Wild Turkey Research Paper

Words: 1424
Pages: 6

Wild turkeys can be very interesting birds when it comes to their actions. They are very tough animals to hunt, but they are also very fun to listen to during the breeding season. Turkeys are very easy to find nowadays, but during World War II, there was a great decrease in the number of wild turkeys. This happened because a lot of people hunted them, resulting in habitat loss and lots of diseases. Wild turkeys have lots of predators, and every state has different predators that hunt them. Some states have predators who find turkeys to be an easy meal, but others struggle. A great defense mechanism for a turkey is being able to fly. Every state has different predators, but one known predator is humans. Humans destroy a lot of turkey habitats …show more content…
Turkeys are commonly seen feeding after a hard rain because lots of worms and bugs come up from the ground. Turkeys can be very destructive to cropland because they are known to dig up seeds planted and eat them in the spring after planting. Wild turkeys have had a wide variety of enemies throughout their lives. Turkeys can be a very easy meal for a predator, especially when they are young. According to the Management of Iowa Turkeys (1991), the main predators for turkeys are cold and wet weather, skunks, raccoons, owls, coyotes, or dogs, and the biggest of all would be humans killing a good portion of turkeys. Other animals and rodents like to kill the baby turkeys or poults. About 90% of hens attempt to flock to turkeys or brood. Only 25 to 40 percent raise them because of the eggs getting eaten or something happening to the babies. According to the Management of Iowa Turkeys (1991), the Iowa DNR brings in almost $3.5 million in turkey hunting in the state. Turkeys can only be hunted at certain times of the year. You also have to use certain calibers of