JW

The spring rains across the Midwest forced people from their homes and caused billions of dollars in damages by creating the worst flooding in 15 years.
The water that flowed over the Mississippi River levees closed factories, disrupted highway and rail travel, and covered prime crop land in America's Bread Basket region. It also flooded thousands of acres of wildlife habitat causing many to wonder about the flood's impact on wildlife populations.
The National Wild Turkey Federation recently sat down a few of its regional wildlife biologists to discuss how wild turkeys are affected when Mother Nature opens her skies and lets the water flow.
[ul][*]Will the spring floods in the Midwest affect current turkey populations? [/ul]




John Burk, NWTF regional biologist for Iowa and Missouri
"Direct flooding does not cause direct mortality in wild turkeys. The rainfall that caused the flooding can have a short-term affect on wild turkey reproduction, but it should be minimal.







Kent Adams, NWTF regional biologist for Illinois
"The real impact on nesting has more to do with the weather that brings on the flooding. The cooler, wet weather has more impact than the flooding itself. Cool, wet late spring and early summer affects turkey populations for a single year."





Dave Neu, NWTF regional biologist for Wisconsin
"They affected local areas as far as nesting goes this year. You might have a year or two where there's less jakes, but they will rebound. It didn't cover the entire landscape."







Dave Whittlesey, NWTF regional biologist for Iowa
"There's no doubt that some nests were flooded and abandoned by hens. However, we had had pretty good weather after the rains. We didn't have the cold temperatures that we sometimes get during the spring. That will help."
[ul][*]How will they survive? [/ul]
Adams
"Flooding, specifically, doesn't have that big of an overall impact other than some nests getting flooded out at the wrong time. The adult birds that were on the ground weren't affected by it. They could walk or fly and get out of the way of the floods."
[ul][*]Will they renest? [/ul]
Adams
"Turkeys do have the capability of renesting if their first attempt is ruined. Generally, it is a reduced clutch size and obviously those poults get a later start this summer. Renesting does occur, and it is just another way that nature has built in to guard against these sorts of natural disasters."
Neu
"Turkeys will renest once the ground dries out, or they will head to higher ground where it's dry with nesting cover. Evidence shows they will renest two or three times if conditions are favorable."
[ul][*]How will the potential agriculture crop losses hurt future wild turkey populations? [/ul]
Burk
"Turkeys typically do not rely on agriculture crops, though obviously they will benefit from waste grain when it's available. Turkeys eat such a wide variety of food that there are plenty of other options out there if the grain is not there. Turkey have enormous home ranges, and they're going to find where the food is most available."
Neu
"There are areas that were not flooded that are going to contain agriculture crops. It depends what comes back up in those fields when the water goes down. If the farmers plant some type of grain, such as wheat, there is still going to be some waste grain for food. If they leave them fallow, weeds and the associated insects can also be really a good source of food for turkeys."
Whittlesey
"Waste grain is a component of winter survival for wild turkeys. However, there is so much land in crop production in the state of Iowa that crop losses shouldn't have a real impact on turkeys. Wild turkeys are very adaptive and they will find a way to survive."
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wis_rifle_hunter

Our land got destroyed by the floods. We lost all our crops. We had about 50 acres of crop ground and 48 acres are left. The deer here are looking a little rough