2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Table of Contents Spittin’ & Drummin’

Spittin’ Drummin’

2020 MISSISSIPPI WILD TURKEY& REPORT

MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE, FISHERIES, AND PARKS Photo by Steve Gulledge

GAME CHECK IS NOW IN EFFECT During the 2020 spring season, turkey hunters are required to report their gobbler harvests to Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks by 10 p.m. ON THE DAY OF HARVEST. THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO REPORT: 1. MDWFP APP 2. Online at mdwfp.com/gamecheck 3. Call 1-800-BE-SMART

To learn more about Game Check, visit mdwfp.com or call (601) 432-2400 Supported by NWTF Spittin’ Drummin’ 2020 MISSISSIPPI WILD TURKEY& REPORT

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks 1505 Eastover Drive | Jackson, MS 39211 2020 State Legislature Spittin’ & Drummin’

Governor of Mississippi Tate Reeves Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann

Senate Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Committee Neil Whaley, Chairman Tyler McCaughn, Vice-Chairman Chris Caughman Kathy L. Chism Sampson Jackson II Chris McDaniel J. Walter Michel Derrick T. Simmons Daniel H. Sparks Benjamin Suber Chuck Younger

House of Representatives Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Committee Bill Kinkade, Chairman Shane Barnett, Vice-Chairman C. Scott Bounds Chris Brown Lester Carpenter Bob Evans Abe Hudson Robert L. Johnson III John Thomas “Trey” Lamar III Jonathan Ray Lancaster Vince Mangold Carl Mickens Tom Miles Ken Morgan Karl Oliver

Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Scott Coopwood, Chairman Robert Taylor, Vice-Chairman Billy Mounger Clay Wagner Bill F. Cossar

Administration Sam Polles, Ph.D., Executive Director Robert L. Cook, Deputy Executive Director Michael Bolden, Deputy Administrator Curtis Thornhill, Deputy Administrator Jennifer Head, Budget Administrator Col. Steve Adcock, Chief, Law Enforcement Russ Walsh, Chief of Staff, Wildlife Larry Pugh, Chief of Staff, Fisheries

4 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Table of Contents Spittin’ & Drummin’

GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION...... 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS...... 5 LIST OF FIGURES...... 6-7 LIST OF TABLES...... 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...... 9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...... 10 POPULATION STATISTICS...... 12-25 Statewide...... 14-15 Region 1: North MS...... 16-17 Region 2: Delta...... 18-19 Region 3: East-Central MS...... 20-21 Region 4: Southwest MS...... 22-23 Region 5: Southeast MS...... 24-25 GAME CHECK...... 26-30 WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA SUMMARIES...... 31-32 WILD TURKEY RECORDS...... 33-35 Top Scoring Typical...... 33 Top Scoring Non-Typical...... 34 Longest Beard...... 34 Longest Spurs...... 35 Heaviest...... 35 WILD TURKEY RESEARCH...... 36-37 PARTNERSHIP SPOTLIGHT...... 38-40 DISEASED WILD TURKEYS...... 41 SPRING GOBBLER HUNTING SURVEY...... 42

Did you know?

Hunting license sales support 2020 Mississippi Sportsman License JOHN DOE 1234 NOWHERE DR. wild turkey management, NO CITY, MS 39200 Customer #: 123456789 DOB: 01/01/0000 population surveillance, Exp. Date: 06/30/20

Hunter Ed #: 0000000 Michael A. Kelly and research that benefits MB SW WF WMA Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks all Mississippians.? 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 5 List of Figures Spittin’ & Drummin’

List of Figures

Figure 1. Wild turkey management regions of the Mississippi Figure 21. Region 2 (Delta) turkey observations per 100 Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks...... 9 hours hunted...... 15

Figure 2. Statewide poults per total hens....... 10 Figure 22. Region 2 (Delta) jake observations per 100 hours hunted...... 15 Figure 3. Statewide harvest per 100 hours hunted...... 10 Figure 23. Region 3 (East-Central) poults per total hens...... 16 Figure 4. Spur length distributions from gobblers harvested statewide...... 10 Figure 24. Region 3 (East-Central) harvest per 100 hours hunted...... 16 Figure 5. Statewide gobblers and gobbles heard per 10 hours hunted by year...... 11 Figure 25. Spur length distributions from gobblers harvested in Region 3 (East-Central)....... 16 Figure 6. Statewide gobblers and gobbles heard per 10 hours hunted by week...... 11 Figure 26. Region 3 (East-Central) gobblers and gobbles heard per 10 hours hunted by year...... 17 Figure 7. Statewide turkey observations per 100 hours hunted ...... 11 Figure 27. Region 3 (East-Central) gobblers and gobbles heard per 10 hours hunted by week...... 17 Figure 8. Statewide jake observations per 100 hours hunted...... 11 Figure 28. Region 3 (East-Central) turkey observations per 100 hours hunted...... 17 Figure 9. Region 1 (Northeast) poults per total hens...... 12 Figure 29. Region 3 (East-Central) jake observations per Figure 10. Region 1 (Northeast) harvest per 100 100 hours hunted...... 17 hours hunted...... 12 Figure 30. Region 4 (Southwest) poults per total hens...... 18 Figure 11. Spur length distributions from gobblers harvested in Region 1 (Northeast)...... 12 Figure 31. Region 4 (Southwest) harvest per 100 hours hunted...... 18 Figure 12. Region 1 (Northeast) gobblers and gobbles heard per 10 hours hunted by year...... 13 Figure 32. Spur length distributions from gobblers harvested in Region 4 (Southwest)...... 18 Figure 13. Region 1 (Northeast) gobblers and gobbles heard per 10 hours hunted by week...... 13 Figure 33. Region 4 (Southwest) gobblers and gobbles heard per 10 hours hunted by year...... 19 Figure 14. Region 1 (Northeast) turkey observations per 100 hours hunted...... 13 Figure 34. Region 4 (Southwest) gobblers and gobbles heard per 10 hours hunted by week...... 19 Figure 15. Region 1 (Northeast) jake observations per 100 hours hunted ...... 13 Figure 35. Region 4 (Southwest) turkey observations per 100 hours hunted...... 19 Figure 16. Region 2 (Delta) poults per total hens...... 14 Figure 36. Region 4 jake observations per 100 Figure 17. Region 2 (Delta) harvest per 100 hours hunted.... 14 hours hunted...... 19

Figure 18. Spur length distributions from gobblers harvested Figure 37. Region 5 (Southeast) poults per total hens ...... 20 in Region 2 (Delta)...... 14 Figure 38. Region 5 (Southeast) harvest per 100 Figure 19. Region 2 (Delta) gobblers and gobbles heard per hours hunted...... 20 10 hours hunted by year...... 15 Figure 39. Spur length distributions from gobblers harvested Figure 20. Region 2 (Delta) gobblers and gobbles heard per in Region 5 (Southeast)...... 20 10 hours hunted by week...... 15

6 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report List of Figures Spittin’ & Drummin’

List of Figures

Figure 40. Region 5 (Southeast) gobblers and gobbles heard per 10 hours hunted by year...... 21

Figure 41. Region 5 (Southeast) gobblers and gobbles heard per 10 hours hunted by week...... 21

Figure 42. Region 5 (Southeast) turkey observations per 100 hours hunted...... 21

Figure 43. Region 5 jake observations per 100 hours hunted...... 21

Figure 44. The primary method used by Mississippi turkey hunters in Game Check’s first year was the mobile app...... 22

Figure 45. Distribution frequency of reporting methods by Game Check users in Mississippi’s 2019 spring turkey season...... 23

Figure 46. Breakdown of Game Check users (by percentage) who reported one, two, and three gobblers to the Game Check system in 2019...... 23

Figure 47. Total spring gobbler harvest numbers, by county, reported to the Game Check system in 2019...... 23

Figure 48. Top 10 and bottom 10 counties for reported gobbler harvest via Game Check in 2019...... 23

Figure 49. Number of gobbler harvests reported, by date, throughout Mississippi’s 2019 spring season...... 24

Figure 50. Distribution of spur lengths for gobblers reported to Game Check in Mississippi during the 2019 spring season...... 24

Figure 51. A comparison of Mississippi’s estimated wild turkey harvest since 1980 with the 2019 reported Game Check harvest ...... 24

Figure 52. MDWFP offers turkey hunting on 37 WMAs throughout the state. Season frameworks vary by WMA...... 27

Figure 53. Turkey habitat use was studied on four sites representing a variety of different habitat types found across Mississippi...... 36

Figure 54. Counties in red represent areas from which MDWFP received diseased turkey reports during 2019...... 41

Figure 55. Number of hunts recorded, by county, from participants in the Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey during 2019...... 42

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 7 List of Tables Spittin’ & Drummin’

List of Tables

Table 1. Gobbler harvest totals reported by county to Game Check in Mississippi during the 2019 season...... 25

Table 2. Spring 2019 and decade-long average turkey harvest and man-day figures for 37 MDWFP WMAs offering spring turkey hunting...... 28

Table 3. All-time top 10 typical-scoring turkeys harvested in Mississippi, by total score...... 33

Table 4. All-time top 10 non-typical scoring turkeys harvested in Mississippi, by total score...... 34

Table 5. All-time top 10 turkeys harvested in Mississippi, ranked by total beard length...... 34

Table 6. Top turkeys harvested in Mississippi, ranked by longest spur...... 35

Table 7. All-time top 10 turkeys harvested in Mississippi, ranked by total weight...... 35

8 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Acknowledgments Spittin’ & Drummin’

The 2019 spring season marked the 25th anniversary of the Spring Gobbler Hunt- ing Survey. Nearly three million gobbles of the wild turkey have been recorded by volunteer survey participants since its inception. Ron Seiss, Mississippi Depart- ment of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks’ (MDWFP) first Wild Turkey Program coor- dinator, had the vision to initiate the program which has logged this enormous dataset. Yet, it’s everyday Mississippi turkey hunters who are the program’s real heroes. It takes a lot of trust for turkey hunters to share what they’ve seen and heard. That so many are willing to do so with MDWFP speaks volumes to their dedication and passion for this iconic bird.

The 2019 spring season was a landmark year in another way. It was the first in which turkey hunters in Mississippi were mandatorily required to report their harvests. Enactment of this critical conservation measure took perseverance and pa- tience by many individuals. Of these, foremost thanks should go to the members of the Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. These gentlemen realized the shortcomings faced without the information gathered through Game Check and took action to see it enacted. The Executive leadership of MDWFP likewise deserve credit for their prioritization and support which ensured Game Check’s many facets were done right.

Over the past year, the partnership between MDWFP and the Mississippi Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation has continued to grow. Their support allows MDWFP to accomplish more for the wild turkey than it could do on its own.

The work of several individuals deserves special credit for making this report hap- pen. Linda Taylor keeps the Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey on track. She spends countless hours entering the data summarized by this report. It is a thankless job, but she does it with enthusiasm. Matt Goss was responsible for the report’s layout and design, which made the document so much more than just a collection of figures and tables. As always, the photography of Mr. Steve Gulledge brings the wild turkey to life in these pages. He has been a true asset to the Spittin’ and Drummin’ report for over a decade and surely ranks as one of the best wildlife photographers in our state!

FEDERAL AID IN WILDLIFE A PITTMAN-ROBERTSON RESTORATION FUNDED PROJECT

This report is produced by the Technical Guidance Project, Statewide Wildlife Development Project and Statewide Wildlife Investigations Project and is primarily funded by Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration.

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 9 Executive Summary Spittin’ & Drummin’

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) utilizes several sources of data to monitor the state’s wild turkey population. The agency conducts a summer brood survey to assess reproduction, an avid hunter survey (Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey) to track observation and harvest rates, a post- season questionnaire to estimate total statewide harvest, and beginning in 2019, a mandatory reporting program to provide county-specific harvest figures. This document summarizes information gathered across these to provide sportsmen and women with an up-to-date look at the status of Mississippi’s turkey flock.

All available current data suggests that no matter where you hunt in the Magnolia State, the 2020 spring season should be one of the better of the past decade. Almost the entire southern half of the state, along with portions of the Mississippi River batture, posted one of the best hatches of the past 25 years in 2018. Last spring (2019), juvenile gobbler sightings were above average for almost every region of the state. Turkey hunters throughout Mississippi should set their expectations high for 2020.

Wild turkeys are one of Mississippi’s most pursued game species; thus, MDWFP and its conservation partners spend considerable effort in the management and understanding of this premier gamebird. Thirty-seven wildlife management areas (WMAs) provide public turkey hunting opportunities, MDWFP partners with the Mis- sissippi Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation to continuously improve turkey habitat, and our collective understanding of the species is deepened through cooperative research with the Forest and Wildlife Research Center at Mississippi State University. The future looks brighter than ever for those who relish the sights and sounds that the wild turkey brings to the forests and fields of Mississippi!

