Evaluating Wild Turkey Movement Ecology: An Example Using First-Passage Time Analysis

We used an innovative method called first-passage time analysis to make inferences about turkey movements.  We found that turkeys responded to habitat variables differently depending on the time of year, and that they were more likely to make localized movements during midday and in open areas.  Our findings suggested that researchers could take advantage of new methods to greatly improve our ability to understand why turkeys behave as they do, and how those behaviors could be used by managers to improve management decisions.