CONCORD, NH – The summer Turkey Brood Survey ends August 31 and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department needs your help. Go online and report your sightings of hen turkeys, with or without young, at www.wildnh.com/surveys/turkeybrood.html. The survey provides data that helps NH Fish and Game biologists determine the productivity, distribution, and abundance of wild turkeys throughout the state.
“Observations made in late summer are especially important,” said Fish and Game Turkey Biologist Allison Keating. “Those young who have survived into August are likely to become adults, so these August sightings provide the best index to summer breeding success and productivity.”
Some helpful background for turkey observers: The term “brood” refers to a family group of young turkeys accompanied by a hen. New Hampshire hens generally begin laying eggs from mid-April to early May and complete their clutch of about 12 eggs in early to mid-May. Incubation lasts for 28 days, and most nests hatch from late May to mid-June. If incubating turkey eggs are destroyed or consumed by predators, hens often lay a replacement clutch of eggs that hatch late June through late August. Often as the summer progresses, hens will bring their broods together, which can result in a group with multiple hens and young of various ages.
To learn more about the annual Turkey Brood Survey, visit www.wildnh.com/surveys/turkeybrood.html.
Wildlife research and management in New Hampshire is funded in part by Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, a user-pay, user-benefit program supported by your purchase of firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment.
