A new wild turkey research project in New Hampshire is on the horizon.
Thanks in part to funding provided by the National Wild Turkey Foundation, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is gearing up to start an project that will investigate wild turkey survival and harvest rates in New Hampshire to produce a more accurate population estimate.
“We will have three consecutive winters of trapping and leg banding, and we’re shooting for about 300 male birds statewide per winter season, which is a total of 900 birds,” said Dan Ellingwood, NHFG turkey project leader. “We’ll be tracking leg band recovery through mandatory reporting of harvested birds during both the spring and fall seasons. Regionally, we’ll be able to estimate the percentage of the male population that’s being harvested each spring, and how those harvest rates vary.”
The NHFG has a small staff of game bird biologists and plans to collaborate with NWTF volunteers during the wild turkey trapping process. Agency biologists will be seeking help with identifying and managing bait sites, as well as field assistance to support agency staff. NHFG will also be able to collect data for a host of other wild turkey population parameters in the state through band recovery, including seasonal movements, dispersal from winter areas and disease prevalence.
During the trapping and banding process, agency staff are planning to collect samples for disease testing to see if diseases pose a risk to long-term population stability. Diseases of primary interest include lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV) and avian influenza. Samples will be sent to be tested through the University of New Hampshire’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
“There has been limited field work over the last 20 years to quantify wild turkey population parameters here in New Hampshire,” Ellingwood said. “Turkeys were successfully reintroduced to the state 50 years ago, and we’re excited to further our understanding of how things have changed since those early days.”
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