10 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Know your Wild TurkeySpittin’ & Drummin’ Considered among the grandest of game birds, the American wild turkey has many characteristics that distinguish it from other fowl. The unmistakable snood, caruncles, head coloring and beard truly set it apart.

BACK AND BODY TAIL FEATHERS OR RECTRICES FEATHERS There are usually 18 present, but a gobbler can lose a few when fighting. Provide insulation Tan- to brown-tipped on Eastern, Rio Grande and Osceola subspecies; ivory-tipped on Merriam’s and Gould’s. and shed water. When upraised they refract EAR OPENING sunlight to add to a No flap to funnel sounds, but a gobbler hears extremely well. strutting gobblers HEAD CROWN grandeur. Predominantly white during the spring, sometimes with a reddish tint. TAIL COVERTS Tip colors vary with EYE subspecies. Set into the side of the head for monocular vision; a slight turn of the head allows a 360-degree field BREAST FEATHERS of vision. Black tips give a gobbler a coal-black appearance. SNOOD Long and prominent on a mature PRIMARY WING gobbler, but no known function. FEATHERS Marked by distinctive MAJOR CARUNCLES white bars (less barring Large and fleshy. Engorged with blood during on the Osceola). Gobblers the spring. rub off wing tips with extended strutting. BEARD Three to 4 inches on a jake; SPUR 7 to 9 inches on a 2-year-old; Most spurs are black, some have red and 10 inches or longer on a 3-year-old gobbler. or blond tints. They appear as a short Thickness varies. Some gobblers have button on a jake; just less than a 1-inch multiple beards. straight spur on a 2-year-old; and as a FOOT 1 1 sharp, curved, 1-inch or longer spur on Three long toes. The middle toe measures 2 ⁄2 to 3 ⁄2 inches on a gobbler. a 3-year-old gobbler.

Know the Difference Between Hens & Gobblers It’s easy to distinguish a gobbler from a hen by differences in their size, color, heads and other characteristics.

FEATHERED HEAD SNOOD MINOR WHITE CROWN The hen’s overall look is CARUNCLES for concealment and SNOOD GRAY-BLUE protection. She is smaller VARIOUS COLOR The gobbler is most easily recognized by and more drab than the REDS, WHITES the long beard growing from his chest and colorful gobbler, so & BLUES the pronounced spurs, sometimes as long as 2 she can sit on her nest inches, found on the back of his legs. A gobbler DEWLAP HEN well camouflaged. appears larger, darker, shinier and more colorful GRAY-BROWN Likewise, her head

GOBBLER DEWLAP than a hen. His head can alternately appear red, MAJOR PLUMAGE CARUNCLES has more feathers to white and blue. He often “puffs up” and struts during CARUNCLES add to her camouflaged DARK PLUMAGE spring to attract hens for breeding. APPEARS TO BE BLACK appearance.

The American wild turkey now thrives in 49 states, Canada and Mexico thanks to the efforts of state wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its supporters!

Graphic used with permission from the NWTF. 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 11 Population Statistics Spittin’ & Drummin’

Mississippi Wild Turkey Population Statistics Based on Spring Gobbler Hunting and Brood Surveys

THE SPRING GOBBLER HUNTING SURVEY (SGHS) WAS INITIATED IN 1995 TO PROVIDE MISSISSIPPI Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) biological information about the state’s wild turkey resource. Each year, cooperating hunters record information about their spring gobbler hunts. The database obtained from this survey assists MDWFP in monitoring populations and making management decisions in the best interest of the turkey resource and turkey hunters. MDWFP appreciates the data collection efforts and comments from all hunters and hunting clubs who participate in the SGHS. All turkey hunters, regardless of their ability or experience, are encouraged to participate. This is an opportunity to be directly involved in the conservation and management of the wild turkey in Mississippi. An application for participation in the SGHS is provided at the end of this report.

Private land data from the 1995–2019 SGHSs are presented graphically in the following statewide and regional summaries. The remainder of this introduction describes how the data were collected and summarized, along with important points to consider during interpretation. Most parameters are expressed as an average number per every 10 or 100 hours of hunting. Standardizing values by a specific number of hours hunted allows the rates to be compared among regions and years, even though hunter effort varies.

Reproduction During June, July, and August, the annual wild turkey brood survey (initiated in 1994) is conducted by personnel from MDWFP, Mississippi Forestry Commission, U.S. Forest Service, and other cooperators. Brood surveys provide indices to reproduction and are valuable in monitoring turkey population trends. Hens observed with at least one poult are considered successful. Hens without poults are considered unsuccessful and either did not attempt to nest, abandoned their nest, lost their nest to predation or human disturbance or had no poults survive. Average brood size is the total number of poults divided by number of successful hens and is an index to poult survival. “Poults per total hens” is defined as the number of poults observed divided by total number of hens seen. “Poults per total hens” is the most practical reproduc- tive index because it considers successful hens, unsuccessful hens and poult survival. Poults observed during the brood survey were assigned to an estimated age class which allowed for back dating the estimated incubation and hatch dates.

Turkey Observations Turkey observations are classified as gobblers, jakes, hens, or unknowns. Observation rates are reported as the average number of gobblers, jakes, or hens seen during 100 hours of hunting. Total observations combine all turkeys seen, including unknowns. Observation rates provide indices to sex ratios, gobbler age ratios, population size, and population trends. Jake observations reflect the recruitment of males into the population from the previous year’s hatch and provide an index to the potential number of 2-year-old gobblers in the population during the next spring turkey season.

12 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Population Statistics Spittin’ & Drummin’

Gobbling Activity The number of individual gobblers heard and the total number of gobbles heard are used as indices to gobbling activity. Gobbling activity is reported as the average number of gobblers and gobbles heard during 10 hours of hunting. Gob- bling activity is considered an indicator of hunting quality and may show a trend reflecting the number of gobblers in the population.

Harvest Rates and Age Structure Harvest rates provide an index to hunter success and population size. Spur lengths generally increase with age and therefore provide an index to age structure of harvested gobblers. Spur lengths are classified into four length categories based on the longer of the two spur measurements for each harvested gobbler. Spurs less than half an inch long are classified as jakes or 1-year-old gobblers. Lengths between a half and one inch are generally 2-years-old. Gobblers with spurs one to one and a quarter inch are considered 3-years-old, while birds with spur lengths over inch and a quarter are considered 4-years-old or older. Monitoring spur length distribution should reflect changes in gobbler age structure over time. If age structure is increasing, a higher percentage of gobblers harvested should be in the larger spur length categories. Spur length distributions are used to monitor the impact of harvest on the gobbler population and to evalu- ate season lengths and bag limits.

Figure 1: Wild Turkey Management Regions of Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.

North

Delta

East-Central

Southwest CLARKE

Southeast

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 13 Population Statistics Spittin’ & Drummin’ Statewide BENTON DESOTO ALCORN MARSHALL TIPPAH

TATE PRENTISS TUNICA TISHOMINGO PANOLA UNION LEE STATEWIDE PRIVATE LAND DATA WERE COLLECTED DURING THE 2019 ITAWAMBA LAFAYETTE PONTOTOC

COAHOMA QUITMAN

YALOBUSHA CALHOUN season by more than 50 hunting clubs and approximately 460 individual TALLAHATCHIE CHICKASAW MONROE

BOLIVAR GRENADA CLAY SUNFLOWER WEBSTER LEFLORE MONT- hunters participating in the Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey. GOMERY LOWNDES CARROLL CHOCTAW OKTIBBEHA

WASHINGTON HUMPHREYS HOLMES NOXUBEE ATTALA WINSTON

NESHOBA SHARKEY YAZOO LEAKE KEMPER

ISSAQUENA MADISON

NEWTON WARREN SCOTT LAUDERDALE HINDS Reproduction RANKIN SMITH CLARKE JASPER From June to August, 2019, the MDWFP and its partners CLAIBORNE COPIAH SIMPSON

JEFFERSON COVINGTON WAYNE JONES observed 2,368 hens during the annual summer brood LINCOLN FRANKLIN JEFF DAVIS LAWRENCE FORREST ADAMS PERRY MARION LAMAR GREENE survey. Of those, approximately 39% were accompanied AMITE PIKE WILKINSON WALTHALL

GEORGE PEARL STONE by a brood, which was essentially unmoved from the 40% RIVER

JACKSON HARRISON success the year prior. A total of 3,237 poults were ob- HANCOCK served, translating to a 1.4 poult per total hen average (PPH; Figure 2). This value was below both the five and ten-year average. Nonetheless, regional variation was observed, with some good areas juxtaposed against poor hatches in others.

Harvest Rates & Age Structure 2.7 After rising steadily for three years, hunter success dipped 2.6 2.3 2.3 in 2019. Participants in the Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.1 (SGHS) bagged approximately 2.9 gobblers per 100 hours 2.1 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.8 hunted, which constituted a 12% decline from 2018 (Figure 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 3). Since its inception, hunters in the SGHS have averaged 1.3 1.4

about 3.5 gobbler harvests per 100 hours hunted. State- 1.1 1.0 wide, a total of 627 gobblers were harvested by SGHS par- Poults Per Hen ticipants. Fifty-seven percent appeared to be at least three years of age with spurs one inch or greater (Figure 4). The

percentage of “limb-hanger” gobblers with spurs at least 1 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 ¼ inches was 12%, unchanged from recent years.

Figure 2: Statewide Poults Per Total Hens

7 100% 6 7 7 9 8 11 9 8 10 10 8 9 10 15 12 15 12 12 15 12 12 12 13 13 12 90% 6 80% 33 34 35 5 39 44 40 39 38 4.7 70% 37 40 43 45 39 42 38 4.5 43 38 42 43 42 41 4.4 42 41 45 45 4.2 4.0 60% 4 3.8 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.6 3.6 3.5 50% 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.2 3.1 3.2 3.0 2.9 3 2.8 2.9 2.9 40% 42 2.5 48 30% 57 PERCENT OF HARVEST 51 50 52 50 49 49 45 45 48 47 48 2 48 44 45 46 43 43 45 44 20% 41 40 42 SPUR LENGTH LENGTH CLASSES SPUR

HARVEST PER 100 HOURS HUNTED 100 HOURS PER HARVEST 10% 19 1 9 1 1 1 2 0 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 3 1 2 1 1 1 2 1

0% 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

0.1-0.5" 0.5-1.0" 1.0-1.25" >1.25"

Figure 3: Statewide Harvest Per 100 Hours Hunted Figure 4: Spur Length Distributions From Gobblers Harvested Statewide

14 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Statewide Spittin’ & Drummin’ Gobbling Activity During 2019, gobbling activity mirrored the prior year and was under the ten-year average. Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey hunters heard just under five individual gobblers and about 61 total gobbles per 10 hours afield (Figure 5). Across the season, statewide gobbling activity had two distinct peaks. The first occurred during the season’s second week (22–28 March) when hunters heard 6.3 gobblers and 73.2 total gobbles per 10 hours hunted. A second peak occurred during the final week (26 April–1 May), when total gobbles rallied back to just below 70 per 10 hours hunted (Figure 6).

100 10 100 10

80 8 80 8

60 6 60 6

40 4 40 4 Gobblers Gobbles Gobblers Gobbles 20 2 20 2

Turkey Observations For the previous four springs, total turkey observations have hovered just under 80 turkey observations per 10 hours afield and 2019 was no different. Survey participants encountered 78.8 total turkeys, 40.7 hens, and 29.9 gobblers per 10 hours of hunting (Figure 7). Statewide jake observations were similar too. Hunters observed 14.3 jakes per 10 hours of hunting, which was on par with the statewide average since 1995 (Figure 8).

160 25

140 20.6 20 20.0 18.8 18.7 120 18.4 17.8 17.6 17.3 16.9 16.6 16.6 100 14.5 15 14.3 14.3 13.9 13.8 13.5 13.1 80 12.9 11.9 11.3 9.6

60 10 9.3 8.5 7.19 40

5 20 Jake Observations Per 100 Hours Hunted OBSERVATIONS PER 100 HOURS HUNTED 100 HOURS PER OBSERVATIONS 2003 2013 1997 1998 2002 2012 2004 2006 2009 2014 2016 2019 1995 2007 2008 2017 2018 2000 2001 2010 2011 2005 1996 1999 0 2015

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Gobblers (Includes Jakes) Hens Total (Includes Unknowns) Figure 7: Statewide Turkey Observations Per 100 Figure 8: Statewide Jake Observations Per 100 Hours Hunted Hours Hunted

2020 Season Forecast Last spring, most statewide averages were mostly unchanged from recent years, suggesting the 2020 season should be like the last few. However, the devil is in the details, and statewide calculations may mask considerable local variation. Individual perception of the 2020 season will probably depend on where you hunt; some regions are poised to have one of their best springs in years, whereas others may see a fall-off from what hunters have come to expect.

