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Dr. Patrick Wightman, Research Scientist at UGA, joins Marcus and Will to reveal results from a recent region-wide collaborative project - across 4 states, 8 study sites, and with over 900 banded birds - assessing the effects of hunting pressure on male survival.    Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund    Resources: Wightman, P. H., et al. (2024). Survival and cause‐specific mortality of male wild turkeys across the southeastern United States. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 88(2), e22531.   Dr. Patrick Wightman (@WildTurkeyNerd) (Academic Profile) (Wild Turkey Lab) Dr. Marcus Lashley (@DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile) Dr. Will Gulsby (@dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile) Turkeys for Tomorrow (@turkeysfortomorrow)  UF DEER Lab (@ufdeerlab) (YouTube)   Please help us by taking our (QUICK) listener survey - Thank you! https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VR10xcKOMTvZH0   Watch these podcasts on YouTube: Wild Turkey Science YouTube   This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to turkeysfortomorrow.org.  Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family.    Music by Dr. David Mason & Artlist.io Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak  

New data brings to light more pieces of our habitat-predator puzzle. Join as Marcus and Will pull from recent studies to discuss the multifaceted effects of fire on wild turkey survival and how a new approach could knock off two objectives with one flame.  Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund  Resources: Boone, W. W., et al. (2024). Frequent prescribed burns reduce mammalian species richness and occurrence in longleaf pine sandhills. Forest Ecology and Management, 553, 121596. Fire University #13 - How fire affects predators, ft. Dr. Michael Cherry Jones, D. D., et al. (2004). Prescribed fire and raccoon use of longleaf pine forests: implications for managing nest predation?. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 32(4), 1255-1259. Jorge, M. H., et al. (2020). Fire and land cover drive predator abundances in a pyric landscape. Forest Ecology and Management, 461, 117939. Kilburg, E. L., et al. (2014). Wild turkey nest survival and nest‐site selection in the presence of growing‐season prescribed fire. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 78(6), 1033-1039. Lohr, A. K., et al. (2019). Effects of individual recess behaviors on nest and female survival of Eastern wild turkeys (Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia). Wann, G. T., et al. (2020). The influence of prescribed fire on wild turkeys in the Southeastern United States: A review and synthesis. Forest Ecology and Management, 455, 117661. Wild Turkey Science #19 - Burning during nesting What does wild turkey nesting cover look like? (Craig Harper Video) Yeldell, N. A., et al. (2017). Nest site selection and nest survival of eastern wild turkeys in a pyric landscape. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 81(6), 1073-1083. Yeldell, N. A., et al. (2017). Prescribed fire influences habitat selection of female eastern wild turkeys. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 81(7), 1287-1297.    Please help us by taking our (QUICK) listener survey - Thank you! https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VR10xcKOMTvZH0   Dr. Marcus Lashley (@DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile) Dr. Will Gulsby (@dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile) Turkeys for Tomorrow (@turkeysfortomorrow)  UF DEER Lab (@ufdeerlab) (YouTube)   Watch these podcasts on YouTube: Wild Turkey Science YouTube   This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to turkeysfortomorrow.org.  Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family.    Music by Artlist.io Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak  

This month is the first Q&A episode. Brady and Shaun get to listener questions they have received since the first episode. They discuss taxes, some hardwood silviculture, and the northern long-eared bat.  For questions or comments, email us at timberuniversity@gmail.com Be sure to subscribe directly to Timber University and follow NRU on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.  

In this episode we discuss what happens to ponds in the winter. Where do fish go? Do you need aeration? What pond management can you do in the winter to benefit your pond during the warmer months? Join us as we discuss these questions and more! Dr. Joe Gerken and Dr. Drew Ricketts are extension specialists and faculty members in the Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management Program at Kansas State University. Find out more about the program at https://hnr.k-state.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/wildlife-outdoor-management.html  

Dr. Geoff Hill, professor of Biological Sciences at Auburn University, joins Marcus and Will to break down the unique evolutionary biology of our favorite bird. Learn which characteristics hens select for, what make decoys effective, if gene selection is impacted by hunter harvest, the intricacies of the turkey brotherhood, and much more.  Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund  Please help us by taking our (QUICK) listener survey - Thank you! https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VR10xcKOMTvZH0 Dr. Geoff Hill (Website) (Academic Profile) Dr. Marcus Lashley (@DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile) Dr. Will Gulsby (@dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile) Turkeys for Tomorrow (@turkeysfortomorrow)  UF DEER Lab (@ufdeerlab) (YouTube) Watch these podcasts on YouTube: Wild Turkey Science YouTube This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to turkeysfortomorrow.org.  Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family.  Music by Artlist.io Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak  

Grizzly bears are expanding their range. But where are they headed? To find out, we get out on the land with ranchers Erik Kalsta and Jami Murdoch, who are working with partners to monitor wildlife – including grizzlies – on their operation in southwest Montana.  Together with Erik, Jami and Blackfeet rancher Kristen Kipp, plus a band of other experts, we explore what it really means for grizzly bears to recover under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, and the real challenges bears, and people, face as they do. Read the complete show notes, as always, at workingwild.us.  

