The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is asking the public to report their wild turkey sightings this winter by participating in the 2025 Winter Turkey Flock Survey, which runs through March 31. Information about the status of wintering wild turkeys is important because severe weather and limited natural food supplies can present serious challenges for turkeys. It’s fun and easy to participate by visiting https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/wildlife-and-habitat/wild-turkeys-new-hampshire/turkey-surveys.

“A total of 323 flocks were reported from across the state during last winter’s Turkey Flock Survey, with 5,846 turkeys recorded and an average of 18 turkeys per flock,” said Dan Ellingwood, New Hampshire Fish and Game’s Turkey Project Leader. “That was a decrease from 2023 when a total of 835 flocks and 15,098 turkeys were reported. The decrease in sightings may have been the result of fewer birds drawn to backyard bird feeders because of limited snowfall leading to more accessible natural food sources in January and February last year. Additionally, a poor nesting season in the spring and summer of 2023 reduced overall turkey abundance heading into the winter of 2024.”

“As of March 3 this year, the Online Winter Flock Survey had generated an impressive 1,164 observations throughout the state,” said Ellingwood. “This is a significant increase in observation rates over last year, and we are grateful for the public’s continued participation. We are hoping to hear from more people before the end of March and counting on the data that this will provide”

“It’s been 50 years since turkeys were first reintroduced into New Hampshire and they have since become a valued species in the state,” said Ellingwood. This is reflected through the survey with 88% of participants responding favorably to seeing wild turkeys on the landscape. While people enjoy seeing wild turkeys, the observations shared through the online survey greatly add to the Department’s understanding of trends in abundance, distribution, and survival of turkeys through the winter months here in the Granite State.

The Department also continues to monitor the prevalence of two viruses that are present in the wild turkey population: avian pox and lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV). The public is asked to keep an eye out this winter for any turkeys displaying lesions or wart-like protuberances on their head or neck areas and to report these observations through the online survey.

To learn more about these viruses, visit https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/wildlife-and-habitat/wildlife-related-diseases/wild-turkey-viruses.

Wild turkey management and research is made possible by the federal Wildlife Restoration Program, which is funded by an excise tax on the sale of firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment.