The number one driver of wild turkey populations is recruitment. The two major factors that play into recruitment of turkeys are nest success and poult survival. The process, from a hen laying and incubating her eggs to the poults becoming capable of flight, spans about 50-60 days. During the final two weeks of this process, the poults hatch and become active on the ground. Maintaining sufficient brood-rearing habitat on the landscape is crucial for the survival of poults before they are able to fly.

First, it is best to understand what turkey brood habitat is. Brood habitat is a specialized environment where wild turkey hens raise their poults, characterized by a specific vegetation structure and abundant foraging opportunities for insects. The ideal vegetation structure is lush and low-growing, forming an umbrella-like canopy with bare ground beneath. This provides hens with a vantage point to watch over the area while poults can move underneath, staying largely undetected and protected from predators. This vegetation also attracts a variety of insects, which form the majority of a poults' high-protein diet during the first few weeks of development. The shorter the distance a hen must travel from nesting areas to brooding areas, the greater the chances of survival for poults. Therefore, it's ideal to position dense nesting areas next to open spaces that are managed as brood-rearing habitat.

What habitat management practices can landowners and land managers implement on their property to provide quality brood habitat for turkey poults?

Disturbance is the primary management factor for wild turkeys. A key best practice is to rotate early successional habitats by disturbing at least one-third of your property each year. Typically, 1 to 2 years after disturbance provide the optimal conditions for brooding habitat. Disturbance can be achieved through methods such as prescribed fire, disking, timber harvesting, and selective herbicide treatments. Among these, prescribed fire should be considered the most effective management tool for turkey conservation. Fire will be essential in resetting plant communities that turkeys have to have to be successful. 

Managing and expanding open areas on a property is highly beneficial for turkey poults. These areas can be enhanced through disturbance, such as fire on a rotational basis, to boost habitat diversity and create more brooding opportunities. Additionally, open areas can be planted with food plots, and well-maintained clover plots provide ideal brood habitat, offering plentiful foraging opportunities for insects.

If you're looking to boost wild turkey populations on your property, prioritizing brood-rearing habitat management is essential. For more information on how to enhance brood habitat on your property, visit our website at 

mdwfp.com/private lands 

Or

Watch this video discussing nesting and brood rearing habitat by the MDWFP Private Lands Program

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M174ww6YYAc