Hens are important enough and this apparent decline is now quantified at a, I think, a significant

enough way that it's basically inexcusable to shoot a hen for any reason right now in any area

where you're worried about population trajectory. I think we just got used to what we were doing,

which really wasn't turkey-centric for a long time.

We just got used to the fact that we're still riding this turkey wave, and now the wave is kind of receded.

It's like, oh, that wave's over.

We've got to do more now.

If you were three, four inches tall, where could you go?

Where could you walk? You literally could not navigate through these fields. It's so thick. I said, let's step up in the woods. And you go up into the woods and you can see 120 yards. You know, so what's a pole going to do there? That would be died. Oh, I saw a turkey there.

That's good stuff.

If they don't live, it's not.

And to live, you have to be able to eat a lot of bugs, grow fast, and avoid predation.

That's quality brewed habitat.

We don't have enough of it for sure.

That has been made very clear with research that the habitat has to be in place before you can expect a response from both predator control and also supplemental feed.

The best time to start a research project was yesterday. The next best time was today.

Welcome to Wild Turkey Science, a podcast made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow. I'm Dr. Marcus Lashley.

And I'm Dr. Will Gulsby.

In this podcast, we'll explore turkey research, speak to experts in the field, and address the difficult questions related to wild turkey ecology and management.

I don't want us to get to when our grandkids are hunting

and then realize we didn't do what we needed to right now

to solve this problem.

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