Turkey Habitat and Management

Turkeys need three distinct habitats--winter, nesting and summer/fall. Turkeys will spend about one-half of the year (October-March) in winter habitat, which must provide adequate and reliable food, plus cover from bad weather. Prime winter habitat consists of at least 50 percent mature hardwood forest. Tree species important to turkeys include a variety of oaks. These trees, if mature, will produce large quantities of mast (acorns). Acorns and other mast are the staple of the turkey's winter diet. In agricultural areas turkeys often depend on waste grain remaining in crop fields for winter food. They will also scratch through snow for other seeds. Therefore, supplemental feeding is not needed.

Nesting habitat is quite varied, but hens usually nest near the edges of old fields, along trails, in hay fields, or in patches of briar or similar vegetation. Also, most turkey nests are located close to a source of permanent water.

Summer and fall habitat of mowed hay fields, grazed pasture, glades, or "open" woods. These areas are extremely important to hens and their poults. Low plant cover provides abundant insects and seeds.

In comparison to winter habitat, the size of summer and fall areas used by turkeys is relatively small, but vital. Acreage in openings may vary, but should be more than 10 percent of the total annual range, with 30 percent approaching the optimum.

Wild turkeys require water, and ordinarily are not found where it is lacking. Construction of one small pond per square mile, or preferably one per quarter section, where no permanent water exists will improve turkey habitat and provide additional nesting sites. Ponds built in timbered areas for wildlife need not be large, but should be deep to provide water during the driest part of the summer. Dimensions of approximately 30-40 feet across and 8 feet in depth are satisfactory.

Acorns are the most important food for wild turkeys. In Missouri, acorns are eaten by turkeys every month of the year, and more than a third of their diet consists of acorns in fall and winter. To ensure a dependable source of natural foods for turkeys (and future timber supplies), landowners should strive for an equal distribution of age and size classes of trees on their timbered lands. This means that approximately one-third of a timbered tract would be in small trees and reproduction, one-third in pole-sized trees and one-third in mature saw logs. This sort of balance will ensure a dependable mast crop, plus the added benefit of openings created when stands of saw logs are harvested.

Food plots for turkeys only supplement natural food supplies. They can, however, be helpful in times of extremely bad weather or during drastic shortages of natural food supplies. Winter wheat is one of the best crops from the standpoint of ease of establishment and use by turkeys. Forest clearings of one acre or larger, when planted to wheat in August or September, will provide green wheat all winter, with most turkey use occurring during early spring just before hens start to lay. Hens and poults will use the grain all summer. In August, half of the field can be disced and the other half left standing. Volunteer wheat will provide a source of green browse and some grain will remain in the other portion. Wheat planted for a cash crop also provides the very important winter green portion of the turkey's diet; the stubble, if left, provides a good place for a hen and brood to catch insects.

Corn and beans also attract turkeys and are especially important during periods of severe weather in late winter and early spring when food supplies are short. Normally, there is an abundance of corn left after harvest, probably more than will be consumed by wildlife, but leaving a few rows standing next to timber ensures a food supply in case of deep snow. A portion of the corn left standing should be knocked down to ensure good utilization by turkeys.

image of turkeys walking in snow

Turkeys will spend about one-half of the year in winter habitat

Permanent food plots can be established in forest clearings by applying recommended amounts of limestone, rock phosphate and fertilizer and seeding in the fall with 1/2 bushel/acre of wheat and 2 pounds/acre of orchard grass. Then overseed one-half of the plot in the fall or winter with 2 pounds/acre of Latino cover and 2 pounds/acre of red clover, and the other half with 10 pounds/acre of Korean or Summit lespedeza. Such plantings should provide attractive, nutritious food for turkeys, deer, and other wildlife for 3 to 5 years without further treatment. Apply no more than 20 pounds/acre of nitrogen plant food to avoid excessive vegetative growth. Turkeys prefer thin stands of vegetation and may not use dense, lush stands.

Abandoned fields surrounded by timber are an essential part of the annual range of wild turkeys. These fields often include former house sites with bluegrass, an important food item during the spring and summer. Attempts should be made to keep such fields open and in a grass-legume mixture if possible. Mowing or moderate grazing improves the quality of these fields for turkeys.