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, brought to you by Mossy Oak, serves as the definitive communication platform for science-driven information to benefit wild turkeys. By distributing content lead by Dr. Mike Chamberlain, the Wild Turkey Lab provides the most comprehensive collection of current research and meaningful historical works focused on wild turkeys.

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

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

Ferocity of Fights

This Turkey Tuesday is about the ferocity of fights that erupt between toms as spring approaches. Turkeys will posture to each other, strut, gobble, size each other up, and try

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Turkey Tuesday

Single Night, Multiple Roost Sites

This Turkey Tuesday is about an interesting behavior by wild turkeys – instances when a bird uses more than one roost site in a single night. Wild turkeys have exceptional

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Turkey Tuesday

Strong Foundation

This Turkey Tuesday is about a strong foundation – the foundation in this case being the legs and feet on which turkeys stand. Obviously, turkeys use their legs to walk

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Turkey Tuesday

Consistency

This Turkey Tuesday is about consistency – in this case an interesting behavior by hens. Research has shown that behaviors can be highly variable from bird to bird, I’ve posted

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Turkey Tuesday

Need For Speed

This Turkey Tuesday is about the need for speed – or perhaps the better saying is speed kills. As turkey hunters, we’ve all matched wits with birds that move little

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Turkey Tuesday

Eye On The Sky

This Turkey Tuesday is about the need for turkeys to keep an eye on the sky. Wild turkeys have keen vision that allows them to detect even slight movements around

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Turkey Tuesday

Agricultural Crops

This Turkey Tuesday is about the importance of agricultural crops to wild turkeys during fall and winter. Throughout much of their range, wild turkeys most rely on acorns as a

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Turkey Tuesday

Personalities

This Turkey Tuesday is about personalities – in this case, continued evidence that how toms behave can be highly variable from one bird to the next. In many species, research

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Turkey Tuesday

Fighting Jakes

This Turkey Tuesday is about turkeys fighting – in this case, within groups of jakes. The knockdown, drag out fights that we often think of when we think about turkeys

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Conservation

Dispersal, Who Does It, and When

This Turkey Tuesday is about dispersal, who does it, and when. Natal dispersal (when young birds leave their first home range) is not well understood in wild turkeys. In many

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Turkey Tuesday

Dusting and Molting

This Turkey Tuesday is about dusting and molting, 2 things that go hand-in-hand during late summer. Dusting is an activity all turkeys do, but late summer into early fall is

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