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 15 Population Statistics Spittin’ & Drummin’ Turkey Region 1 TURKEY REGION 1 CONSISTS OF 21 COUNTIES IN NORTH-CENTRAL

BENTON DESOTO ALCORN MARSHALL and northeast Mississippi. The two primary forest types in Region 1 are oak- TIPPAH TATE PRENTISS TUNICA TISHOMINGO PANOLA UNION LEE ITAWAMBA hickory and oak-pine. The oak-hickory forest type is located on the western LAFAYETTE PONTOTOC

COAHOMA QUITMAN

YALOBUSHA CALHOUN side of the region and in association with the Blackland Prairie. While this TALLAHATCHIE CHICKASAW MONROE BOLIVAR GRENADA CLAY SUNFLOWER WEBSTER LEFLORE MONT- GOMERY forest type is dominated by various oaks and hickories, it also includes LOWNDES CARROLL CHOCTAW OKTIBBEHA

WASHINGTON HUMPHREYS HOLMES NOXUBEE beech, black cherry, and yellow poplar. The oak-pine forest type runs along ATTALA WINSTON NESHOBA SHARKEY YAZOO LEAKE KEMPER the Alabama state line and in the central portion of the region. Here, upland ISSAQUENA MADISON NEWTON WARREN SCOTT LAUDERDALE HINDS RANKIN oaks comprise about 50% of the forest community and are mixed with mi- SMITH CLARKE JASPER CLAIBORNE COPIAH SIMPSON

JEFFERSON COVINGTON nor amounts of loblolly and shortleaf pines. WAYNE JONES LINCOLN FRANKLIN WRENCE JEFF DAVIS LA FORREST ADAMS PERRY MARION LAMAR GREENE AMITE PIKE WILKINSON WALTHALL

GEORGE PEARL STONE RIVER Reproduction JACKSON HARRISON Turkey reproduction was below-average for the third time in HANCOCK the last four years in northeast Mississippi. In 2019, 1,042 hens were observed with 1,186 poults, yielding a 1.14 PPH regional average (Figure 9). This was substantially below the long-term regional average (1.8 PPH). Overall, 38% of hens observed were with a brood, which was near the figure’s statewide mean. The average brood was three poults.

3.4 3.2 3.0

2.6 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.2 Harvest Rates & Age Structure 2.2

Harvest rates dropped slightly in Region 1 during 2019. 1.9 1.8 1.6 Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey participants brought home 1.6 1.5 1.4 3.4 gobblers per 100 hours hunted (Figure 10), which led 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.1 1.1 the state and was above the five and ten-year averages 0.9 0.9 1.0 Poults Poults Per Hen 0.9 for this figure. Two-year old gobblers with spurs between one-half and one inch accounted for 51% of the harvest. Older-aged gobblers with spurs 1 ¼ inches or greater proportionally decreased to 5% of the harvest (Figure 11). 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Figure 9: Region 1 Poults Per Total Hens

7 100% 0 2 4 4 6 6 6 5 5 6 9 7 7 8 10 8 8 10 10 10 13 11 14 11 11 90% 6 24 80% 31 33 31 5.1 38 34 43 42 37 42 34 35 43 5 38 39 38 45 70% 38 44 38 39 42 4.5 46 4.3 47 4.2 60% 4 38 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.5 3.5 3.5 70 3.4 3.4 3.4 50% 3.3 37 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.9 3 2.8 40% 46 2.5 65 30% 58 53 59 54 49 57

PERCENT OF HARVEST 51 50 51 53 52 51 51 48 51 49 45 51 2 43 20% 37 38 SPUR LENGTH LENGTH CLASSES SPUR 28

HARVEST PER 100 HOURS HUNTED 100 HOURS PER HARVEST 10% 17 17 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 2 4 0 2 2 1 2

0% 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 0 2016 2017 2018 2019 0

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

0.1-0.5" 0.5-1.0" 1.0-1.25" >1.25"

Figure 10: Region 1 Harvest Per 100 Hours Hunted Figure 11: Spur Length Distributions From Gobblers Harvested in Region 1

16 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Region 1 Spittin’ & Drummin’ Gobbling Activity In 2019, gobbling activity in northeast Mississippi was comparable to the prior year. Hunters heard 4.2 gobblers and 44 total gobbles per 10 hours hunted (Figure 12). As with harvest rates, this was near the five and ten-year averages for both figures. Within the season, gobbling activity was best during the second week (22 – 28 March). Both total gobbles and individual gobblers heard peaked then at 55.2 and 5.5 per 10 hours hunted, respectively (Figure 13). Gobbling activity generally trended downward after late March.

80 8 80 8

60 6 60 6

40 4 40 4 Gobbles Gobbles Gobblers 20 2 Gobblers 20 2

Figure 12: Region 1 Gobblers & Gobbles Heard Per Figure 13: Region 1 Gobblers & Gobbles Heard Per 10 Hours Hunted by Year 10 Hours Hunted by Week

Turkey Observations After remaining relatively stable for nearly a decade, total turkey observations in northern Mississippi dropped in 2019. For every 100 hours hunted, Region 1 SGHS participants observed 86 turkeys, of which 30 were gobblers and 52 were hens (Figure 14). Jake observations were significantly reduced, falling from 21 young gobbler sightings per 10 hours afield in 2018 to only a dozen in 2019 (Figure 15).

200 40 37.0 180 35 32.1 160 30

140 27.7 25 120 25 21.4 21.3 21.1 21.0 20.6

100 19.7

20 18.7 18.0 17.9 17.9 17.9 16.9 16.7

80 16 15.4 14.4

15 13.6

60 12.3 12.0 11.7 10.4 40 10

ObservationsHours Hunted100 Per 5 2007 2008 2018 2017 2000 2001 2010 2011 2005 1996 1999 2015 2003 2013 1997 1998 2002 2012 2004 2006 2009 2014 2016 2019 0 1995 OBSERVATIONS PER 100 HOURS HUNTED 100 HOURS PER OBSERVATIONS

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Gobblers (Includes Jakes) Hens Total (Includes Unknowns)

Figure 14: Region 1 Turkey Observations Per 100 Figure 15: Region 1 Jake Observations Per 100 Hours Hunted Hours Hunted

2020 Season Forecast Since the SGHS’s inception, Northeast Mississippi has provided some of the state’s best turkey hunting, remaining consistently good even through other regions’ volatility. Unfortunately, the upcoming season could prove to be a no- ticeable deviation. Brood data from 2018 and jake sightings from 2019 suggests a meager two-year old gobbler crop for 2020. Although there should still be plenty of gobblers around, many of these will be older aged, which should translate into a challenging spring.

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 17 Population Statistics Spittin’ & Drummin’ Turkey Region 2

BENTON DESOTO ALCORN MARSHALL TIPPAH

TATE PRENTISS TUNICA TURKEY REGION 2 COMPRISES THE TEN DELTA COUNTIES AND IS SUBJECT TO TISHOMINGO PANOLA UNION LEE ITAWAMBA LAFAYETTE PONTOTOC extensive, annual spring flooding that has a major impact on turkey reproduction. The COAHOMA QUITMAN YALOBUSHA CALHOUN TALLAHATCHIE CHICKASAW MONROE dominant forest type in the Delta is oak-gum-cypress. This region can be subdivid- BOLIVAR GRENADA CLAY SUNFLOWER WEBSTER LEFLORE MONT- GOMERY LOWNDES ed into the batture lands (west of the mainline Mississippi River levee) and the inte- CARROLL CHOCTAW OKTIBBEHA WASHINGTON HUMPHREYS HOLMES NOXUBEE rior floodplain. The batture area is dominated by sugarberry, sycamore, cottonwood, ATTALA WINSTON NESHOBA SHARKEY YAZOO LEAKE KEMPER sweetgum, elm, and cypress. Pecan is the only hard mast producer of any significance. ISSAQUENA MADISON NEWTON WARREN SCOTT LAUDERDALE

HINDS RANKIN The interior Delta consists of extensive agricultural areas containing fragmented hard- SMITH CLARKE JASPER CLAIBORNE COPIAH SIMPSON

wood forests interspersed with cypress swamps. The major tree species include over- JEFFERSON COVINGTON WAYNE JONES LINCOLN FRANKLIN WRENCE JEFF DAVIS LA FORREST ADAMS PERRY cup oak, nuttall oak, water oak, green ash, sweetgum and cottonwood. MARION LAMAR GREENE AMITE PIKE WILKINSON WALTHALL

GEORGE PEARL STONE RIVER Region 2 is unique in that most of the turkey habitat in the interior Delta is on public JACKSON HARRISON lands (national forest, wildlife management areas, and wildlife refuges), and the vast HANCOCK majority of the private land habitat is located in the batture lands west of the Mississippi River levee. Therefore, data from the annual brood survey is biased by the majority of turkey observations coming from public lands in the interior Delta, while all the other information in this section is almost exclusively from private lands between the levees.

Reproduction Wild turkey reproduction in the Delta is tied to the Missis- sippi River and its tributaries. When these waterways re- main at normal levels, a good hatch usually ensues. When they flood, reproduction suffers. Unfortunately for Region 3.3 2, a record-setting flood which persisted throughout the spring and summer of 2019 washed away any chance for a 2.6 2.6 decent turkey hatch. Unsurprisingly, brood numbers in the 2.5 2.3 Delta were abysmal. During the survey, only one hen out of 2.2 2.0 1.9 54 tallied was observed with poults (Figure 16). 1.7 1.7 1.6

1.3 1.3 Harvest Rates & Age Structure 1.2 1.2 Due to flooding, the 2019 spring season was truncated Poults Per Hen 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 on many Delta properties, yet, harvest rates were respect- 0.4

able when hunters could go afield. Spring Gobbler Hunt- 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 ing Survey participants harvested 3.0 gobblers per 100 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 hours hunted, which was equivalent to the previous year, and considerably above the five-year average (Figure 17). Two-year old gobblers with spurs between one-half and Figure 16: Region 2 Poults Per Total Hens one inch accounted for approximately half the harvest, 7 whereas 17% was comprised of gobblers with at least 1 ¼ 100% 0 0 0 7 5 6 8 8 7 10 11 12 11 10 11 9 11 11 inch spurs (Figure 18). 15 16 13 16 6 90% 20 17 17

14 5.0 80% 5 35 30 48 49 34 44 44 42 38 33 4.5 70% 39 40 4.4 38 44 31 4.2 48 4.1 44 51 54 60% 51 46 4 82 3.7 52 3.5 3.3 3.3 50% 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.0 3 2.8 2.7 40% 80 2.5 55 2.2 2.2 30% 57 61 2.1 52 56 1.9 44 59 54 52 50 2 PERCENT OF HARVEST 51 49 50 51 49 37 44 20% 32 41 1.5 37 36 38

SPUR LENGTH LENGTH CLASSES SPUR 31 1.1 HARVEST PER 100 HOURS HUNTED 100 HOURS PER HARVEST 10% 1 18 2 4 3 4 4 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0% 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 0 2014 2015 0 2016 0 2017 0 2018 0 2019

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

0.1-0.5" 0.5-1.0" 1.0-1.25" >1.25" Figure 17: Region 2 Harvest Per 100 Hours Hunted Figure 18: Spur Length Distributions From Gobblers Harvested in Region 2 18 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Region 2 Spittin’ & Drummin’ Gobbling Activity Gobbling activity in the Delta has been on an increasing trend since 2013. In 2019, SGHS participants heard 5.6 gobblers and 74.1 total gobbles per 10 hours hunted in the region (Figure 19). These figures were both nearly 30% above the region’s ten-year averages. The number of individual gobblers heard had two distinctive peaks. The first came during the season’s second week (22 – 28 March) while the second was mid-season (12 – 18 April). Total gobbles heard was relatively steady from the second week (22 – 28 March) until a slight peak during the fifth week (12 – 18 April; Figure 20).

