Welcome to the Wild Turkey Lab

We bring research to the real world through practical conversation.

Committed to creating the best access to the latest scientific research on wild turkeys and the landscapes they inhabit, the Wild Turkey Lab serves as the definitive communication platform for science-driven information to benefit wild turkeys. By distributing content led by Dr. Mike Chamberlain, the Wild Turkey Lab provides the most comprehensive collection of current research and meaningful historical works focused on wild turkeys.

Swamp Thunder - The Habitat of the Osceola

In this Tom Opre film, we explore the enigmatic world of the Osceola turkey and the singular habitats where it lives. Threatened by habitat loss, invasive species and urban sprawl, the future of this species and our ability to pursue it is in our hands.

Featured Content

Steven Rinella talks with Michael Chamberlain, Brody Henderson, Seth Morris, and Janis Putelis.

Topics discussed: Just how much is a unit of blood?; packin’ tourniquets; how Jani’s wife won’t give Steve weasel trapping permission; etymology; hunting turkeys with dogs; the kee-kee run; how many critters kill and eat turkeys?; the wild turkey Bermuda Triangle; more things that make a turkey gobble; mesomammals; lies your daddy told you about wildlife; song meters and gobbling data; some big turkeys get all of the love; will hunting go to hell?; having an incredible sense of place and a big home range; hatching into a social hierarchy; and more.

Latest Posts

Turkey Tuesday

Broods Rapidly Changing Behavior

After a 2-week hiatus so I could chase turkeys instead of post about them, this Turkey Tuesday is about broods and how their behavior changes rapidly as they age. With

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Turkey Tuesday

The Eyes of a Wild Turkey

This Turkey Tuesday is about a wild turkey’s eyes. Every turkey hunter knows that turkeys have keen vision, and that vision is the bird’s primary way of detecting danger. But

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Turkey Tuesday

Stumbling Onto Hens or Nests

This Turkey Tuesday is about something that can happen to us turkey hunters while out in the spring woods – we stumble onto a nest or a hen on a

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Turkey Tuesday

Plumage Variations

This Turkey Tuesday is about plumage variations, a topic that arises each turkey season as we encounter birds with abnormal feather colors. Wild turkeys have several color variations, those being

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Turkey Tuesday

Cranky Hens and Relationship Breakups

This Turkey Tuesday is about cranky hens and relationship breakups. With breeding season in full swing across the South, and right around the corner elsewhere, hens start distancing themselves from

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Articles

Understanding Wild Turkeys – Winter 2023

Nothing triggers a turkey hunter into fitful dreams and self-imposed sleep deprivation like bushy beards, lusty gobbles and limb-hanger spurs. However, some parts of a turkey’s anatomy—beaks, feet, legs and

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Turkey Tuesday

The Myth of Beard Rot

This Turkey Tuesday is about odd colored beards and the myth about beard rot. First, beard rot does not exist, there is no such condition in wild turkeys. Rather, the

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Turkey Tuesday

Predation From Great-Horned Owls

This Turkey Tuesday is about predation on adult wild turkeys – in this case, from great-horned owls. When you think about predators that kill adult wild turkeys, you often think

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Turkey Tuesday

Stunning Colors

This Turkey Tuesday is about the stunning array of colors and tones that toms display on their feathers. These brilliant colors are actually caused by light refracting off feathers, rather

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Turkey Tuesday

Lack of Latitudinal Variation

This Turkey Tuesday is about latitudinal variation, or lack thereof, in gobbling activity from one portion of a state to another. With breeding season about to be upon us in

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The Eyes of a Wild Turkey

This Turkey Tuesday is about a wild turkey’s eyes. Every turkey hunter knows that turkeys have keen vision, and that vision is the bird’s primary

Read More »