{"id":748711,"date":"2026-07-07T15:23:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T15:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/748711\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T15:23:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T15:23:17","slug":"want-to-help-track-michigans-next-generation-of-wild-turkeys-heres-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/748711\/","title":{"rendered":"Want to help track Michigan\u2019s next generation of wild turkeys? Here\u2019s how"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wildlife biologists in Michigan are seeking help from the public for the state\u2019s annual wild turkey brood survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Open now through Aug. 31, the survey provides the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) with valuable information about the health of Michigan\u2019s turkey population, which the DNR calls \u201cone of Michigan\u2019s greatest wildlife conservation success stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Considered regionally extinct in Michigan by the turn of the 20th century, wild turkey populations have seen major strides since getting reintroduced in the state by the DNR in the 1950s. Today, wild turkeys can be found in every Michigan county.<\/p>\n

Still, the DNR says maintaining healthy turkey populations requires ongoing monitoring, which is why the wild turkey brood survey is so important.<\/p>\n

\u201cSummer is one of the best times of year to see wild turkey families,\u201d said Adam Bump, the DNR\u2019s upland game bird specialist. \u201cEvery brood observation helps us better understand how many young turkeys are surviving and where reproduction is occurring across Michigan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the survey launched in 2023, Michigan residents have submitted more than 17,000 sightings, documenting over 36,200 hens, 95,300 poults (young birds) and 15,500 male turkeys.<\/p>\n

As part of a larger multistate effort supported by the National Wild Turkey Federation, the survey uses a standardized protocol for monitoring turkey populations, making it easier for biologists to track annual changes and compare trends with those observed in other states.<\/p>\n

\u201cTurkey populations are influenced by many factors, including weather, habitat conditions and poult survival,\u201d Bump said. \u201cBy collecting observations year after year, we\u2019re building a long-term dataset that helps us understand trends before they become problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to participate in the survey<\/p>\n

Anyone can participate in the wild turkey brood survey. Whether you spot a single hen with a few babies or a large flock, DNR officials say \u201ceveryone can play a role in wildlife science.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you see turkeys this summer, take a minute to report them,\u201d Bump said. \u201cTogether, we\u2019re creating one of the most comprehensive pictures of turkey reproduction in Michigan and helping ensure wild turkeys remain part of our state for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

To report sightings of wild turkeys and turkey broods \u2014 family units consisting of at least one adult hen and her young \u2014 you can fill out the online survey form here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Participants will be asked to provide the following details:<\/p>\n

Date of observation<\/p>\n

Location<\/p>\n

Number of hens observed<\/p>\n

Number of poults (young birds) observed<\/p>\n

Number of gobblers (adult males) or jakes (juvenile males, about a year old) observed<\/p>\n

Most reports take only a minute or two to complete, and the survey uses an email login so observations can be associated with individual participants, helping biologists better analyze the data. <\/p>\n

For more information about Michigan\u2019s wild turkey population or to submit an observation, visit michigan.gov\/turkey<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Wildlife biologists in Michigan are seeking help from the public for the state\u2019s annual wild turkey brood survey.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":748712,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[1303,64121,321204,321205,79,201],"class_list":["post-748711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-michigan","tag-michigan-department-of-natural-resources","tag-michigan-wild-turkey-brood-survey","tag-michigan-wildlife","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=748711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/748712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=748711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=748711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=748711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}