100 10 160 16

140 14 80 8 120 12

60 6 100 10

80 8

40 4 60 6 Gobbles Gobbles Gobblers Gobblers 40 4 20 2

20 2

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 0 0 0 YOUTH MARCH MARCH MAR 29 - APRIL APRIL APRIL APR 26 - WEEK 15 - 21 22 - 28 APR 4 5 - 11 12 - 18 19 - 25 MAY 1 Gobbles Gobblers Gobbles Gobblers Figure 19: Region 2 Gobblers & Gobbles Heard Per Figure 20: Region 2 Gobblers & Gobbles Heard Per 10 Hours Hunted by Year 10 Hours Hunted by Week Turkey Observations Total turkey observations dipped from the prior year but were still well above their long-term average. Delta hunters averaged seeing just under 100 total turkeys per 100 hours hunted. Of these, approximately 38 were gobblers while 40 were hens; the remainder were unidentified (Figure 21). Hunters observed 22.4 juvenile gobblers per 100 hours hunted; this was above the region’s long-term average (Figure 22).

180 70

160 59.7 60 140 50 120

100 40 37.8 34.9 80

30 28.5 25.1 60 24.6 22.4 21.9

20 18.9 16.6 16.4

40 15.6 15.2 14.3 14.0 14.0 12.7 11.7 11.3 20 10 6.1 ObservationsHours Hunted100 Per 5.7 5.4 5.1 3.6 1.9 OBSERVATIONS PER 100 HOURS HUNTED 100 HOURS PER OBSERVATIONS 2003 2013 1997 1998 2002 2012 2004 2006 2009 2014 2016 1995 2007 2008 2017 2018 2000 2001 2010 2011 2005 1996 1999 0 2015

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Gobblers (Includes Jakes) Hens Total (Includes Unknowns) Figure 21: Region 2 Turkey Observations Per 100 Figure 22: Region 2 Jake Observations Per 100 Hours Hunted Hours Hunted

2020 Season Forecast The 2020 Delta season is tough to gauge. Based solely on existing data, expectations should be high. Brood survey numbers were strong two years ago and jake observations since have been solid. Under normal circumstances, this combination would point to good tidings. However, a great unknown is the impact of last year’s record-setting flood. Adult turkeys typically survive short-duration flooding with ease; however, the extent and duration of flooding along the Mississippi River, Steele Bayou, and other tributaries in 2019 was unprecedented. Early assessments suggest most populations fared well and flood-induced mortalities were limited; nonetheless, the degree to which the good hatch of 2018 will translate into a quality spring for 2020 will be determined by how well standing flocks survived the 2019 floodwaters.

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 19 Population Statistics Spittin’ & Drummin’ Turkey Region 3

BENTON DESOTO ALCORN MARSHALL TIPPAH

TATE PRENTISS TUNICA

TURKEY REGION 3 IS THE 21 COUNTY AREA LOCATED IN EAST-CENTRAL TISHOMINGO PANOLA UNION LEE ITAWAMBA LAFAYETTE PONTOTOC Mississippi. The two major forest types in this region are loblolly-shortleaf pine, COAHOMA QUITMAN YALOBUSHA CALHOUN TALLAHATCHIE CHICKASAW MONROE

BOLIVAR GRENADA CLAY

which occurs on the drier, more sandy soils, and oak-pine. Loblolly and short- SUNFLOWER WEBSTER LEFLORE MONT- GOMERY LOWNDES leaf pines constitute more than 50% of the commercial trees in this forest CARROLL CHOCTAW OKTIBBEHA WASHINGTON HUMPHREYS HOLMES NOXUBEE ATTALA WINSTON

NESHOBA SHARKEY type. Upland hardwoods, primarily various oaks and hickories, make up the LEAKE KEMPER YAZOO

ISSAQUENA MADISON

NEWTON rest of the forest community. In the oak-pine type, upland oaks make up more WARREN SCOTT LAUDERDALE HINDS RANKIN SMITH CLARKE JASPER than 50% of the trees with the remaining species including hickories, sweet- CLAIBORNE COPIAH SIMPSON

JEFFERSON COVINGTON WAYNE JONES LINCOLN gum, black gum, loblolly, and shortleaf pines. FRANKLIN WRENCE JEFF DAVIS LA FORREST ADAMS PERRY MARION LAMAR GREENE AMITE PIKE WILKINSON WALTHALL

GEORGE PEARL STONE RIVER

JACKSON HARRISON HANCOCK Reproduction East-central Mississippi’s 2019 hatch should have main- tained the region’s status quo. The observed 1.8 PPH was on par with the region’s average (Figure 23). During the survey period, 621 hens were seen; 288 (46%) were accompanied by broods, which was the highest regional success rate. The average brood size was 3.8 poults.

2.7 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.3 Harvest Rates & Age Structure 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.0 In 2019, east-central SGHS hunters harvested 2.6 gobblers 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.7 per 100 hours hunted (Figure 24). This was a 16% decline 1.6 1.5 over the previous year and 25% below the region’s long- 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 term average. Participants in the SGHS logged 154 turkey 1.0 Poults Poults Per Hen kills in Region 3. Most of those (60%) had spurs at least one inch or greater. Only 40% of gobblers sported spurs under one inch (Figure 25). 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Figure 23: Region 3 Poults Per Total Hens

100% 6 7 7 10 8 11 11 9 8 11 8 9 12 13 14 14 15 12 12 12 12 14 12 13 6 90% 17

5.3 80% 32 5 4.7 34 36 35 35 35 44 37 43 41 36 4.5 70% 40 40 45 39 4.3 33 37 38 4.2 47 46 45 4.1 47 42 47 4.0 46 3.9 60% 4 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.5 3.3 3.3 3.3 50% 3.1 3.0 2.9 3 2.9 2.9 40% 2.6 2.6 2.5 40 2.3 46 60 30% 46 54 PERCENT OFHARVEST 50 55 52 2 49 50 48 50 47 48 48 45 46 47 20% 38 36 40 42 42 42 39 SPUR LENGTH LENGTH CLASSES SPUR

HARVEST PER 100 HOURS HUNTED 100 HOURS PER HARVEST 10% 1 16 7 10 2 1 2 0 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 3 1 1 1 1 1

0% 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 0 2017 0 2018 2019

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

0.1-0.5" 0.5-1.0" 1.0-1.25" >1.25" Figure 24: Region 3 Harvest Per 100 Hours Hunted Figure 25: Spur Length Distributions From Gobblers Harvested in Region 3

20 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Region 3 Spittin’ & Drummin’ Gobbling Activity As with harvest rates, gobbling activity was depressed during 2019. The total number of individual gobblers heard dropped from 4.2 per 10 hours hunted in 2018 to 3.7. Likewise, total gobbles heard dipped to 47.1 per 10 hours hunted (Figure 26). Gobbling activity did not seem to have an in-season peak. The total number of individual gobblers heard was greatest during the second week of the season (22 -28 March). The overall total number of gobbles heard seemed to be greatest during two distinct portions of the regular season: week four (5 – 11 April) and week seven (26 April – 1 May; Figure 27).

120 12 80 8

100 10

60 6 80 8

60 6 40 4

40 4 Gobblers Gobbles Gobblers Gobbles 20 2 20 2 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 2013 2014 2015 2016 2019 0 2000 2006 2011 2012 2017 2018 0 0 0 YOUTH MARCH MARCH MAR 29 - APRIL APRIL APRIL APR 26 - WEEK 15 - 21 22 - 28 APR 4 5 - 11 12 - 18 19 - 25 MAY 1 Gobbles Gobblers Gobbles Gobblers Figure 26: Region 3 Gobblers & Gobbles Heard Per Figure 27: Region 3 Gobblers & Gobbles Heard Per 10 Hours Hunted by Year 10 Hours Hunted by Week

Turkey Observations Overall turkey observations increased in east-central Mississippi in 2019. Hunters in the region saw 27.6 gobblers including 12.7 jakes (Figure 28), 43 hens, and approximately 6 unidentifiable birds, for a total of 76.1 turkey sightings per 100 hours hunted (Figure 29). These values were near their average for the decade prior.

160 25

140 20.5 20 18.9 18.6

120 18.3 17.8 17.6 17.3 17.3

100 15.7 15.1 15.0 15 13.5 12.9 12.7 12.5

80 12.3 11.9 11.8 11.1 11.0 10.7 10.3 60

10 9.1 7.0 40 6.9

5 20 OBSERVATIONS PER 100 HOURS HUNTED 100 HOURS PER OBSERVATIONS 2003 2013 2002 1997 1998 2012 2004 2006 2009 2014 2016 2019 1995 2007 2008 2017 2018 2000 2001 2010

0 2011 1996 1999 2005 2015 Jake Observations Per 100 Hours Hunted

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Gobblers (Includes Jakes) Hens Total (Includes Unknowns)

Figure 28: Region 3 Turkey Observations Per 100 Figure 29: Region 3 Jake Observations Per 100 Hours Hunted Hours Hunted

2020 Season Forecast Hunters in east-central Mississippi should expect a very similar season to the last few. Available data suggests steady reproduction followed by unchanged jake observation rates over the last few springs. Turkey populations in the region have neither grown nor shrank measurably since 2016. If history is any guide, the best days to be afield will likely be the two-week period straddling April 1st.

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 21 Population Statistics Spittin’ & Drummin’ Turkey Region 4

BENTON DESOTO ALCORN MARSHALL TIPPAH

TATE PRENTISS TUNICA TISHOMINGO TWELVE COUNTIES IN THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF THE STATE PANOLA UNION LEE ITAWAMBA LAFAYETTE PONTOTOC

COAHOMA QUITMAN

comprise Turkey Region 4. The oak-hickory forest type is located along YALOBUSHA CALHOUN TALLAHATCHIE CHICKASAW MONROE

BOLIVAR GRENADA CLAY SUNFLOWER WEBSTER the loess hills bordering the Mississippi River floodplain. Adjacent to the LEFLORE MONT- GOMERY LOWNDES CARROLL CHOCTAW OKTIBBEHA

WASHINGTON HUMPHREYS loess hills is a narrow transition zone consisting of the oak-pine forest HOLMES NOXUBEE ATTALA WINSTON

NESHOBA SHARKEY YAZOO LEAKE KEMPER

type. The eastern and southern section of the region is made up of the ISSAQUENA MADISON

NEWTON WARREN SCOTT LAUDERDALE loblolly-shortleaf pine forest community. Descriptions for these forest HINDS RANKIN SMITH CLARKE JASPER types are provided in previous regions. CLAIBORNE COPIAH SIMPSON JEFFERSON COVINGTON WAYNE JONES LINCOLN FRANKLIN WRENCE JEFF DAVIS LA FORREST ADAMS PERRY MARION LAMAR GREENE AMITE PIKE WILKINSON WALTHALL

GEORGE PEARL STONE RIVER

JACKSON HARRISON Reproduction HANCOCK During the summer brood survey, 208 hens were accompanied by 369 poults, yielding a 1.8 PPH average for Region 4 (Figure 30). While this was a decline from the extraordinary hatch of 2018, it was on par with the region’s long-term averages. Approximately 45% of observed hens were accompanied by broods. The average brood was approxi- 3.8 mately four poults.

2.7

2.3 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.8 Harvest Rates & Age Structure 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 Harvest per 100 hours dropped to tie its lowest recorded 1.5 1.5

value in 2019. Southwestern Mississippi hunters averaged 1.2 1.0 1.0 2.6 gobbler harvests per 100 hours hunted (Figure 31). Poults Per Hen 0.8 This was roughly 30% below the region’s long-term mean. Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey participants reported 109

birds bagged in the region. Thirty-six percent of the harvest 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 were likely two-years old with one-half to one-inch spurs. The proportion of the harvest with spurs greater than 1 ¼ inch remained steady at 17% of the total (Figure 32). Figure 30: Region 4 Poults Per Total Hens

100% 7 6 6 7 9 11 10 12 10 8 9 10 11 9 6 13 15 16 16 16 13 90% 20 17 18 17 17 5.3 80% 5 32 4.7 34 34 35 44 70% 38 39 44 47 42 43 4.3 52 44 4.2 44 48 37 4.1 43 42 39 43 48 41 3.9 3.9 4.0 42 45 4 3.8 3.8 3.8 60% 3.7 3.7 45 3.6 3.5 3.3 3.2 3.2 50% 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.1 3 2.8 40% 40 2.6 2.6 41 30% 44 PERCENT OF HARVEST 55 51 50 47 2 48 49 42 44 45 42 46 40 47 40 20% 42 41 40 40 41 38 36 SPUR LENGTH LENGTH CLASSES SPUR 32

10% 16 21 HARVVEST PER 100 HOURS HUNTED HUNTED 100 HOURS PER HARVVEST 1 7 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 0 1 1 2 1 2 1 0 3 2 1 1 1 2 2

0% 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

0.1-0.5" 0.5-1.0" 1.0-1.25" >1.25"

Figure 31: Region 4 Harvest Per 100 Hours Hunted Figure 32: Spur Length Distributions From Gobblers Harvested in Region 4

22 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Region 4 Spittin’ & Drummin’ Gobbling Activity Gobbling activity was similar to the previous year in southwest Mississippi. Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey participants heard 5.9 individual gobblers and 82.5 total gobbles per 10 hours hunted (Figure 33). This was slightly below the previous decade average. Both total gobbles and individual gobblers heard peaked during the regular season’s second week (22 – 28 March) when hunters heard 8.3 and 100.9 of each, respectively (Figure 34).

