Expert Advice for Managing Turkey Habitats from Wildlife Service

Like other wildlife, wild turkeys need water, food, and shelter to ensure survival. Landowners who want to cultivate an abundant turkey population must focus on providing these three fundamentals in order to enhance turkey habitat on their property.

A good size for a feeding opening is between 1 and 3 acres. Creating and maintaining openings of this size gives wild turkeys a productive place to forage for the leaves, seeds, worms, and insects that make up their diet.

You can work with your local AFM forester and wildlife biologist to develop a forest management plan that includes Timber Stand Improvement, or TSI. As part of that process, your forester will thin trees to make travel easier for turkeys, save desirable species like native hardwoods for acorn production and roosting, and recommend planting native grasses that provide nesting areas, seeds, and insects.

Landowners should consider planting brambles such as blackberries and raspberries, as well as oaks, hickory, and persimmons. Because wild turkeys are foragers that need reliable food throughout the year, planning these food sources across the seasons helps ensure turkeys have consistent access to nourishment.

Yes, prescribed burns can be used to maintain and promote beneficial food sources for wild turkeys. Your AFM forester and wildlife biologist can advise on whether and how to incorporate prescribed burns into your overall habitat management plan.

Invasive species can take over native plants that wild turkeys depend on for food and nesting. Managing invasive species is an important part of a forest management plan, and your AFM forester and wildlife biologist can help identify and address invasive species threats on your land.