For more information, contact Pete Muller at (803) 637-7698 or pmuller@nwtf.net

New Research Seeks to Provide Deeper Understanding of Wild Turkey Populations

EDGEFIELD, S.C. — As part of its 2023 investment in wild turkey research, the NWTF is helping fund state-of-the-art research that integrates multiple data sources – a first-of-its-kind approach in wild turkey management – to provide wild turkey managers with a more accurate picture of population abundance across the country.

In 2019, a report in Science made headlines worldwide, stating that North America’s bird population had decreased by 3 billion birds since the 1970s. Researchers deciphered this staggering number using advanced statistical methods integrating wide-ranging data sources, including multiple annual bird censuses, historical data and even weather radar data that can quantify migratory birds. Now, researchers at the University of Florida want to take a similar approach with wild turkeys, painting a clearer picture of wild turkey abundance across the country. Read more

EP:180 | Mississippi Record Alligator

On this BONUS episode we hear the story of the recently killed Mississippi State Record Alligator. The hunters Don Woods, Will Thomas, Tanner White and Joey Clark join us to tell the exciting story, and former MDWFP gator coordinator Ricky Flint explains even more interesting details about prior interactions with the same individual. Imagine a 14 foot jon boat and a 14 foot 3 inch 802 pound alligator! It’s an amazing story of four deserving hunters. Trust us, you don’t want to miss this one.

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Spend any time in South Dakota and what strikes you most is that the place still works. At a time when so many American cities seem like backdrops for the next Hollywood dystopian thriller, life amid the amber waves of grain feels like utopia, a remnant of a country that once was. With 63 parks and recreation areas to explore, it’s no surprise that Forbes included the state on their recent best travel destinations list.

South Dakota’s natural beauty from the Black Hills and Badlands (the geologic wonder that Teddy Roosevelt once referred to as inspiring the romance of his life) to the sweeping prairies, holds some of the country’s most divergent landscapes.

Along with the state’s wild attractions and famous monuments, its economy is thriving. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the state ranked in the top five for growth in gross domestic product and personal income during the first quarter of 2023. The state’s real GDP also rose a whopping 10.1 percent and personal income went up 9.2 percent. Additionally, South Dakota recently broke the record for lowest unemployment rate, registering just 1.8 percent in June—roughly half the national average.

To read the rest of this column click here.

Missing your favorite flannel shirt in the back of your closet? Before you know it, cooler weather will arrive, bringing opportunities to enjoy your flannel along with flickering bonfires under the stars. With a $20 fuelwood permit, you can collect firewood for your campfires or to warm your winter woodstove.

A fuelwood permit allows users to gather dead and downed wood from designated state forest areas, primarily located in the northern two-thirds of Michigan, for up to 90 days. All permits expire Dec. 31. Purchase permits online through DNR eLicense or in person at select office locations. Read more

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife and The Ohio State University are partnering to conduct a multiyear study on the survival and nest success of female wild turkeys.

Ohio’s wild turkey abundance is thought to have peaked around 2001 and has fluctuated since then. Adult hen survival, nest success rates, and poult survival play a role in population levels. From 2017 to 2019, below-average hatches of turkey poults resulted in a decrease in wild turkey abundance. Hatches in 2021 and 2022 were above average.

To learn more about the factors that impact Ohio’s turkey populations, the Division of Wildlife joined a research collaboration which aims to understand wild turkey hen survival and nesting activity. Researchers affixed GPS transmitters to 49 female (hen) turkeys in southeast Ohio in February and March of 2023. The transmitters provide biologists information on turkey movement, survival, and nesting activity. Gathering turkey survival and nest timing data is essential for the Division of Wildlife to structure science-based turkey hunting regulations. Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are performing similar studies in collaboration with the Division of Wildlife. Read more

Furthering efforts to promote the scientific understanding and management of chronic wasting disease, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation committed $100,000 to two research endeavors.

One study, in conjunction with the University of Tennessee CWD Working Group, aims to develop a CWD test for live animals. The other seeks to measure the CWD prevalence among elk in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

“There are many more questions than answers related to this mysterious and deadly wildlife disease,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “This research has great potential to shape how biologists can better manage CWD’s impact on wildlife.”

Development of a live CWD test (University of Tennessee)
· Research to develop a rapid and sensitive platform for detection of CWD prions in live animal samples. Results could help state wildlife agencies evaluate prevalence and improve management including test-and-cull actions. Read more

We imagine that you get excited when you see a Rufous Hummingbird, or a Calliope Hummingbird – we do! Just a quick look at one of these species will make our day, maybe our year. But imagine a scene with the above species along with Broad-tailed and Black-throated Hummingbirds in a continuous feeding frenzy, and then a rare Lucifer Hummingbird flies into view. A link to a remarkable video is included here for you to be astonished – that’s right, get ready to be astonished by the action in this video at https://youtu.be/zOet2wbCwR8

After taking an initial look, you may think, “they should provide more than 1 feeder – no wonder so many hummingbirds are gathered around this one.” But there are 20 other feeders at this site in far west Texas, and the live cam host shared that the action at all 21 feeders was just as busy as the one with the live cam directed at it. Read more

EDGEFIELD, S.C.—As part of its 2023 investment in wild turkey research, the NWTF is helping fund a unique project out of the University of Tennessee examining potential factors that may be causing wild turkey eggs to fail to hatch.

“We were stunned to find out how many of these eggs were fertilized, but for various reasons including hens being killed or bumped off the nest, they failed to hatch.”

These are the words of an excited-yet-perplexed Richard Gerhold, Ph.D., associate professor focusing on parasitology and wildlife diseases at the University of Tennessee’s Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences. Gerhold is the principal investigator of the NWTF co-funded project.

For the last eight years, Gerhold and his colleagues at UT have been assisting the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency with understanding why wild turkeys are declining in parts of the state. The UT researchers were specifically examining the effect diseases and parasites may have on the birds on a population level. Gerhold says there’s no smoking gun, but if anything, diseases may exacerbate other unknown factors causing the decline. Read more