Michigan residents encouraged to report wild turkey sightings this summer

By Clara Lincolnhol, Capital News Service

LANSING – The Department of Natural Resources is asking residents to report the number of wild turkeys they see this summer.

The statewide survey will be used to get a sense of the turkey population to find out if baby turkeys are replacing adults. The survey, which runs through the end of August, asks residents to report when and where they’ve seen the birds in Michigan.

DNR upland game bird specialist Adam Bump says the state has turkeys in every county, but this wasn’t always the case.

“We’ve gone from turkeys being gone in Michigan up to the most turkeys that we’ve ever had in history, most likely,” he said.

The population rebound means turkeys are now spotted in places like backyards and neighborhoods.

“You could expect to see a lot in rural places, good hunting opportunities there, and we’re also starting to see a lot of urban and suburban turkeys in Lansing and other metropolitan areas,” Bump said.

The southern third of the Lower Peninsula boasts the most because of wide swaths of the birds’ natural habitat – wooded areas mixed with agricultural fields.

“The more people we get that fill out the survey anytime they see a turkey, the better our data is,” Bump said. “It’s a great opportunity for people to participate in wildlife management in the state.”

Clara Lincolnhol is a reporting intern at WKAR. This story was brought to you as part of a partnership between WKAR, Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and Capital News Service.