The DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife is looking for volunteers to count wild turkeys and their offspring from July 1 to Aug. 31.
Each summer, wildlife biologists and volunteers conduct brood surveys, counting the number of young wild turkeys observed with turkey hens to estimate how many young turkeys live through the summer. Summer brood survival is one of the primary factors influencing wild turkey population trends in various regions of the state and informs wild turkey management.
The goal this summer is to collect 3,000 brood observation reports from citizens across the state, with at least 25 brood observations in each county.
To help, please register as a 2019 participant at on.IN.gov/turkeybrood. Instructions for the survey and an illustrative guide on how to report observations of wild turkey broods and hens is provided on the website. Wild turkeys were reintroduced to Indiana beginning in the mid-1950s until the early 2000s. Today they are found across the state, but declines in brood production over the last decade have reduced the number of wild turkeys observed in some regions.
To learn more about wild turkey biology and management, visit on.IN.gov/turkey.