MDC Begins Annual Brood Survey Across Missouri

The Missouri Department of Conservation is asking the public to help monitor the state’s wild turkey population this summer by reporting wild turkey sightings.

The department has conducted an annual Brood Survey every year since 1959 to determine the success of the annual hatch.

Observations of all wild turkeys during the months of June, July and August are then recorded at the county level and summarized by region and statewide.

The survey is also used to calculate the poult-to-hen ratio which provides insight into the quality of the hatch for that year and can predict how turkey abundance might change in the near future.

More information about becoming an observer for the Brood Survey can be found on the conservation department’s website.