Wild Turkey Biology & Management
Now that the wild turkey has been restored to Tennessee, our goal is to ensure that a vigorous, self-sustaining population is maintained in all suitable habitats of the state.
Turkeys will be managed to best meet the needs and desires of the people of Tennessee. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a long-range plan for managing Tennessee’s wild turkey resource; this plan will direct wild turkey management for the anticipated future. Read the full plan: 2020-2025 Wild Turkey Strategic Management Plan
Following restoration, certain parts of the state experienced tremendous turkey population growth. Large numbers of turkeys in these areas of the state have brought about conflicts and, in some instances, economic losses. The popularity of turkeys as a game species versus concern about turkey depredation in some areas of the state has brought about new challenges concerning turkey management. The strategies in TWRA’s current management plan seek to resolve these issues while optimizing the worth of the wild turkey.
Wild turkey populations in many counties increased rapidly during restoration, reached a peak, and then declined for a time before stabilizing around carrying capacity, a natural occurrence for most restored wildlife populations. Localized annual fluctuations in population numbers are expected moving forward because spring turkey production, which primarily drives turkey populations, can be particularly affected by weather and other factors, especially when a population has reached the habitat’s carrying capacity.
More severe population declines have been observed in other areas of the state, causing local residents, hunters, and managers concern that additional population-level factors are impacting these populations. In response, TWRA seeks to determine the factors impacting these affected regions and as appropriate make management and hunting recommendations designed to improve conditions and wild turkey numbers.
Fortunately, as a result of the wild turkey restoration efforts, Tennessee has a wider distribution of huntable flocks which can absorb declines in some local populations without a significant drop in the total harvest. Since weather conditions vary greatly across the state some flocks exist in areas that will be unaffected by the same storms which could be detrimental to poultry survival in other localized flocks.
Good production in these areas provides an alternate place for hunters to hunt when local populations are low.
Biological Technical Reports
- 2023 Wild Turkey Status Report
- 2023 Spring Turkey Harvest Survey Report
- 2022 Wild Turkey Status Report
- 2022 Spring Turkey Harvest Survey Report
- 2021 Wild Turkey Status Report
- 2021 Spring Turkey Harvest Survey Report
- 2020 Wild Turkey Status Report
- 2020 Spring Turkey Harvest Survey Report
- 2018-19 Wild Turkey Summer Brood and Fall Harvest Report
Turkey Disease Study
- Summary of Middle TN Turkey Disease Study
- Middle TN Turkey Disease Study- Investigation of Hunter‐harvested Carcasses and Laboratory Trial
