Home ranges of gobblers | Wild Turkey Science #409

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March 31, 2025

Natural Resources University

 

Natural Resources University

Description

How much area are these gobblers using? What does the literature say? Join us as we dive into the published science on home ranges for each subspecies and share preliminary results from our research tracking Osceola movement. 

Resources:

Cohen, B. S., et al. (2015). Space use, movements, and habitat selection of translocated eastern wild turkeys in northwestern Louisiana. In Proceedings of the National Wild Turkey Symposium (Vol. 11, pp. 165-174).

Craft, R. A. (1986). Characteristics and use of wild turkey roost sites in southcentral South Dakota.

Davis, A., et al. (2018). Landscape-abundance relationships of male Eastern Wild Turkeys Meleagris gallopavo silvestris in Mississippi, USA. Acta ornithologica, 52(2), 127-139.

De La Cruz, J. L. (2012). Habitat Selection of Male Eastern Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) in West Virginia.

Fleming, W. H., & Webb, L. G. (1973). Home range, dispersal and habitat utilization of wild turkey gobblers during the breeding season. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department.

Grisham, B. A., et al. (2008). Spatial ecology and survival of male wild turkeys in a bottomland hardwood forest. In Proceedings of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Vol. 62, pp. 70-76).

Gross, J. T. (2014). Assessing movements and ecology of male wild turkeys during spring reproductive and hunting seasons using micro-GPS technology (Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia).

Gross, J. T., et al. (2015). Space use, daily movements, and roosting behavior of male wild turkeys during spring in Louisiana and Texas.

Hall, G. I., et al. (2006). Rio Grande wild turkey home ranges in the southern Great Plains. In Proceedings of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Vol. 60, pp. 36-42).

Hoffman, R. W. (1991). Spring movements, roosting activities, and home-range characteristics of male Merriam's wild turkey. The Southwestern Naturalist, 332-337.

Hurst, G. A., et al. (1991). Wild turkey gobbler habitat use and home range in loblolly pine plantations. In Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Vol. 45, pp. 115-123).

Isabelle, J. L. (2010). Survival, home range size, habitat selection, and reproductive ecology of eastern wild turkeys in east Texas. Stephen F. Austin State University.

Lambert, E. P. (1986). Home range, movements, and habitat use of the eastern wild turkey in commercially managed pine forests of southeast Louisiana. Southeastern Louisiana University.

Lutz, R. S., & Crawford, J. A. (1989). Habitat use and selection and home ranges of Merriam's wild turkey in Oregon. The Great Basin Naturalist, 252-258.

Porter, W. F. (1977). Home range dynamics of wild turkeys in southeastern Minnesota. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 434-437.

Rauch, S. E. (2009). Home range characteristics of the male eastern wild turkey in West Virginia. West Virginia University.

Ruttinger, J. A. (2013). Habitat and roost site seleciton by male eastern wild turkeys in southwestern Georgia (Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia).

Wightman, P. H. (2022). Influence of Predation Risk on the Ecology of Male Eastern Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) (Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia).

Wigley, T. B., Sweeney, J. M., Garner, M. E., & Melchiors, M. A. (1986). Wild turkey home ranges in the Ouachita Mountains. The Journal of wildlife management, 540-544.

 

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Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow 

UF Game Lab @ufgamelab, YouTube

 

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Music by Artlist.io

Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak

 

Duration

01:05:15