Wildlife - Wild Turkeys
2018 Wild Turkey Summer Survey
Wild Turkey Reproduction Continues on a Low, But Steady, Trend
Annually since the early 1980’s, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has conducted a Summer Turkey Survey to estimate reproduction and recruitment of wild turkeys in South Carolina. The survey involves agency wildlife biologists, technicians and conservation officers, as well as many volunteers from other natural resource agencies and the general public. This year approximately 220 observers recorded 1297 unique observations, seeing over 8,000 turkeys across the state in July and August.
Although wild turkeys nest primarily in April and May in South Carolina, the survey does not take place until late summer. Therefore, the survey statistics document poults (young turkeys) that actually survived and entered the fall population.
Reproduction in turkeys has generally been low for the last twelve years. This year, average brood size of 3.7 poults remained good, but the Total Recruitment Ratio (TRR) was 1.7, a less than desirable figure. Total Recruitment Ratio is a measure of young entering the population based on the number of hens in the population. The low TRR value was driven by a high percentage of hens (53%) that had no poults at all by late summer. TRR has averaged 1.6 over the last 5 years, keep in mind that 2.0 is somewhat of a break even mark. In fact, when turkey populations were expanding during the 1980’s recruitment ratio averaged 3.5. Although this observed measure of reproduction was poor in most of the state and definitely lower than we would like to see, the Piedmont physiographic region was a small bright spot in the survey with a TRR of 2.0, average brood size of 4.0 and 50% hens without poults. Additionally, the overall gobbler to hen ratio during last summer’s survey was 0.62 which is an acceptable value and slightly better than the 5 year average (0.56). Low gobbler to hen ratios can affect the quality of hunting because hens are extremely available which affects gobbling and responsiveness to calling by hunters.
Unlike deer, wild turkeys are much more susceptible to significant fluctuations in reproduction and recruitment. Lack of reproductive success is often associated with bad weather (cold and wet) during nesting and brood rearing season. However, there are a host of predators that take advantage of turkey nests and broods including: raccoons, opossums, skunks, armadillos, snakes, foxes, bobcats, and numerous avian predators. Coyotes which are not native but are now well established in the state can be added to the list of turkey predators. Additionally, feral hogs are expanding on the landscape and can be a significant nest predator. Turkeys naturally have high reproductive potential and are therefore able to maintain populations in spite of predation and other mortality factors.
Although we are not seeing an increase in these numbers and we are not where we need to be for widespread increases in the turkey population to occur in South Carolina, it is somewhat encouraging that the trend is at least stabilized and the downward trajectory of the population has stalled the last several years. It is possible that following restocking and restoration efforts and the tremendous population growth we experienced following those endeavors that we are now settling into a “new normal” of population levels, reproductive rates and harvest numbers. It is also worth noting that both short term and long term fluctuations up and down are not unexpected given the reproductive strategy of turkeys and the multiple factors that influence their success and survival. This inherent instability is the reason that annual monitoring is critical for this species.
Anyone interested in participating in the annual Summer Turkey Survey is encouraged to sign-up. The survey period is July 1-August 29 annually and those who
participate typically spend a reasonable amount of time outdoors during that time period. Cooperators obviously must be able to identify wild turkeys and must be
comfortable in telling the difference between hens, poults, and gobblers. If you would like to participate in the survey, contact Jay Cantrell at
cantrellj@dnr.sc.gov. You will be added to the cooperator list and receive materials at the end of June annually.
Those interested in the survey can also download instructions and survey forms at the following website:
https://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/turkey/volunbroodsurvey.html
Figure 1. Map of physiographic regions for 2018 Summer Turkey Survey
Table 1. Summary of reproductive data for 2018 Summer Turkey Survey by region.
| Region | Gobbler Hen Ratio | No. Hens w/Poults | No. Hens w/o Poults (%) | No. Poults | Avg. Brood Size | Total Recruitment Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piedmont | 0.39 | 442 | 450 (50) | 1,747 | 4.0 | 2.0 |
| Midlands | 0.70 | 104 | 94 (47) | 274 | 2.6 | 1.4 |
| Northern Coastal | 0.73 | 219 | 301 (58) | 819 | 3.7 | 1.6 |
| Southern Coastal | 0.82 | 311 | 361 (54) | 1,108 | 3.6 | 1.6 |
| Statewide | 0.62 | 1,076 | 1,206 (53) | 3,948 | 3.7 | 1.7 |
Table 2. Statewide Summer Turkey Survey reproductive data 2014-2018.
