The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is asking turkey hunters and others to help them get an accurate count on the number of birds roaming the woods in Iowa. Wildlife biologist Jim Coffey says they have made it easy for you to report what you see. He says they have an area on their website where you can go in and report turkey sightings in the months of July and August. The D-N-R has mailed survey cards to select turkey hunters who are asked to provide the date and county in which the turkey was seen, if it was an adult female or adult male, and whether there are young poults (baby turkeys). “That helps us gauge what we are going to predict for next year’s supply of turkeys,” Coffey says.

Coffey says the weather, available nesting areas and other things can all impact the number of turkeys who are born and survive each year. He says by seeing the number of young birds they can get an idea of what hunters can expect. There is a link to an online survey and survey card on the D-N-R’s website at www.iowadnr.gov.

(Radio Iowa)