Since 1973, the NWTF has conserved or enhanced more than 20 million acres of wildlife habitat. But what does wild turkey habitat look like?
In the 1940s, Eastern and Osceola turkey populations remained only in remote areas of extensive timberland. These areas supported turkeys because topography made them inaccessible and kept legal and illegal hunting to a minimum. Inaccessibility also made logging and agriculture difficult, so these areas remained forested. As a result, biologists began to associate the wild turkey with big timber, but that wasn't exactly accurate.
Once timbered areas were re-populated with wild turkeys (thanks to trap-and-transfer programs) wildlife managers began experimenting with turkey transplants in other areas. Turkey populations blossomed throughout the United States and with up-to-date research, biologists and conservation managers have identified a few very important ecosystems that provide optimal habitat for the wild turkey including habitats around rivers and streams (riparian zones), oaks and grasslands, pine savannas and wildlife openings (often called, forest clearings, meadows, pastures).
To ensure and sustain wild turkey numbers in the future, we should focus our efforts to ensure these critical components are provided for decades to come.