Kansas wildlife officials say causes of statewide turkey decline unknown; fall harvest halted in 2023

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 survival, noting that “the female component is much more important than the male component for wildlife populations in general.”

Officials told the committee the department halted fall wild turkey harvest beginning in 2023 because of concern that fall harvest of hens could be additive mortality rather than compensatory. “We did close the fall turkey season,” the specialist said, adding that the decision was made by an internal committee taking biological, legal, economic and human‑dimensions factors into account.

The specialist described the agency's use of an adaptive harvest strategy that incorporates data such as hunter success rates and the proportion of adult males (toms) versus juvenile males (jakes) in harvests to allow managers to increase, as well as decrease, hunting opportunities if populations recover.

Committee members asked whether avian influenza had affected turkeys in Kansas; the specialist said the department is conducting disease sampling but was not aware of confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza detections in turkeys and would consult the agency disease ecologist for confirmation. Representative Long asked about bird flu; the specialist replied, “I'm not aware that we've had HPAI ... in turkeys.”

Lawmakers and committee members urged continued study and regionally tailored responses. One committee member said the stratified study design was appropriate because “there's not a one‑size‑fits‑all for turkeys or any wildlife” across Kansas' differing landscapes.

The department provided a handout with a map showing six turkey management units and asked committee members to defer to the agency's working committee on timing of any reopening of the fall season. When asked whether there would be a fall season in 2025, the specialist said, “That decision I believe we don't have any plan for a fall season at this point.”

Officials said neighboring states had also reduced turkey hunting opportunities because of similar declines. The specialist emphasized the agency's goal of managing healthy populations in both numbers and distribution and said research results will inform future adjustments to harvest policy.

For now, the department's publicly stated management actions include the 2023 closure of the fall season and the ongoing multiyear study with Kansas State University. The agency told the committee it will consider localized adjustments—such as different opportunities in areas with higher population densities—within the constraints of avoiding an overly complex tag and permitting system for hunters.

The committee thanked agency staff for the presentation and for providing study materials.