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Kansas wildlife officials say causes of statewide turkey decline unknown; fall harvest halted in 2023
Summary
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks officials told a legislative committee the causes of falling wild turkey numbers are not yet known, described a new statewide multiyear study, and said the agency closed the 2023 fall turkey season as a precaution.
A wildlife specialist from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks told a legislative committee that scientists do not yet know the causes of a range‑wide decline in wild turkey numbers and described a new, statewide multiyear research project aimed at finding answers.
“The take home message is we really don't know,” the turkey specialist said, describing hypotheses ranging from reduced reproductive success and loss of nesting habitat to changes in predator communities, weather patterns, farming practices and disease.
The agency has stratified Kansas into three study regions—eastern, central and western—and is working with the Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Kansas State University on a paired design that compares public wildlife areas and private lands in each region. The specialist said the study will focus on brood and nest survival and hen…
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