120 12 120 10

100 10 100 8

80 8 80 6

60 6 60

4 40 4 40 Gobbles Gobbles Gobblers Gobblers 2 20 2 20

Figure 33: Region 4 Gobblers & Gobbles Heard Per Figure 34: Region 4 Gobblers & Gobbles Heard Per 10 Hours Hunted by Year 10 Hours Hunted by Week

Turkey Observations Overall turkey observations increased in Region 4 during 2019. Turkey hunters observed 67.1 total turkeys per 100 hours hunted (Figure 35). The sex ratio of observations was nearly even; there were roughly 28 gobblers and 28 hens observed per 100 hours. Jake sightings increased 54% over the previous year to 13.9 per 100 hours hunted (Figure 36).

160 30

140 25.5 25 120 20.1

20 18.9 18.5 100 18.4 17.2 17.2 16.4

80 15.3 14.7 14.2

15 13.9 13.1 12.9 12.0 11.7 11.6

60 11.3 11.2 10.7 9.4

10 9.0

40 8.2 6.9 5.1 20 5 OBSERVATIONS PER 100 HOURS HUNTED 100 HOURS PER OBSERVATIONS 2007 2008 2017 2018 2000 2001 2010 2011 1996 1999 2005 2015 2003 2013 2002 1997 1998 2012 2004 2006 2009 2014 2016 2019 0 1995 Jake Observations Per 100 Hours Hunted

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Gobblers (Includes Jakes) Hens Total (Includes Unknowns)

Figure 35: Region 4 Turkey Observations Per 100 Figure 36: Region 4 Jake Observations Per 100 Hours Hunted Hours Hunted

2020 Season Forecast The 2018 hatch was the second highest since the MDWFP began its summer brood survey in 1995. Such stellar reproduction alone would suggest 2020 should yield a bumper crop of two-year old gobblers. Although last season’s jake observations did not equal the spike forecasted by the prior year’s brood survey, observations were up considerably. Regardless of which data point is used – the phenomenal brood numbers from 2018 or the >50% increase in 2019 jake sightings – things should be setup for a very good 2020 turkey season in southwest Mississippi. Hunters in this region should expect one of their best springs in quite some time.

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 23 Population Statistics Spittin’ & Drummin’ Turkey Region 5 BENTON DESOTO ALCORN MARSHALL TIPPAH

TATE PRENTISS TUNICA TISHOMINGO PANOLA UNION LEE TURKEY REGION 5 CONSISTS OF 18 COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST ITAWAMBA LAFAYETTE PONTOTOC

COAHOMA QUITMAN

YALOBUSHA CALHOUN Mississippi. Forests in Region 5 are dominated by longleaf and slash pine. TALLAHATCHIE CHICKASAW MONROE BOLIVAR GRENADA CLAY SUNFLOWER WEBSTER LEFLORE MONT- GOMERY This habitat type includes the pine flatwoods of the coastal counties and LOWNDES CARROLL CHOCTAW OKTIBBEHA

WASHINGTON HUMPHREYS HOLMES NOXUBEE the adjoining, rolling, pine hills. Longleaf pine and slash pine compose at ATTALA WINSTON NESHOBA SHARKEY YAZOO LEAKE KEMPER least 50% of the forest community. Other common tree species include ISSAQUENA MADISON NEWTON WARREN SCOTT LAUDERDALE

HINDS RANKIN dogwood, beech, magnolia, and sweet bay along creek bottoms and SMITH CLARKE JASPER CLAIBORNE COPIAH SIMPSON

blackjack oak, post oak, and southern red oak on drier sites. JEFFERSON COVINGTON WAYNE JONES LINCOLN FRANKLIN WRENCE JEFF DAVIS LA FORREST ADAMS PERRY MARION LAMAR GREENE AMITE PIKE WILKINSON WALTHALL

GEORGE PEARL STONE RIVER

JACKSON HARRISON HANCOCK Reproduction During the summer of 2019, MDWFP’s annual brood survey observed 344 hens and 533 poults across the southeastern piney woods. The 1.6 PPH (Figure 37) yielded was well below the region’s record-setting 2018 hatch, but near the regional average of the past decade. Roughly 39% of hens were accompanied by a brood and the average brood size was four poults.

3.7 3.6 3.5

Harvest Rates & Age Structure 2.9 2.8 2.6 2.6 Hunters in Region 5 were second only to those in northeast 2.5 2.5 2.3 Mississippi in terms of harvest frequency. The 3.3 gobblers 2.1 2.0 2.1 harvested per 100 hours by SGHS hunters in southeast 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.6 Mississippi was down slightly from the previous year (Fig- 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.3 ure 38), but still added up to one of the better seasons in a 1.1 1.1 Poults Poults Per Hen decade. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of birds bagged by SGHS 0.8 hunters in Region 5 were older-aged with at least one-inch spurs. Thirty-five percent had under one-inch spurs, which was proportionally the lowest by that population segment 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 in the SGHS’s history (Figure 39).

Figure 37: Region 5 Poults Per Total Hens

6.1 100% 3 5 4 3 6 4 9 6 9 9 9 9 8 7 14 11 10 12 11 14 13 5.6 18 17 15 17 5.4 90% 26 30 5 80% 43 33 41 34 34 30 44 31 25 4.4 4.4 4.4 38 39 37 38 4.3 70% 50 43 40 52 4.1 4.1 40 34 42 40 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9 4 60% 44 3.6 48 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.1 50% 2.9 3 2.8 53 2.6 29 2.5 2.5 40% 59 2.2 62 56 62 PERCENT OF HARVEST 30% 56 56 58 2 0 53 53 51 53 53 53 46 35 45 45 48 48 42 45

SPUR LENGTH LENGTH CLASSES SPUR 20% 39 32 28 HARVEST PER 100 HOURS HUNTED HUNTED 100 HOURS PER HARVEST 1 10% 18 7 7 1 1 1 0 1 1 2 1 4 2 1 3 3

0% 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 0 2009 0 2010 0 2011 0 2012 2013 0 2014 2015 2016 0 2017 0 2018 0 2019

0 2000 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

0.1-0.5" 0.5-1.0" 1.0-1.25" >1.25" Figure 38: Region 5 Harvest Per 100 Hours Hunted Figure 39: Spur Length Distributions From Gobblers Harvested in Region 5

24 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Region 5 Spittin’ & Drummin’ Gobbling Activity The number of individual gobblers heard in Region 5 was similar to recent years, however, overall gobbling activity increased dramatically. Hunters heard 4.5 gobblers and 71.1 total gobbles per 10 hours hunted (Figure 40). The latter represented the second-highest value on record for the region. The last two weeks of the season (19 April – 1 May) produced the most intense gobbling activity. More individual gobblers were heard during the final week of the season than any other week (Figure 41).

100 10 120 10

100 80 8 8

80 60 6 6

40 4 4 40 Gobblers Gobbles Gobbles Gobblers 20 2 2 20

Figure 40: Region 5 Gobblers & Gobbles Heard Per Figure 41: Region 5 Gobblers & Gobbles Heard Per 10 Hours Hunted by Year 10 Hours Hunted by Week

Turkey Observations Total turkey observations jumped markedly in southeast Mississippi over the past two springs. Hunters saw 86.2 turkeys per 100 hours hunted, which was 23% above the prior ten-year average. Gobbler observations per 100 hours afield increased, whereas hen observations remained relatively unchanged from the previous year (Figure 42). Jake observations exhibited a considerable spike. Hunters observed 18.1 juvenile gobblers per 100 hours hunted (Figure 43). This was the highest jake observation rate since 2011 and was 57% above the average of the previous decade.

160 35

140 30.1 30

120

25 23.7 100 21.5

20 18.8 80 18.1 18.1 17.2 17.1 16.6

15 14.2 60 13.6 13.1 12.8 12.7 12.2 11.9 11.3 11.0

40 10.0

10 8.9 8.5 8.1 8.1 7.9 7.7 20 5 2007 2008 2017 2018 2000 2001 2010 2011 2005 1996 1999 2015 2003 2013 1997 1998 2002 2012 2004 2006 2009 2014 2016 2019 0 1995 OBSERVATIONS PER 100 HOURS HUNTED 100 HOURS PER OBSERVATIONS Jake Observations Per 100 HOurs Hunted

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Gobblers (Includes Jakes) Hens Total (Includes Unknowns) Figure 42: Region 5 Turkey Observations Per 100 Figure 43: Region 5 Jake Observations Per 100 Hours Hunted Hours Hunted

2020 Season Forecast Turkey hunters in southeast Mississippi have struggled more than they’ve celebrated since Hurricane Katrina devas- tated the region’s best turkey habitat, but the data indicates 2020 may be the year in which the region returns to old form. The 2018 hatch was a record-setter and jake observations in 2019 made a corresponding large jump. Though the 2019 hatch was more lackluster, it should have been just enough to uphold recent population gains. Piney Woods hunters should go into the 2020 season with their expectations set high. All indications are they’re in store for one of their best springs in quite some time.

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 25 Game Check Spittin’ & Drummin’

The 2019 spring turkey season marked a new beginning for wild turkey management in Missis- sippi. Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) instituted Game Check, a mandatory harvest reporting system designed to document gobbler harvests by all resident and nonresident turkey hunters. Hunters were required to report their harvests by 10 PM on the day which it occurred. Flexibility was a hallmark of Game Check; hunters were allowed to report harvests via a mobile phone application, website portal, or by calling 1-800-BE-SMART.

Individual Users and Harvest A total of 8,780 unique users reported 12,627 turkey harvests UNIQUE REPORT to Game Check during the 2019 spring turkey season. On aver- USERS METHOD age, hunters who reported were 39 years of age. Approximately Nearly 9,000 unique Most users chose to 7% of reports were submitted on behalf of youth hunters under users reported almost report via the mobile, the age of 16. Nonresidents accounted for 9.5% of all reported 13,000 gobbler harvests smartphone app turkey harvests.

The majority of reports were submitted via the mobile app (76%; Figures 44 and 45). Approximately 15% of reports were called in via the 1-800 hotline, whereas only 9% of reports were logged via the online website (Figure 45).

HOT SHOTS & STATEWIDE HOT SPOTS USERS

Counties in north-central Hunters reported Mississippi had the harvests from 81 of highest density of Mississippi’s 82 counties gobbler harvests Figure 44: The primary method used by Mississippi turkey hunters in Game Check’s first year was the mobile app. EARLYBIRD POSITIVE SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

51% of the overall No major technical harvest occurred by difficulties were the end of March reported by users

26 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Game Check Spittin’ & Drummin’

Most of the hunters who utilized the Game Check system only reported one bird. Approximately 9.7% of users attained Mississippi’s seasonal bag limit of 3 gobblers (Figure 46).

9% Bagged 1

15% Bagged 2

76% Bagged 3

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Smartphone App Call Center Website Percentage of Game Check Users Reporting

Figure 45: Distribution frequency of reporting meth- Figure 46: Breakdown of Game Check users (by percent- ods by Game Check users in Mississippi’s 2019 age) who reported one, two, and three gobblers to the spring turkey season. Game Check system in 2019.

