from “citizen scientists.” The department had an annual online survey for reporting turkey broods in August, but this year the survey will start July 1 and continue to the end of August.
If you see a flock of turkeys in Vermont during July and August, the department asks you to go to the turkey brood survey on its website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com) and report your observations including where and when you observed the turkeys along with the number of adult and young turkeys, or poults.
“Information gathered from this survey helps us monitor long-term trends in the productivity of Vermont’s wild turkey population,” said Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s wild turkey biologist Chris Bernier. “It also helps us assess the impacts of spring weather on the survival of poults and adult turkeys which is an important consideration in the management of turkeys.”
“We monitor and manage wild turkey numbers annually in order to maintain a healthy, abundant and sustainable population of these iconic and ecologically significant birds throughout the state,” added Bernier. “Beyond providing Vermonters with a local source of protein and an enduring connection to their environment, turkey hunting is the principal mechanism for managing Vermont’s turkey population. Please help us scientifically manage the turkey population by reporting your Vermont turkey sightings during August.”
“We are moving from an August-only survey to a July and August survey this year in order to bring our survey protocol into compliance with the regional protocol. One of the biggest benefits of this survey is being able to compare productivity trends across turkey range and the only way we can do this effectively is if all the Northeast states collect these data in the same way.”