Photo by Joe Lacefield/Ky. Dept. Fish and Wildlife
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources encourages anyone who observes wild turkeys in Kentucky during July or August to enter some basic information about their sightings into an online survey portal. Data collected through this survey enable the department to better understand turkey trends over time.
The online survey portal for reporting sightings may easily be found by searching using the keywords “turkey survey” at fw.ky.gov. A printable form of the survey may also be downloaded, printed and filled out, then scanned or photographed with a smartphone and emailed to info.center@ky.gov.
“This simple survey provides important data to help us better understand what is happening with the population over time,” Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Wild Turkey Program Coordinator Zak Danks said. “More observations also give us increased data points and enhance our survey coverage statewide.”
The turkey program compiles data from these observations from interested citizens and staff into a statewide index of hatch and survival of young turkeys, or “poults.” This index helps department biologists to assess reproductive success, which is important to the sustainability of the wild turkey population.
In recent years, many hunters across the southeastern U.S. have reported seeing fewer turkeys. State fish and wildlife agencies are currently conducting research to shed more light on the status of turkey populations, and whether decreased observations reflect natural population fluctuation, or if it may indicate a downward trend in wild turkey numbers. In addition to scientific research, observation data from staff and the public through this survey are vital for long-term conservation.
“Citizen science can help conservation efforts in many ways,” Danks said. “Our summer wild turkey survey is a great example, and we welcome everyone’s contributions.”