Arkansas Game and Fish asks for public’s help in reporting turkey, quail sightings

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas Game and Fish Commission biologists are asking for the public’s help reporting turkeys and quail as the state enters a critical season for the birds.

AGFC officials said the period from June 1 to Aug. 31 is critical for observing turkey hens with poults and quail hens with chicks. Observers can log their sightings on the websites AGFC.com/TurkeySurveys or AGFC.com/QauilSurveys or by downloading and using the Survey123 app.

AGFC turkey program coordinator Davi Moscicki said biologists would combine publicly provided information with other survey methods to get a better picture of the number of birds and reproduction success. The addition of the public was a recent development, he said.

“These surveys have been going for more than 30 years using wildlife biologists and other professional staff, but the AGFC opened up participation to the general public about 5 years ago,” Moscicki said.

Officials said that during the last five years, quail and turkey have shown larger broods, which they attributed to dry weather during nesting periods and targeted habitat work by AGFC.

“Turkey reproduction, as well as quail reproduction, are heavily influenced by weather and some factors outside of the AGFC’s control, but we can definitely hedge our bets even in bad years by supplying the birds with the right habitat,” Moscicki said. “When the right habitat is available and those other factors come together, populations can see recovery relatively quickly.”

AGFC Quail Program coordinator Clint Johnson said the public participation in the survey also allows the agency to identify new areas where populations may be rebounding.

Additional information on AGFC turkey and quail management is available at AGFC.com/Turkey and AGFC.com/Quail.

from KARK https://ift.tt/ZGme309