Geographic Distribution of Harvest Figure 47: Total spring gobbler harvest One of the most important functions of Game Check was to provide MDWFP numbers, by county, reported to the with county-level harvest numbers. Lafayette County was the top county for Game Check system in 2019. turkey harvests with a reported 407 gobblers taken. Attala, Carroll, Copiah,

BENTON ALCORN DESOTO 160 O

Marshall, and Panola counties all reported harvests in excess of 300 birds. 178 G

98 N I

MARSHALL TIPPAH 4 M 5 1

388 O Slightly over half of Mississippi counties reported more than 150 gobblers. TATE 198

PRENTISS S H TUNICA 194 I 180 T Only Sunflower County failed to register any turkeys (Figure 47 and Table 1). 14 UNION 150 PANOLA LAFAYETTE 357 407 LEE ITAWAMBA QUITMAN PONTOTOC 95 220 COAHOMA 214 The top and bottom 10 counties for reported harvest are shown in Figure 17 4 48. Harvest numbers were adjusted for land area within a county to obtain YALOBUSHA 233 CHICKASAW TALLAHATCHIE CALHOUN MONROE 196 an assessment of relative turkey abundance across the state (Figure 48). BOLIVAR 94 229 264 20 GRENADA E R 204 CLAY W WEBSTER

O 123 0 L 123 F MONTGOMERY N LEFLORE 205 N Approximately 12% of harvests came from public land. S U 12 LOWNDES O OKTIBBEHA T CARROLL CHOCTAW 184 126 G 342 N 2 201 I S H Y S A E R W HOLMES NOXUBEE

2 ATTALA WINSTON

P H 282 227 358 233 M E Y U K H A 3 R A E N

U YAZOO S H

3 LEAKE NESHOBA KEMPER Q 130 211 185 240 MADISON S A I 192

WARREN SCOTT NEWTON LAUDERDALE 120 207 241 170 HINDS RANKIN 202 175

CLARKE SMITH JASPER 159 212 228 CLAIBORNE SIMPSON 177 COPIAH 171 304 COVINGTON JEFFERSON 119 E

213 C JONES WAYNE N

5 93 E

3 154

LINCOLN R ADAMS 1 JEFF DAVIS FRANKLIN 173 W

232 A 159

213 L

MARION GREENE LAMAR E S T AMITE 1 WILKINSON PIKE 157 R 5 64 153 194 81 83 R PERRY WALTHALL O F 89 65

TURKEY HARVEST 2019 TURKEY HARVEST 2019 GEORGE STONE TOP 10 COUNTIES BOTTOM 10 COUNTIES PEARL RIVER 12 43 81

REPORTED TURKEY HARVEST JACKSON HARRISON 22 14 2019 2019 HANCOCK Figure 48: Top 10 (red, left) and bottom 10 (blue, right) counties 9 for reported gobbler harvest via Game Check in 2019.

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 27 2019 Game Check Spittin’ & Drummin’

Timing of Gobbler Harvest In addition to geographic distribution of harvests, Game Check data is also useful for evaluating the timing of harvest throughout Mississippi’s spring season. The opening day of the regular season (March 15th) received more reported harvest than any other day (773 birds). Approximately 50% of the total harvest occurred by March 30th (Figure 49).

Gobbler Characteristics The vast majority of gobblers reported to Game Check in 2019 were adult birds. Only 3% of all reported gobblers had less than a 6-inch beard. Similarly, only 5% of gobblers had less than one-half inch spurs. Most gobblers had between one-half to one-inch spurs. Slightly more than one-third of those reported had greater than one-inch spurs (Figure 50).

900 800 5% 700

600 34%

500

400

300

200 61%

100 TOTAL GOBBLERS REPORTED REPORTED GOBBLERS TOTAL 0 Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Mar Mar Mar Mar Mar Mar Mar Mar Mar Mar Mar Mar May ------1 7 5 3 9 1 8 11 17 15 13 21 19 27 25 23 29 12 16 14 18 10 22 26 24 28 30 20 Less than one-half inch One-half to one inch Over one inch

Figure 49: Number of gobbler harvests reported, by date, Figure 50: Distribution of spur lengths for gobblers throughout Mississippi’s 2019 spring season. reported to Game Check in Mississippi during the 2019 spring season.

70,000 Game Check vs. Long-term ESTIMATED HARVEST GAME CHECK

Harvest Estimates 60,000 59,241 Prior to Game Check, MDWFP’s only 52,989 50,129 means of estimating harvest and hunter 50,000 49,100 46,664 participation in turkey hunting was post- 45,609 42,443 42,123 39,810 season survey in which a random sample 39,535 38,165 37,441 40,000 37,338 36,983 35,548 34,922 of licensed hunters were questioned about 34,759 33,937 34,000 33,484 33,303 33,424 33,000 32,094 their harvests. These findings were then 31,284 29,116 28,406 27,899 27,747 27,483 30,000 27,456 25,639 extrapolated to the entirety of all licensed 25,513 24,763 23,916 23,808 23,377 hunters. Total estimated harvest for the 22,123 spring 2019 season was 25,513, suggest- 20,000 19,171 ing Game Check achieved an approximate 12,627 50% compliance rate on reporting. 10,000

Estimated Licensed Spring Gobbler Harvest Gobbler Spring Licensed Estimated 0 1995 1992 1983 2013 1986 1989 1998 2016 2019 1980 2001 2010 2007 2004

Figure 51: A comparison of Mississippi’s estimated wild turkey harvest since 1980 with the 2019 reported Game Check harvest.

28 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Game Check Spittin’ & Drummin’

Table 1. Gobbler harvest totals reported by county to Game Check in Mississippi during the 2019 spring season.

Reported Reported County County Harvest Harvest Adams 232 Leflore 12 Alcorn 160 Lincoln 173 Amite 194 Lowndes 126 Attala 358 Madison 192 Benton 178 Marion 157 Bolivar 20 Marshall 388 Calhoun 229 Monroe 264 Carroll 342 Montgomery 205 Chickasaw 196 Neshoba 185 Choctaw 201 Newton 241 Claiborne 177 Noxubee 227 Clarke 159 Oktibbeha 184 Clay 123 Panola 357 Coahoma 17 Pearl River 81 Copiah 304 Perry 89 Covington 119 Pike 81 DeSoto 98 Pontotoc 214 Forrest 51 Prentiss 180 Franklin 213 Quitman 4 George 12 Rankin 175 Greene 64 Scott 207 Grenada 204 Sharkey 3 Hancock 9 Simpson 171 Harrison 14 Smith 212 Hinds 202 Stone 43 Holmes 282 Sunflower 0 Humphreys 2 Tallahatchie 94 Issaquena 3 Tate 194 Itawamba 220 Tippah 198 Jackson 22 Tishomingo 154 Jasper 228 Tunica 14 Jefferson 213 Union 150 Jeff Davis 159 Walthall 65 Jones 154 Warren 120 Kemper 240 Washington 2 Lafayette 407 Wayne 93 Lamar 83 Webster 123 Lauderdale 170 Wilkinson 153 Lawrence 135 Winston 233 Leake 211 Yalobusha 233 Lee 95 Yazoo 130

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 29 Game Check Spittin’ & Drummin’

HARVEST-REPORTING MANDATORY FOR ALL TURKEY HUNTERS

By reporting your turkey harvests, you will aid the future of wild turkey conservation in Mississippi. Reporting through the MDWFP Game Check system is quick and easy, and it is MANDATORY for ALL TURKEY HUNTERS. The basics of Game Check are outlined below.

STEP BEFORE YOU GO HUNTING Obtain a hunting license (unless exempt) and harvest record. Two types of harvest records are acceptable, 1 a digital record or a printed form. Digital record keeping may be done through the Game Check feature found within the free MDWFP app. Register in the app and it will be your official harvest record. If you pre- fer a printed form, the form below will suffice.

STEP WHEN YOU HARVEST A TURKEY The reporting process must begin BEFORE you move the turkey from its harvest location. Using the Game 2 Check feature, click the REPORT TURKEY button and complete and submit an entry. If there is no cellular coverage where you hunt, the app will automatically upload your harvest when coverage resumes. Using the printed form method, notch the corresponding month bubbles.

STEP AFTER YOUR HUNT Using the Game Check feature, you have no additional requirements. Using the printed form, you must report 3 the harvest through the MDWFP website or by calling 1-800-BE-SMART before 10 p.m. on the day of harvest. THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO REPORT:

1: MDWFP app 2: Online at mdwfp.com/gamecheck 3: Call 1-800-BE-SMART

Once you complete the harvest-reporting process, you will receive a confirmation number. This number must be documented on the harvest record.

SPRING TURKEY2019 Spring HARVEST Turkey Harvest RECORD Reporting Record Name: License No: Name: Address: License No: Address: Telephone: Phone: Instructions: All hunters must have a current harvest reporting record in their possession while spring turkey hunting. Before moving a turkey from the point of harvest, hunters must document the harvest on Instructions:their harvest All reporting hunters record. must To document have aa harvest, current punch harvest out the appropriate record bubblesin their for possessionmonth and date. whileHunters mustturkey report hunting. their harvest If byyou 10PM are on theusing day of the harvest. MDWFP Harvests canapp be reportedto report via your harvestthe you MDWFP do smartphone not need app, this MDWFP form. website, Before or by callingmoving 1-800-BE-SMART. a turkey Oncefrom the the harvest point has been of harvest,reported, hunters hunters are required should to record document the corresponding the harvest confirmation using number the on MDWFPthe appropriate app or on theirline harvest of the harvest record. reporting To record. document a harvest on this form, punch out the appropriate bubbles for month and date. Hunters must report their harvest by 10 p.m. on the day of harvest. Harvests can be reported via the MDWFP app, MDWFP website, or by calling 1-800-BE-SMART. Once the harvest has beenTurkey reported, 1 record the corresponding confirmationTurkey number 2 on the appropriate line of the harvest record.Turkey 3

MAR APR MAY MAR APR MAY MAR APR MAY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 TURKEY 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 TURKEY 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 TURKEY 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 1 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 2 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 3 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 29 30 31 29 30 31

ConfirmationConfirmation No: No: ConfirmationConfirmation No: No: ConfirmationConfirmation No: No: HARVEST REPORTING IS MANDATORY! REPORT YOUR HARVEST: SMART PHONE: MDWFP HUNT/FISH APP | ONLINE: WWW.MDWFP.COM | PHONE: 1-800-BE-SMART HOW TO GET YOUR CONFIRMATION NO: MDWFP app • MDWFP.com/gamecheck • 1-800-BE-SMART

30 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report WMA Summaries Spittin’ & Drummin’

Turkey Hunting on Wildlife Management Areas For those willing to seek it, Mississippi is blessed with an abundance of quality turkey hunting on public land. Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) offers spring turkey hunting on 37 of the Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) it manages. Season frameworks on these areas vary. Some mirror the statewide framework, whereas hunting on others may be by permit draw-only throughout the duration of the season (Figure 52).

During the 2019 spring season, 416 gobblers were harvested in 12,535 man-days, for a rate of about one harvest per 30 man-days, across all MDWFP WMAs. This was an increase from 2018 in which 366 gobblers were harvested in 13,486 man-days (37MD/harvest). Hunting success, viewed in terms of man-days and acres per harvest, was best in the Northeast Region (Table 2).

Desoto County Alcorn County Figure 52: Marshall Benton County County Tishomingo TUSCUMBIA WMA County MDWFP offers spring turkey UPPER Tippah County Tunica County SARDIS WMA Tate County DIVIDE Prentiss SECTION County hunting on 37 WMAs throughout CHARLES WMA RAY NIX WMA Union County the state. Season frameworks HELL CREEK WMA

Lafayette Panola County County vary by WMA. Lee County Itawamba SARDIS WATERFOWL County Quitman Pontotoc Coahoma JOHN BELL County County County WILLIAMS WMA

CHICKASAW WMA

Yalobusha County Table 2: (p.28) Tallahatchie County Calhoun CANAL County Chickasaw County SECTION Monroe County MALMAISON WMA WMA Spring 2019 and decade-long

Bolivar County Grenada County average turkey harvest and man- CALHOUN COUNTY WMA Clay County Webster Sunflower County day figures for 37 MDWFP WMAs County JOHN W. Leflore County STARR WMA Montgomery County Lowndes Carroll County offering spring turkey hunting. County Oktibbeha County

Choctaw CHOCTAW WMA County Washington County Humphreys County YOCKANOOKANY WMA

SUNFLOWER WMA Noxubee Holmes County Attala County County Winston BLACK County PRAIRIE WMA NANIH TWIN OAKS WMA WAIYA WMA

Sharkey County

Issaquena Kemper County County Yazoo County Neshoba Leake County County OKATIBBEE WMA

Madison County BIENVILLE WMA

PEARL RIVER Warren County WMA Lauderdale Newton County County Scott County

Hinds County Rankin County

CANEY CANEMOUNT WMA COPIAH CREEK COUNTY TALLAHALA WMA WMA Smith County WMA Jasper County Clarke County Claiborne County

Simpson County Copiah County

Jefferson CHICKASAWHAY Natchez SP County WMA

Covington Jones County Wayne County County Jefferson Lincoln Davis CASTON County Lawrence County MASON CREEK County CREEK WMA Adams County Franklin WMA County MARION COUNTY WMA

SANDY Lamar County CREEK Marion County Forrest Greene County WMA Wilkinson Amite County Pike County County Walthall County Perry County County LEAF RIVER WMA

LITTLE BILOXI WMA

George County

OLD RIVER WMA WOLF DESCRIPTION RIVER WMA Stone County

Pearl_River Early Season Draw/Open after March 28th County

Draw Only RED CREEK WMA PASCAGOULA WMA Jackson Statewide Season County Harrison Hancock County County Youth Draw Only WARD BAYOU WMA April 1 - May 1 Season

Extended Draw/Open after April 18

Season Closed National Geographic, Esri, Garmin, HERE, UNEP-WCMC, USGS, NASA, ESA, METI, NRCAN, GEBCO, NOAA, increment P Corp.

