The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites landowners to learn how to manage their property to create nesting and brood-rearing habitat for eastern wild turkeys.

Workshops will cover turkey biology, desired nesting and brood-rearing habitat, state and federal cost share programs for land management, habitat management techniques, and field demonstrations. This is an outside event with lunch provided. Participants are asked to bring a lawn chair and wear appropriate clothing for the weather. Closed-toe shoes designed for walking are recommended.

Adult wild turkey males in Missouri are very large and dark with a bare, red and blue head, with red wattles on the throat and neck. They have long legs, and their feathers are bronzy and iridescent. Males, and some females have a tuft of hairlike feathers in the middle of their breast. Females are smaller and less iridescent. Turkeys are most famous for their gobbling calls, but they make other vocalizations as well.

Wild turkeys are most commonly found in mixed forests and grasslands statewide. Like other ground nesters, their reproductive success may be greatly reduced by extensive precipitation during nesting time. Successful management focuses on proper seasonal combinations of food, cover, and water.

Workshops are designed for participants of all ages. Registration for the first workshop can be done at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/46B.

The following workshops are scheduled:

• Saturday, June 1 – Northeast Region

• Saturday, June 15 – Ozark Region

• Saturday, June 22 – Southwest Region

• Saturday, June 29 – Kansas City Region

• Saturday, July 13 – Northwest Region

Questions can be directed to Meagan Duffee-Yates at Meagan.duffee-yates@mdc.mo.gov.