CONTACT:
Dan Ellingwood: (603) 352-9669
Andrew Timmins: (603) 271-1742
February 11, 2025
Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is asking the public to help document flocks of wild turkeys this winter by participating in the 2025 Winter Turkey Flock Survey, which runs through March 31. The information regarding the status of wintering wild turkeys is important because severe weather and limited natural food supplies can present serious challenges for turkeys. Snow depths this season have been modest, however winter is not over yet and this survey continues to collect valuable annual data for wildlife managers. It’s fun and easy to participate by visiting https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/wildlife-and-habitat/wild-turkeys-new-hampshire/turkey-surveys.
“Winter is a critical season for wild turkeys in New Hampshire because of the potential for extended periods of deep snow and prolonged cold temperatures,” said Dan Ellingwood, New Hampshire Fish and Game’s Turkey Project Leader. “Persistent deep snow cover makes it difficult for turkeys to travel and access food. Turkeys have adaptations that allow them to survive at the northernmost extent of their range, including the ability to accumulate fat, trap warm air in their insulating feathers, and reduce their physical activity to conserve energy. However, access to high-energy food is critical to their winter survival. NH Fish and Game conducts the Winter Turkey Flock Survey each year to monitor turkey abundance, distribution, survival, food usage, and disease prevalence.”
The state’s current turkey population, estimated to be 45,000 birds, has seen about a 10% decline over the last 3 years. This decline is largely the result of poor nesting success in the spring of 2023 due to record rainfall. Weather conditions during the spring and summer of 2024, however, were more favorable for nesting success and poult survival. “If spring and summer weather conditions over the next few nesting seasons remain similar to those in 2024, the turkey population should quickly rebound,” said Ellingwood. “Participation by the public in both the Winter Flock Survey and the Summer Brood Survey will greatly help biologists track population recovery progress.”
Monitoring the prevalence of two turkey viruses, specifically avian pox and lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV), remains a priority for the Department’s turkey management program. A critical way that these diseases are monitored is through public reporting, and survey responders are asked to document turkeys displaying lesions or wart-like protuberances on their head or neck through the online winter survey. While both diseases are still prevalent in the population, reports of symptomatic turkeys remain stable and relatively low.
To learn more about these viruses, visit https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/wildlife-and-habitat/wildlife-related-diseases/wild-turkey-viruses.
Wild turkey management and research is made possible by the federal Wildlife Restoration Program, which is funded by an excise tax on the sale of firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment.