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 31 WMA Summaries Spittin’ & Drummin’

2019 Spring Season 10-Year Averages

WMA Acres Total ManDays Total Harvest ManDays/ Harvest Acres/ Harvest Avg Total ManDays Avg Total Harvest Avg ManDays/ Harvest Avg Acres/ Harvest Calhoun County 7,545 156 5 31 1,509 202 7 26 1,243 Canal Section - 35,300 1,146 45 25 784 1,147 35 36 1,106 John Bell Williams Charles Ray Nix 3,812 26 7 4 545 24 4 6 851 Chickasaw 28,000 1,075 59 18 475 999 37 30 818 Divide Section 15,300 588 28 21 546 696 22 39 782 Hell Creek 2,336 12 0 Sardis Waterfowl 3,016 12 2 6 1,508 10 3 4 1,106 Tuscumbia 2,600 57 2 29 1,300 125 3 39 984 NORTHEAST Upper Sardis 50,485 1,022 43 24 1,174 1,340 47 28 1,094 Northeast Total 146,058 4,082 191 4,544 157 Northeast Average 18,257 510 24 20 980 568 20 26 998 Sunflower 60,000 0 0 220 11 31 7,879 Twin Oaks 5,700 0 0 43 1 28 3,325 Delta Total 65,700 0 0 264 12

DELTA Delta Average 32,850 0 0 132 6 30 5,602 Bienville 26,136 474 8 59 3,267 704 20 38 1,657 Black Prairie 5,673 20 7 3 810 15 3 7 2,632 Caney Creek 28,000 516 22 23 1,273 808 25 34 1,242 Choctaw 24,500 470 24 20 1,021 815 24 35 1,090 John Starr 8,244 226 9 25 916 211 7 44 1,957 Malmaison 9,483 272 6 45 1,581 434 16 30 905 Nanih Waiya 8,064 166 6 28 1,344 124 3 40 2,479 Okatibbee 6,883 27 0 72 1 51 5,449 Tallahala 28,120 856 36 24 781 1,158 40 30 779 Yockanookany 2,379 45 1 45 2,379 35 2 22 1,596 EAST-CENTRAL East-Central Total 147,482 3,072 119 4,376 141 East-Central Avg 14,748 307 12 30 1,486 438 14 33 1,979 Canemount 3,500 78 2 39 1,750 52 3 18 1,375 Caston Creek 27,785 854 9 95 3,087 931 22 40 1,445 Copiah County 6,583 519 20 26 329 564 11 62 713 Natchez State Park 3,425 50 3 17 1,142 37 2 21 2,030 Pearl River 6,925 172 3 57 2,308 168 3 82 3,188 Sandy Creek 16,407 721 22 33 746 684 21 34 923 Southwest Total 64,625 2,394 59 4,376 61

SOUTHWEST Southwest Avg 10,771 399 10 44 1,560 438 10 43 1,612 Chickasawhay 35,000 481 9 53 3,889 728 17 43 2,253 Leaf River 41,411 526 7 75 5,916 1,195 20 57 2,528 Little Biloxi 15,622 339 5 68 3,124 413 5 131 5,159 Marion County 7,200 480 11 44 655 427 8 66 1,193 Mason Creek 27,272 132 5 26 5,454 419 10 70 6,112 Old River 15,000 135 3 45 5,000 168 6 31 4,063 Pascagoula River 37,000 269 2 135 18,500 616 13 63 6,361 Red Creek 23,000 258 2 129 11,500 299 4 74 6,634 Ward Bayou 13,234 65 0 65 3 25 5,076

SOUTHEAST Wolf River 10,801 290 3 97 3,600 477 9 67 2,042 Southeast Total 225,540 2,928 44 4,807 96 Southeast Avg 22,554 293 4 76 7,313 481 10 63 4,142

32 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Wild Turkey Records Spittin’ & Drummin’

The Magnolia Turkey Records Program

ALL WILD TURKEYS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED TROPHIES, BUT SOME ARE MORE IMPRESSIVE THAN OTHERS. Hunters annually contact Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) to find out how their bird compares to those harvested by others. Due to the interest from turkey hunters, MDWFP has a database for gobblers harvested in Mississippi. The purpose for maintaining turkey records is to allow sportsmen to recognize and fully appreciate the quality of individual turkeys.

Turkey records are presented for the following categories:

Top Scoring Typical, Top Scoring Non-typical, Longest Beard, Longest Spurs, and Heaviest. Non-typical turkeys have multiple beards. Total score is obtained by adding the turkey’s weight plus 10 times the combined length of both spurs plus 2 times beard length. Weight should be measured to the nearest ounce on certified scales. Beards are measured in 1/16 inch increments from the center point of the beard’s base where it attaches to the skin to the end of the longest bristle. Spurs are measured in 1/16 inch increments along the outside center of the spur from the point at which the spur protrudes from the scaled leg skin to the tip of the spur. All weights and measurements should be converted to deci- mals. A registration form is provided in this report for those who wish to have their harvested gobbler included in the Mississippi Wild Turkey Re- cords. For a complete listing of records, visit the Agency’s website at mdwfp.com/turkey.

Table 3. All-time top 10 typical-scoring turkeys harvested in Mississippi, by total score.

TOP SCORING TYPICAL

Rank Total Score Date Harvested County Harvested Hunter

1 80.64 April 8, 2005 SMITH Amp Frith 2 80.40 April 11, 2009 PANOLA Lauren Kaye Russell 3 79.20 April 18, 2003 COPIAH Doug Borries 4 78.69 March 22, 2014 PEARL RIVER Terry Burge 5 78.50 March 31, 2009 LAFAYETTE Greg Vaughan 6 77.75 March 29, 2007 ALCORN Mike Suitor 7 77.00 March 28, 1987 KEMPER Robby Ellis 8 76.93 April 24, 2019 LINCOLN Connor Douglas 9 76.88 March 23, 2019 RANKIN Daniel Blake Sassar 10 76.70 April 13, 2005 PEARL RIVER Kris Collins

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 33 Wild Turkey Records Spittin’ & Drummin’

New Record Longest Beard! This tom, harvested by Shane Knighton on April 29, 2019, took the top spot as the Mississippi record-holder for beard length. The bird sported a beard 17.94 inches in length.

Photo by Shane Knighton

Table 4. All-time top 10 non-typical scoring turkeys harvested in Mississippi, by total score.

TOP SCORING NON-TYPICAL Total Total Beard Length Date County Hunter Rank Score Beards (inches) Harvested Harvested 1 157.06 9 60.25 April 8, 2010 PONTOTOC Don Shumaker 2 151.06 7 57.25 March 17, 2008 TISHOMINGO Jerrell Keele 3 148.30 7 52.69 March 28, 2002 AMITE James Scheer 4 143.17 9 53.26 March 20, 2000 MARION Andy Stringer 5 141.63 6 48.99 April 12, 2011 CLAIBORNE J.R. Robinson 6 139.50 5 46.50 April 29, 2008 SIMPSON Bobby Tebo 7 139.25 5 52.70 March 23, 1998 SCOTT Richard Latham 8 138.65 8 48.63 April 13, 2013 TIPPAH Thomas Wood 9 137.13 6 51.69 March 24, 2009 TISHOMINGO Lee Oaks 10 135.72 9 52.86 April 14, 2005 TISHOMINGO Jerry Smith Table 5. All-time top 10 turkeys harvested in Mississippi, ranked by total beard length.

LONGEST BEARD Beard Length Rank (inches) Date Harvested County Harvested Hunter 1 17.94 April 29, 2019 WARREN R. Shane Knighton 2 17.25 April 30, 2001 MONROE Monty Roberts 3 16.25 April 8, 2001 SMITH Amp Frith 4 16.0 April 6, 2002 MONROE Monty Roberts 5 15.5 April 19, 2012 TIPPAH Dan Glover 6 15.0 March 28, 2003 MARSHALL Carlton Gibson 7 14.75 April 4, 2007 CLAIBORNE Dale Collins 8 14.63 March 23, 2019 RANKIN Daniel Blake Sassar 9 14.19 April 10, 2003 MONROE Charles Langley 10 14.13 March 19, 1989 WILKINSON Todd D’Aquin

34 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Wild Turkey Records Spittin’ & Drummin’

Table 6. Top turkeys harvested in Mississippi, ranked by longest spur.

LONGEST SPURS Longest Spur Rank (inches) Date Harvested County Harvested Hunter 1 1.88 April 16, 2007 LAUDERDALE Don Marascalo 2 1.875 April 18, 2015 LEAKE James Ellis 1.875 April 15, 2016 KEMPER Billy Joe Hedgepeth 4 1.813 March 31, 2009 LAFAYETTE Greg Vaughan 5 1.81 April 30, 1990 CLAIBORNE Marvin Muirhead 6 1.75 April 24, 2019 LINCOLN Connor Douglas 1.75 April 13, 2005 PEARL RIVER Kris Collins 1.75 March 24, 2007 CLAIBORNE James Greer 1.75 April 8, 2000 LEAKE Ronald Coleman 1.75 April 2, 2003 JEFFERSON Thomas McAlpin, Jr. 1.75 March 18, 2012 CLAIBORNE Paul Davis 1.75 April 5, 2000 COPIAH Rickey Thompson 1.75 April 17, 2004 CHICKASAW Mike Soper

Table 7. All-time top 10 turkeys harvested in Mississippi, ranked by total weight.

HEAVIEST Weight Rank (pounds) Date Harvested County Harvested Hunter 1 26.25 March 19, 2015 RANKIN David Evans 2 25.61 April 2, 2015 MARSHALL Daniel Favazza 3 25.27 April 11, 2009 PANOLA Lauren Kaye Russell 4 25.25 March 30, 2004 NEWTON Hunter Hayes 5 25.19 March 26, 2004 NESHOBA John Robb 6 24.87 March 26, 2019 TIPPAH Ben Cox 7 24.68 April 18, 2003 COPIAH Doug Borries 8 24.44 April 2, 2005 NESHOBA Chad Young 9 24.00 March 16, 2009 FORREST Matthew Saucier 24.00 March 18, 2008 ADAMS Chasen Gann

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 35 Wild Turkey Research in Mississippi Spittin’ & Drummin’

Fine-Scale Movements and Habitat Selection of Eastern Wild Turkeys in Mississippi

Since 2016, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) has cooperated with the Forest and Wildlife Research Center within Mississippi State University’s College of Forest Resources to investigate aspects of habitat selection by wild turkeys. A total of 61 turkeys were caught at study sites in Attala, Copiah, Lamar, and Marshall counties (Figure 53). Each turkey was fitted with a GPS transmitter allowing researchers to assess their locations at up to 15-minute intervals. Utilization of such cutting- edge technology has allowed for a never-before-seen glance into the intricacies of wild turkey behavior and movement.

Results of this work suggest that the needs of wild turkeys may differ depending upon both the season of the year and the areas in which they reside. Turkeys have shown researchers that the degree to which certain habitats are utilized may be dictated by the availability of similar habitats in the broader landscape. For example, the im- portance of hardwood timber was greater, and these stands were selected by turkeys more strongly, in landscapes where this timber

Figure 53: Turkey habitat use was studied on four sites representing a variety of the different habitat types found across Mississippi.

Photo: A biologist from MDWFP prepares to release a hen which has been fitted with a special GPS transmitter at her capture site in Copiah County.

Photos in this section by MDWFP staff

36 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Wild Turkey Research in Mississippi Spittin’ & Drummin’

type was more limited. Likewise, turkey use of grassy openings shifts throughout the year and is most intense in heavily forested areas where openings are limited.

The implications of this project suggest management recommendations should differ depending upon landscape context and composition. For land manag- ers, who which to attract and retain turkeys on their property, the findings of this study suggest promot- ing diversity of different types of habitat is key. Future use of the information gained from this project will allow for the development of tools to help landowners gauge how different management actions might influ- ence turkey utilization of their property.

