The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is asking for the public’s help in counting wild turkeys this summer.
From July 1 through Aug. 31, the DNR is running its annual wild turkey brood survey – a community science effort for people statewide to report sightings of wild turkeys and turkey broods (hens with their young).
The DNR says by taking just a few minutes to report any turkeys you see, you’ll be contributing valuable data to track the health of the state’s turkey population.
The DNR said wild turkey numbers in Michigan rebounded from near extinction in the early 20th century to now being found in every county across the state.
Adam Bump, the DNR’s upland game bird specialist, said, “This bird’s comeback is something to celebrate and now we need the public’s help to keep tabs on our turkeys going forward.”
Those willing to count turkeys are asked to use the DNR’s online turkey brood survey form at Michigan.gov/Turkey, which asks seven short questions about what observers saw. They will be asked to note the number of hens (adult females), poults (juvenile turkeys) and gobblers or jakes (adult or young males) in each sighting, as well as the date and location. It takes only a minute or two.
We’ve got lots of turkeys to report in this area. People have sent pictures of turkeys to us and we see them at our bird feeder. We know this is turkey territory.
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