Natural Resources University

Dr. Colter Chitwood is back on to break down the unique population dynamics of the wild turkey. Join as we explore which vital rates are significant to turkey population trajectories, impacts of boom bust cycles on reproductive success, the interplay between reproductive parameters and hen survival, why high reproduction rates may not compensate for low hen survival, what this all means for wild turkey management.

Resources:

Bieber, C., & Ruf, T. (2005). Population dynamics in wild boar Sus scrofa: ecology, elasticity of growth rate and implications for the management of pulsed resource consumers. Journal of Applied Ecology, 42(6), 1203-1213.

Keller, B. J., et al. (2015). A review of vital rates and cause‐specific mortality of elk C ervus elaphus populations in eastern N orth A merica. Mammal Review, 45(3), 146-159.

Londe, David W., et al. "Review of range‐wide vital rates quantifies eastern wild Turkey population trajectory." Ecology and Evolution 13.2 (2023): e9830.

Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund

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Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications

Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications

Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow

UF DEER Lab @ufdeerlab, YouTube

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This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to turkeysfortomorrow.org.

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Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak

Dr. Kendall Calhoun of UCLA and UC Davis joins us to discuss the impact of megafires on wildlife communities. We delve into what defines a megafire, explore his research on wildlife and habitat responses to megafires, and discuss both the positive and negative effects of these events.

Resources:

• Calhoun, K. L., et al. (2024). Movement behavior in a dominant ungulate underlies successful adjustment to a rapidly changing landscape following megafire. Movement Ecology, 12(1), 53.
• Calhoun, K. L. et al. (2023). Mammalian resistance to megafire in western US woodland savannas. Ecosphere, 14(7), e4613.
• Calhoun, K. L. et al. (2022). Spatial overlap of wildfire and biodiversity in California highlights gap in non‐conifer fire research and management. Diversity and Distributions, 28(3), 529-541.
• Kreling, S. E. et al. (2021). Site fidelity and behavioral plasticity regulate an ungulate’s response to extreme disturbance. Ecology and Evolution, 11(22), 15683-15694.

Dr. Kendall Calhoun @kenleecalhoun, @kenleecalhoun, Academic Profile

Dr. Carolina Baruzzi @wildlandmgmt, Academic Profile

Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Academic Profile

Check out the first annual Bobwhite Heritage Festival! - Flyer & Facebook Event Page

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Check out our newest podcast, Wild Turkey Science!

Enroll now in our free, online fire course. Available to all.

This podcast is supported by listener donations - thank you for being a part of this effort.

For more information, follow UF DEER Lab on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.

Music by Dr. David Mason and Artlist.io

Produced and edited by Charlotte Nowak

In this episode we speak with Dr. Kevin Boston from the University of Arkansas at Monticello to discuss a recent landmark Supreme Court decision Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (2024) that overturned a long-standing precedent for federal agency authority on interpreting intent of Congressional legislation.

Dr. Boston received a Ph.D. In Forest Engineering at Oregon State University (1996) and has a JD, from the Northwest School of Law at Lewis and Clark College (2016). Dr. Boston has been working in the field of forestry as a registered forester across the globe since the early 80s and has submitted an Amicus Curiae to the Supreme Court for Decker v. Northwest Environmental Defense Center case from 2012-2013.

For questions or comments, email us at [email protected].

Dr. Molly Hunter joins us to discuss her work with the Joint Fire Science Program and the Fire Science Exchange Network, two organizations established to support fireland science research, provide science-based decisions to managers, and foster collaboration between scientists and practitioners. We also discuss the importance of measuring outcomes and the roles that trust and collaboration play in successful fire science management.

Resources:

• Joint Fire Science Program
• Fire Science Exchange Network
• Hunter, M. E. (2016). Outcomes of fire research: is science used?. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 25(5), 495-504.
• Hunter, M. E., et al. (2020). The use of science in wildland fire management: a review of barriers and facilitators. Current Forestry Reports, 6, 354-367.

Dr. Molly Hunter Academic Profile

Dr. Carolina Baruzzi wildlandmgmt, Academic Profile

Dr. Marcus Lashley DrDisturbance, Academic Profile

Have suggestions for future episodes? Send us your feedback! (here)

Check out our newest podcast, Wild Turkey Science!

Enroll now in our free, online fire course. Available to all.

This podcast is supported by listener donations - thank you for being a part of this effort.

For more information, follow UF DEER Lab on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.

Music by Dr. David Mason and Artlist.io

Produced and edited by Charlotte Nowak

We continue the gobbling activity conversation as Will walks us through the available research on the complex dynamics between habitat management, gobbling activity, and the overall health of turkey populations. We explore the significance of early successional cover, the impact of vegetation composition on gobbling rates, the challenges of researching gobbling, and our upcoming research that can help address some of these questions. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 of this episode, we recommend listening to Episode 111 before returning to this episode.

@davidfolker5850 please email [email protected] to claim your signed potcall!

Resources:

Bevill, W. V., Jr. 1973. Some factors influencing gobbling activity among turkeys. Proceedings of the Southeastern Association of Game and Fish Commissioners 27:62–73.

Chamberlain, M. J., et al. (2018). Gobbling activity of eastern wild turkeys relative to male movements and female nesting phenology in South Carolina. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 42(4), 632-642.

Grehan, Janelle, "Spring Gobbling Chronology and Turkey Habitat Use In Upstate South Carolina" (2022). All Theses. 3880.

Hoffman, R. W. 1990. Chronology of gobbling and nesting activities of Merriam’s wild turkeys. Proceedings of the National Wild Turkey Symposium 6:25–31.

Kienzler, J. M., et al. 1996. Effects of weather, incubation, and hunting on gobbling activity in wild turkeys. Proceedings of the National Wild Turkey Symposium 7:61-68.

Lehman, C. P. (2005). Ecology of Merriam's turkeys in the southern Black Hills, South Dakota. South Dakota State University.

Lehman, C. P., et al. (2007). Gobbling of Merriam's turkeys in relation to nesting and occurrence of hunting in the Black Hills, South Dakota. In Proceedings of the National Wild Turkey Symposium. 9: 343-349.

Lint, J. R., Leopold, B. D., & Hurst, G. A. (1995). Comparison of abundance indexes and population estimates for wild turkey gobblers. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 164-168.

Miller, D. A., Hurst, G. A., & Leopold, B. D. (1997). Chronology of wild turkey nesting, gobbling, and hunting in Mississippi. The Journal of wildlife management, 840-845.

Norman, G. W., et al. (2001). Reproductive chronology, spring hunting, and illegal kill of female wild turkeys. Proceedings of the National Wild Turkey Symposium 8:269–279.

Palmer, W. E., et al. (1990). Effort, success, and characteristics of spring turkey hunters on Tallahala Wildlife Management Area, Mississippi. In Proceedings of the National Wild Turkey Symposium (Vol. 6, pp. 208-213).

Palumbo, M. D., et al. (2019). Latitude and daily-weather effects on gobbling activity of wild turkeys in Mississippi. International journal of biometeorology, 63, 1059-1067.

Pollentier, C. D., et al. (2021). Gobbling across landscapes: Eastern wild turkey distribution and occupancy–habitat associations. Ecology and Evolution, 11(24), 18248-18270.

Wakefield, C. T., et al. (2020). Hunting and nesting phenology influence gobbling of wild turkeys. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 84(3), 448-457.