This project was supported by funding from the Missis- sippi Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Photo (top right): Mississippi State University graduate student Conner Almond prepares capture equipment in Lamar County. For research, turkeys are caught with a large net deployed by rockets.

Photo (middle): The movements of gobblers and hens were followed to better under- stand their habitat use across Mississippi.

Photo (bottom): By reviewing data recorded every 15-minutes, like the movements of this hen in Marshall County, researchers can get an incredible glimpse into the habitat features which are critical for turkeys.

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 37 Partnership Spotlight Spittin’ & Drummin’

The Mississippi Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation

The National Wild Turkey Federation’s (NWTF) mission is the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage. Since the organization’s founding in 1973, it has been one of Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks’ (MDWFP) most steadfast conservation partners.

Each year, the NWTF raises money to support the conservation and management of wild turkeys at fund raising banquets held around the state. These funds are then applied on-the-ground in association with partner organizations like MDWFP. Since 1985, the Mississippi Chapter of the NWTF has provided the MDWFP with over $1.9 million dollars in assistance with managing Mis- sissippi’s wild turkey population.

The following are projects MDWFP accomplished in 2019 with funding support from the Mississippi Chapter of the NWTF:

Yockanookany WMA: Project utilized forestry Canal Section WMA: Project utilized heavy equip- mulchers and other heavy equipment to create lin- ment to clear brush and reclaim habitat along 22-miles ear openings along interior roadways to enhance of the Tenn-Tom waterway. Project yielded consider- availability of brooding habitat. able increase in the availability of brooding habitat.

Photos in this section by MDWFP staff

38 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Partnership Spotlight Spittin’ & Drummin’

Divide Section WMA: Old field habitat was reclaimed Marion County WMA: NWTF dollars were used using heavy equipment, herbicides, and prescribed fire. to help eradicate invasive cogon grass to improve The results enhanced habitat for nesting and brooding fields and forests for wildlife. wild turkeys and associated wildlife.

Charles Ray Nix WMA: Chinese privet is an invasive Malmaison WMA: Wildlife openings were reclaimed brush species which can make forests too thick for with a combination of heavy equipment and herbi- turkeys. NWTF dollars paid the way for forestry mulch- cide application to make way for additional food ing in hardwood stands to reduce coverage by privet. plots and brood habitat.

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 39 Partnership Spotlight Spittin’ & Drummin’

Chickasawhay and Mason Creek WMAs: Through Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey: NWTF helps pro- partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, NWTF dol- mote the MDWFP Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey by lars helped provide seed and fertilizer to manage paying for a shotgun to be raffled among participants. wildlife openings and food plots.

Game Check: The Mississippi Chapter of the NWTF assisted MDWFP with support to market the inaugu- ral year of mandatory harvest reporting for turkeys.

Gobbler Banding and Population Monitoring on WMAs: Super Fund dollars assisted MDWFP with the purchase of equipment to monitor regulation changes on WMAs through gobbler banding and trail camera surveys.

Southeast Wild Turkey Working Group Meeting: Each summer, the Wild Turkey Working Group of the Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies gathers biologists and researchers from around the southeastern United States to meet for two days Fire on the Forty: The Fire on the Forty program is to discuss issues and challenges facing wild turkey an endeavor to promote the use of prescribed fire populations. Mississippi was the host state for this across Mississippi through educational outreach important meeting in 2019, and contributions from and cost-sharing with private landowners. The Mis- the Mississippi Chapter of the NWTF helped under- sissippi Chapter of the NWTF has been a steadfast write meeting costs. partner in supporting this program.

40 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Diseased Wild Turkeys Spittin’ & Drummin’

DESOTO BENTON ALCORN G

Sightings of Sick Turkeys MARSHALL TIPPAH M

TUNICA TATE I

PRENTISS T in Mississippi UNION PANOLA LAFAYETTE LEE ITAWAMBA

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H HOLMES WINSTON NOXUBEE

P ATTALA

M Y

U E

H reporting sick or dead turkeys and assisting MDW- K R A H S YAZOO FP with obtaining birds for examination. If you find LEAKE NESHOBA KEMPER any sick or dead wild turkey, please follow the pro- ISSAQUENA MADISON LAUDERDALE cedures listed below. If you are unable to collect the WARREN SCOTT NEWTON

HINDS carcass, reporting details about the dead birds will RANKIN

CLARKE provide valuable information. Also, please contact SMITH JASPER CLAIBORNE SIMPSON MDWFP if you observe or have previously observed COPIAH JEFFERSON N E O C S S COVINGTON WAYNE I N JONES R V a sharp decline in a local turkey population. E E A R F D F W E ADAMS FRANKLIN LINCOLN A J L

Contacting MDWFP: Contact Turkey Program Coordina- MARION LAMAR T GREENE

WILKINSON AMITE PIKE S PERRY E tor Adam Butler at 601.695.6795 as soon as possible. If are WALTHALL R R O unable to contact Adam, please call the Jackson Office at F GEORGE 601.432.2199 or contact your local MDWFP District Office. PEARL RIVER STONE

JACKSON HARRISON

Obviously sick turkeys may be humanely dispatched only after HANCOCK communication with MDWFP. The proper authorities will provide guidance on how to proceed given the context of the situation. Figure 54: Counties in red represent areas from Handling Turkeys: Carcasses should be cooled as soon as which MDWFP received diseased turkey reports possible by refrigeration or by putting the bird on ice in a cool- during 2019. er. It is best not to freeze the turkey and to submit the bird as soon as possible. If the turkey cannot be obtained by MDWFP within 48 hours, it can be frozen if necessary.

Supplemental feeding is not a recommended practice for wild turkey management. If a diseased turkey is found, it is highly encouraged that supplemental feeding for all wildlife be dis- continued immediately in the vicinity.

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 41 Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey Spittin’ & Drummin’

Join Our Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey Team Help MDWFP with the conservation & management of turkeys in Mississippi.

The driving force behind the Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey (SGHS) is Mississippi’s turkey hunters. Every day of the season, hundreds of turkey hunters throughout the state take to the woods and record information about what they see and hear while hunting. Participation in this process allows Mississippi hunters a unique opportunity to directly contribute to the conservation and management of turkeys in Mississippi. All sportsmen who hunt turkey anywhere in Mississippi, on public or private lands, are eligible and encouraged to participate. Benefits of Participating in the SGHS

• The information you collect will be made available to you within the MDWFP BENTON ALCORN

Turkey Program’s annual report, Spittin’ and Drummin’ which is available online at DESOTO 142 9 O 21 G

N MARSHALL TIPPAH I

mdwfp.com/turkey. This report discusses turkey population trends in each region. M 147 129 9

O TATE

PRENTISS SH 33 I • You’ll receive an individualized report that summarizes the data you sent us. These TUNICA 15 T 12 UNION reports will allow you to see trends in activity from the time you, or your hunting 58 PANOLA LAFAYETTE club, spent turkey hunting. This information can be used to tailor management 221 234 LEE ITAWAMBA COAHOMA PONTOTOC 33 124 58 QUITMAN 98 decisions for your specific property. 0 YALOBUSHA 77 TALLAHATCHIE CALHOUN CHICKASAW • Your name will be entered into a special shotgun raffle aimed at increasing MONROE 66 88 37 BOLIVAR 147 participation in the SGHS. 36 GRENADA ER 66 W CLAY

O WEBSTER

L 44

F 142 • Management decisions of MDWFP that directly affect your recreation- E

LEFLORE M

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1 al opportunities as a sportsman and conservationists will be made N LOWNDES T O

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T CARROLL 63 O CHOCTAW

G 152

140 M 3

using the best available data. N

I 89 1

YS S H

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W HOLMES NOXUBEE • You will help gather evidence that stands for or against questions such 0 ATTALA WINSTON

PH 149 139 153

M 75 E Y as should season dates be set earlier, later, or left the same? Should U K

H 0 R we allow a controlled fall season in areas with high turkey densities? A S H YAZOO NESHOBA KEMPER 84 LEAKE Will certain regulations improve hunting quality, carry-over more gob- 79 100 153 ISSAQUENA MADISON 268 blers, or increase gobbling activity? 6

WARREN SCOTT NEWTON LAUDERDALE 111 152 76 30 HINDS RANKIN How can I Participate? 327 196

CLARKE SMITH JASPER 22 If you turkey hunt anywhere in Mississippi, you are eligible and encour- 103 185 CLAIBORNE SIMPSON 171 COPIAH 125 aged to participate. There will be absolutely no cost to you to take 212

JEFFERSON N O

N E part in the program. The only thing that we will ask of you is to 266 T WAYNE C 0 G

SO JONES

S 2 N N 52 1

3 I

E 41 7

ER take approximately a minute or two of your time following every V LINCOLN A 7 R

F O ADAMS FRANKLIN D

86 W C

EF 87 124 A

hunt to record information on what you observed. Before turkey L MARION season starts, we will send you a data collection booklet that L L 156 E S T

A GREENE 5 R

AMITE H 8 LAMAR WILKINSON PIKE 6 46

1 R will make it easy for you to document your hunting experience. T PERRY

95 L 24

209 6 O

F 50

GEORGE 17 PEARL RIVER STONE New SGHS Participants can enroll online at mdwfp.com/turkey 76 132 or by calling MDWFP at (601) 432-2199. JACKSON HARRISON 6 14 HANCOCK Figure 55: Number of hunts recorded, 13 by county, from participants in the Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey during 2019.

42 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey CUT HERE Spittin’ & Drummin’

Spring Gobbler Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey Application Hunting Survey Application

he mississippi Department of wilDlife, fisheries anD parks is lookinG for inDiviDual T hunters and huntinghe clubs mississippi interested inDepartment participating inof the w annualilDlife, spring fisheries Gobbler h untinganD p sarksurvey. isCooperators lookin Gare for inDiviDual asked to record variousT informationhunters and about hunting their clubs spring interested gobbler inhunts. participating harvest andin the population annual s pringdata provided Gobbler byhunting cooperators survey. Cooperators are will be used to monitorasked and to recordmanage various mississippi’s information wild turkey about resource.their spring results gobbler will hunts. be summarized harvest and in thepopulation annual mdataississippi provided by cooperators wild turkey report.will a becopy used of tothis monitor report willand managebe sent tom ississippi’sall cooperators. wild turkey hunting resource. clubs also results will willreceive be summarized a summary reportin the annual mississippi for their individualw property.ild turkey report. a copy of this report will be sent to all cooperators. hunting clubs also will receive a summary report for their individual property. if your hunting club or any individual members are interested, please complete and return the application below. if you participated in the surveyif your last hunting year, youclub will or automaticallyany individual receive members data are collection interested, materials please andcomplete do not and have return to complete the application below. if this application. thisyou isparticipated an opportunity in the to survey be directly last year, involved you will with automatically conservation receive and managementdata collection of materials the wild andturkey do notin have to complete mississippi. please thisencourage application. other tturkeyhis is huntersan opportunity to participate. to be directly this application involved withmay beconservation copied. Data and collection management instruc of -the wild turkey in tions and materials,m alongississippi. with p thelease turkey encourage program other report turkey will hunters be sent toto participate.you prior to t springhis application gobbler season.may be copied. Data collection instructions and materials, along with the turkey program report will be sent to you prior to spring gobbler season.

name: ______name: ______address: ______address: ______phone: (Home) ______(Office) ______phone: (Home) ______(Office) ______

Please complete the following information only if your hunting club wants to participate. Please complete the following information only if your hunting club wants to participate. Club name: ______Club name: ______County: ______County: ______forested acres: (including food plots) ______forested acres: (including food plots) ______estimate total number of hunts anticipated on this property During the turkey season: ______estimate total number of hunts anticipated on this property During the turkey season: ______■ Mail application to: Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey / 1505 Eastover Dr. / Jackson, MS 39211-6322 ■ Mail application to: Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey / 1505 Eastover Dr. / Jackson, MS 39211-6322

2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report 43 Spittin’ Drummin’ 2020 MISSISSIPPI WILD TURKEY& REPORT

The 2020 Mississippi Wild Turkey Report is a cooperative effort between the MDWFP Turkey Program and the Mississippi Chapter of the NWTF.

Photography by: Steve Gulledge

MDWFP is an equal opportunity employer and provider of programs and services. If anyone believes they have been subjected to discrimination on the basis of political affiliation, race, color, national origin, marital status, sex, religion, creed, age, or disability, they may file a complaint alleging discrimination with either the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Office of Administrative Services, P.O. Box 451, Jackson, MS 39205-0451, or the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 1801 L. Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20507.