| Year | Gobbler Hen Ratio | No. Hens w/Poults | No. Hens w/o Poults (%) | No. Poults | Avg. Brood Size | Total Recruitment Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 0.60 | 983 | 1,403 (59) | 3,834 | 3.9 | 1.6 |
| 2015 | 0.50 | 1,077 | 1,543 (59) | 3,829 | 3.6 | 1.5 |
| 2016 | 0.48 | 893 | 1,003 (53) | 3,370 | 3.8 | 1.8 |
| 2017 | 0.58 | 1,409 | 1,737 (55) | 4,832 | 3.4 | 1.5 |
| 2018 | 0.62 | 1,076 | 1,206 (53) | 3,948 | 3.7 | 1.7 |
| Average | 0.56 | 1,088 | 1,378 (56) | 3,963 | 3.6 | 1.6 |
Table 3. 2018 Summer Turkey Survey Results by County
| County | No. Observ. | No. Poults | No. Hens w/ Poults | No. Hens w/o Poults | Total Hens | % Hens w/o Poults | No. Gobblers | No. Unid. | Total Turkeys |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbeville | 25 | 85 | 20 | 14 | 34 | 41 | 11 | 1 | 131 |
| Aiken | 10 | 11 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 85 | 2 | 0 | 33 |
| Allendale | 47 | 46 | 12 | 72 | 84 | 86 | 48 | 89 | 267 |
| Anderson | 7 | 26 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 42 |
| Bamberg | 18 | 65 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 53 | 18 | 0 | 113 |
| Barnwell | 4 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 71 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Beaufort | 35 | 95 | 20 | 14 | 34 | 41 | 45 | 0 | 174 |
| Berkeley | 137 | 409 | 96 | 93 | 189 | 49 | 200 | 49 | 847 |
| Calhoun | 2 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Charleston | 70 | 162 | 79 | 60 | 139 | 43 | 84 | 15 | 400 |
| Cherokee | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chester | 41 | 180 | 46 | 37 | 83 | 45 | 26 | 10 | 299 |
| Chesterfield | 3 | 19 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 71 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| Clarendon | 20 | 92 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 55 | 19 | 1 | 152 |
| Colleton | 28 | 131 | 31 | 12 | 43 | 28 | 15 | 6 | 195 |
| Darlington | 15 | 47 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 48 | 8 | 0 | 76 |
| Dillon | 3 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 50 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
| Dorchester | 21 | 48 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 50 | 37 | 0 | 119 |
| Edgefield | 9 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 81 | 7 | 0 | 29 |
| Fairfield | 57 | 241 | 62 | 51 | 113 | 45 | 44 | 15 | 413 |
| Florence | 12 | 34 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 53 | 5 | 20 | 74 |
| Georgetown | 59 | 175 | 62 | 84 | 146 | 58 | 33 | 17 | 371 |
| Greenville | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Greenwood | 18 | 44 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 62 | 17 | 0 | 95 |
| Hampton | 63 | 75 | 23 | 57 | 80 | 71 | 100 | 28 | 283 |
| Horry | 11 | 54 | 20 | 2 | 22 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 95 |
| Jasper | 8 | 25 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 39 |
| Kershaw | 17 | 25 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 71 | 5 | 3 | 61 |
| Lancaster | 18 | 50 | 16 | 57 | 73 | 78 | 10 | 2 | 135 |
| Laurens | 20 | 47 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 38 | 20 | 7 | 95 |
| Lee | 3 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 43 | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| Lexington | 5 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 50 | 4 | 0 | 31 |
| Marion | 18 | 117 | 29 | 33 | 62 | 53 | 69 | 0 | 248 |
| Marlboro | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| McCormick | 28 | 78 | 20 | 12 | 32 | 38 | 22 | 0 | 132 |
| Newberry | 46 | 167 | 43 | 37 | 80 | 46 | 31 | 18 | 296 |
| Oconee | 15 | 14 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 73 | 10 | 2 | 37 |
| Orangeburg | 7 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 29 | 0 | 8 | 32 |
| Pickens | 74 | 225 | 57 | 59 | 116 | 51 | 51 | 4 | 396 |
| Richland | 58 | 129 | 63 | 19 | 82 | 23 | 115 | 6 | 332 |
| Saluda | 18 | 36 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 41 | 15 | 0 | 73 |
| Spartanburg | 40 | 174 | 43 | 29 | 72 | 40 | 20 | 38 | 304 |
| Sumter | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 64 | 4 | 6 | 24 |
| Union | 86 | 371 | 80 | 87 | 167 | 52 | 52 | 13 | 603 |
| Williamsburg | 107 | 335 | 81 | 150 | 231 | 65 | 243 | 30 | 839 |
| York | 6 | 29 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 44 | 0 | 5 | 52 |
| Total | 1297 | 3948 | 1076 | 1206 | 2282 | 53 | 1417 | 403 | 8050 |
The 2018 Summer Turkey Brood Survey above is provided in Adobe® Acrobat® (PDF) format. Adobe® Reader® is required to open this file and is available as a free download from the Adobe® Web site.