NYS DEC Wants To Talk Turkey…Wild Turkey

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is asking for your help identifying the wild turkey population in New York. Here's how you can help.

The DEC has looked into the state's wild turkey population since 1996 in order to figure out the number of young turkeys born this year per hen.

You can help by downloading the Summer Wild Turkey Sighting Survey, and keeping track of all the wild turkeys you see while hiking, paddling, camping, exploring and driving through New York.

The survey will help the DEC estimate the reproductive success of the birds and predict how many will be harvested during hunting this fall.

In a press release, DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos says these surveys are a huge help to the department.

"Citizen science efforts like the Summer Turkey Sighting Survey provide our wildlife managers with invaluable data and give people the opportunity to help DEC monitor New York's wildlife resources," Commissioner Seggos said. "I encourage everyone to take the time to record their observations of turkeys while exploring the forests and fields in their communities or while driving through our state's beautiful landscapes this summer."

If you are interested in helping, you can download the Summer Wild Turkey Sighting Survey at Dec.ny.gov.

You can also get the survey by calling (518) 402-8883, or by e-mailing wildlife@dec.ny.gov, just type "Turkey Survey" in the subject line.

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