Have you ever noticed that when someone catches a big largemouth or Florida bass, like a double-digit bass, they refer to it as “she”, “her”, or “big girl”? That is because female bass get larger than male bass, and you’ll never catch a male that big. In a normal population, half the population is male, so only the female half will have trophy potential. But we can change this dynamic if we only stock the lady bass. In this episode, Wes and Senior Fisheries Biologist Tim Bonvechio discuss the efforts Georgia DNR has been undertaking to create all-female lakes for better trophy fishing. They talk establishment, prey, harvest, and keeping out those pesky males who only have one thing on their mind. Tune in – this may be an option for your next pond or lake renovation!        Do you have questions or comments? Follow the Fish University Facebook community and chat with Wes or suggest future episodes! Follow Natural Resources University on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, & Facebook

Marcus and Will explain why our current data on turkeys supports both sides of this ongoing debate and what is needed to determine whether habitat or predation is to blame. They also discover another interesting link between supplemental feeding and predation, and discuss four studies that would answer most of our questions related to the current decline in wild turkey populations. Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund  Please help us by taking our (QUICK) listener survey - Thank you! https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VR10xcKOMTvZH0 Resources: Cano-Martínez et al. (2023). Bottom-up rather than top-down mechanisms determine mesocarnivore interactions in Norway. Authorea Preprints. Newsome et al. (2015). The ecological effects of providing resource subsidies to predators. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 24(1), 1-11. Rosatte et al. (2007). Raccoon density and movements after population reduction to control rabies. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 71(7), 2373-2378. Dr. Marcus Lashley (@DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile) Dr. Will Gulsby (@dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile) Turkeys for Tomorrow (@turkeysfortomorrow)  UF DEER Lab (@ufdeerlab) (YouTube) Watch these podcasts on YouTube: Wild Turkey Science YouTube This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to turkeysfortomorrow.org.  Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family.  Music by Artlist.io Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak   

In this episode, we discuss coyote biology and management related to deer production in the Great Plains, and whether or not it makes sense to control coyotes as a deer management practice in Kansas. Dr. Joe Gerken and Dr. Drew Ricketts are extension specialists and faculty members in the Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management Program at Kansas State University. Find out more about the program at https://hnr.k-state.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/wildlife-outdoor-management.html  

Will and Marcus discuss why they and other biologists are more likely to endorse habitat management, versus predator control, to increase turkey populations. They also cover a study showing trapping can effectively reduce raccoon populations by up to 90% and discuss why that may or may not translate into more turkeys on the landscape.   Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund  Please help us by taking our (QUICK) listener survey - Thank you! https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VR10xcKOMTvZH0   Resources: How effective is trapping to reduce raccoon abundance? (IG Post) What does wild turkey nesting cover look like? (Video) Chance et al. (2020). Vegetation characteristics influence fine-scale intensity of habitat use by wild turkey and white-tailed deer in a loblolly pine plantation. Basic and applied ecology, 43, 42-51. Cohen et al. (2022). Movement, spatial ecology, and habitat selection of translocated Gould's wild turkeys. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 46(2), e1270. Lazure, L., & Weladji, R. B. (2024). Methods to mitigate human–wildlife conflicts involving common mesopredators: a meta‐analysis. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 88(2), e22526. Nelson et al. (2023). Age‐based shifts in habitat selection of wild turkey broods. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 87(8), e22494 Rosatte et al. (2001). Emergency response to raccoon rabies introduction into Ontario. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 37(2), 265-279. Rosatte et al. (2007). Raccoon density and movements after population reduction to control rabies. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 71(7), 2373-2378. Palmer, William E., et al. "Effect of field borders and nest‐predator reduction on abundance of northern bobwhites." Wildlife Society Bulletin 33.4 (2005): 1398-1405. Rader et al. (2011). Simulating northern bobwhite population responses to nest predation, nesting habitat, and weather in South Texas. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 75(1), 61-70. Turner et al. (2024). Canopy reduction and fire seasonality effects on deer and turkey habitat in upland hardwoods. Forest Ecology and Management, 553, 121657. Wightman et al. (2023). Landscape characteristics and predation risk influence spatial variation in auditory courtship of an upland game bird. Landscape Ecology, 38(5), 1221-1236.   Dr. Marcus Lashley (@DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile) Dr. Will Gulsby (@dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile) Turkeys for Tomorrow (@turkeysfortomorrow)  UF DEER Lab (@ufdeerlab) (YouTube)   Watch these podcasts on YouTube:  Wild Turkey Science YouTube This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to  turkeysfortomorrow.org.  Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family.    Music by Artlist.io Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak  

When a section of the Big Hole River in southwest Montana ran dry in 1988, all eyes were on the future of one of the last remaining populations of arctic grayling in the lower 48. Out of the struggle, a collaboration emerged that change the future of the Big Hole - a future where human communities, wildlife and the ecosystems they depend on can thrive. And it might even serve as a model for how we can conserve species that are headed for the brink. Complete show notes are available at workingwild.us

Mark Hatfield, National Director of Science and Planning for NWTF, joins Marcus and Will to discuss how their organization has helped wild turkeys through research involvement, areas of focus throughout the decades, and ongoing programs and events.    Resources: Habitat for the Hatch Women in the Outdoors Wheelin’ Sportsman JAKES Program Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. Cocktails and Conversation (FB Live) 2024 NWTF Convention www.nwtf.org   Mark Hatfield X @TheBeardedBio IG @thebeardedbio   Please help us by taking our (QUICK) listener survey - Thank you! https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VR10xcKOMTvZH0   Dr. Marcus Lashley (@DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile) Dr. Will Gulsby (@dr_will_gulsby) (Academic Profile) Turkeys for Tomorrow (@turkeysfortomorrow)  UF DEER Lab (@ufdeerlab) (YouTube)   Watch these podcasts on YouTube: Wild Turkey Science YouTube   Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund  This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to turkeysfortomorrow.org.  Help us help turkeys by rating this podcast and sharing it with your friends and family.    Music by Artlist.io Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak