Chamberlain and Wightman: Everything Turkey Seminar
Dr. Mike Chamberlain and Dr. Patrick Wightman, wild turkey researchers from the University of Georgia, led a Q&A seminar about everything turkey at the NWTF’s Convention and Sport Show, captivating audience members with their knowledge.
The seminar fielded questions about different wild turkey habitat management strategies for landowners. Chamberlain went into detail about effective strategies for maintaining ideal brood habitat.
Grasses, forbs and bare ground are important assets to maintain healthy habitats for poults. These areas have high insect diversity, which offers plenty of food diversity for young birds.
To test if habitat is effective, Chamberlain added that if you can lay down on your stomach and see around you, so can a poult.
The conversation shifted into other topics like clear-cutting, fire management suggestions, predation and using scientific research to set hunting season start dates. Research shows that heavy harvests too early in the breeding season will impact the health and success of wild turkey populations and breeding.
When it comes to season setting, both researchers were firm believers in trusting the 70 plus years and hundreds of research papers on the matter.
“If I gave you one singular research study, would you be willing to change your hunting lifestyle?” Chamberlain asked. “Or would you trust 70+ years of multiple studies on the breeding habits of this bird?”
As the seminar was winding down, the researchers offered attendees the opportunity to continue the conversation on the sport show floor at the Ask a Biologist Booth. Chamberlain added that, across the aisle from the Ask a Biologist Booth, the Woodhaven Custom Calls booth featured custom calls dedicated to The Austin Hunter Chamberlain Foundation. Proceeds honor Chamberlain’s son’s legacy by fostering opportunities for young adults to pursue their passion for the outdoors through mentored recreational and educational experiences.
