Though they spend most of their time
on the ground, turkeys require a
nighttime roosting location 15 to 20
feet above the ground, where they
are safe from predators. Where there
are few roosting trees, such as in
wetlands or large tracts of cleared
land, turkeys are rare. In the West,
however, Rio Grande turkeys
sometimes roost on man-made
structures, such as windmills and oil
derricks, if trees are not available.













ROOSTING TREES IN THE EAST
are usually hardwoods, such as oaks
or hickories, with large, horizontal
branches. In some areas, though,
turkeys must use whatever suitable
trees are available.
MAN-MADE STRUCTURES, such as
power lines, are often used by
turkeys for roosting when suitable
roosting trees are scarce.
ROOSTING TREES IN THE WEST
are usually tall, dead conifers with
open horizontal branches. In the
western prairie areas, where there
are few trees, large cottonwoods
along the river bottoms are the only
choice.

Turkeys feed, breed and nest in
grassy open areas, pastures and
fields adjacent to wooded areas.

In many regions, these three
elements can be found in close
proximity. For example, in much of
their range, eastern and Florida
turkeys are able to find roosting
trees, water sources and feeding
areas without moving more than a
few hundred yards. By contrast,
many Rio Grande and Merriam?s
turkeys travel as many as 5 miles per
day to meet these needs.

The presence of the three habitat
elements does not guarantee that an
area harbors wild turkeys. Heavy
predation or adverse climatic
conditions limit turkey populations.
For example, turkeys have difficulty
thriving in far northern areas where
heavy snow cover makes it difficult
for the birds to move and scratch for
food.

Check with state conservation
agencies or local chapters of the
National Wild Turkey Federation for
detailed information on local turkey
populations. Scouting is the only sure
way to determine if turkeys are
present in a specific area.

The effect of human development on
wild turkey populations is not yet fully
understood. It is possible that
turkeys, like white-tailed deer, may
adapt well to suburban areas so long
as habitat requirements are met.

EASTERN TURKEY HABITAT in the
northern part of the country consists
of hardwood forests mixed with
grassy openings, farm fields and
pastures. Standing water is not
essential, but the best turkey habitat
is usually well watered by rivers and
streams.

MERRIAM?S TURKEY HABITAT
varies and includes hilly grasslands
mixed with conifers (left), western
coniferous moutains, prairie
cottonwood river bottoms and
semiarid desert sprinkled with pines.
The key ingredients are roosting
trees near a water source.

RIO GRANDE TURKEY HABITAT
consists of prairie grasslands and
savannah mixed with mesquite, live
oak, hackberry or cottonwood trees.
The best habitat has roosting areas,
either natural or man-made, in close
proximity to water.

EASTERN TURKEY HABITAT in the
southern part of the country is a
mixture of hardwood and coniferous
forests with adjacent pastures, green
fields, farm fields or other openings.
As in the North, water is not an
essential requirement, but the best
habitat is usually found close to
permanent water.

FLORIDA TURKEY HABITAT
consists of pine woods and hardwood
hammocks adjacent to cypress
ponds and creek bottoms. The
majority of turkeys in Florida roost in
cypress trees.

GOULD'S TURKEY HABITAT is
mainly grassy semiarid mountains
mixed with pines and scrub oaks.
Large, dominant pines for roosting
and a water source, either natural or
man-made, are essential.

AGE, GROWTH AND
DEVELOPEMENT

Wild turkeys, like other game birds,
are fast-growing and fairly
short-lived. Individuals living beyond
5 years are considered old. Birds
hatched in spring are nearly full
grown by fall.

Young turkeys, called poults, weigh
about 2 ounces at hatching. Only 30
percent survive their first 2 weeks,
which is the most critical period for
these young birds. Wild turkeys, like
grouse, quail, ducks and geese, are
precocial birds that must learn to
exhibit adult behavior soon after
hatching in order to survive.

The turkey?s breeding schedule is
timed so poults hatch when forage is
at a peak. When the poults begin to
hatch, the hen clucks softly to them,
beginning the crucial process of
imprinting, by which the young birds
bond to her. Within a few hours of
hatching, poults venture short
distances from the nest. Within 12 to
24 hours, they leave the nesting area
with the hen.

Within hours of leaving the nest,
poults can keep pace with the hen?s
normal walking pace. They quickly
learn to peck at almost anything that
moves.

In their first summer, young turkeys
feed almost exclusively on insects,
then slowly switch to seeds, buds,
leaves and other plant foods.

Poults have yellow down with brown
markings when hatched, but within 10
to 12 days, they grow primary wing
feathers and can fly short distances.
By the end of their first month, when
their down has been entirely
replaced with plumage, the young
birds begin roosting in trees at night.
By this time, poults are no longer as
dependent on the hen and have
adjusted to the adult routine of
roosting, feeding, resting and dusting.

By the time they reach their third
month in mid- to late summer, young
birds are chocolate brown in color
and weigh 3 to 4 pounds. The young
males, now called jakes, are slightly
larger and have longer necks and
legs than young females.

During their first fall, at 5 to 6 months
of age, jakes weigh 9 to 11 pounds
and closely resemble adult hens,
which poses difficulty for fall turkey
hunters. The best way to identify sex
is to examine the head and neck
closely. Juvenile males generally
have bare skin on the back of the
neck and pink to red skin around the
eyes and side of the head. Small red
caruncles may be visible near the
base of the neck. Hens usually have
blue-gray heads with more feathering
on the back of the neck, and rarely
have visible caruncles.

By 7 months of age, jakes weigh
about 12-1/2 pounds. They are
clearly larger than brood hens, which
average 8 pounds, and are now
darker than hens. They have lost
their neck and head feathers, and
sport the whitish pink head color
typical in adult toms. Small, buttonlike
leg spurs and 1/2- to 2-1/2-inch-long
beards are evident on jakes.

At 1 year of age, most juvenile birds
have reached sexual maturity.
Females generally breed at this age.
Young toms, which may weigh in
excess of 15 pounds, rarely breed as
yearlings due to harrassment from
aggressive mature toms. Yearlings
can be distinguished from older birds
by comparing fanned tails. On
yearlings, central tail feathers are
longer than surrounding feathers. By
a tom?s second fall, these feathers
will be equal in length.

At 2 years of age, wild turkeys have
reached full maturity. Legs, brownish
pink on juvenile birds, have now
become reddish. Toms weigh 21 to
22 pounds on average and have 7-
to 9-inch beards still tipped with
amber. A few males develop multiple
beards. The leg spurs are 3/4 to 1
inch long. Some hens develop
rudimentary beards.

By 3 years of age, the tom?s beard
has reached its maximum length,
about 10 inches long, and the yellow
tip has been worn off from dragging
on the ground.

continued on the next page