It’s Time to Count the Jakes and Hens, Turkey Fans of Connecticut

Do you spend your days wandering the fields of Connecticut searching for wild turkeys? Not the booze, the real deal. Well my friend, you have a purpose, from now until August 31, 2024, at the very least.

The State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Wildlife Division has put out a reminder on CT.Gov, and the Connecticut Fish and Wildlife social media pages, encouraging residents of Connecticut to participate in the CT DEEP Wild Turkey Brood Survey.

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It's not complicated, all you have to do is record and report back all of the hens, poults, toms, or jakes that you see. This information will be collected until August 31, 2024, and from there the CT DEEP biologists will crunch the numbers to help estimate the average number of turkey poults per hen, assess annual fluctuations in the turkey population, and calculate the all-important male-to-female ratio of our turkey population. What this information will do is allow our Environmental geniuses to gauge reproductive success, and evaluate recruitment of new birds into the population. Sound interesting? Start counting turkeys, and fill out this online form to report your sightings.

Turkeys aren't the only birds that the CT DEEP wants you to keep an eye on, we are also being asked to report any Ruffled Grouse sightings (Actual observations, or drumming activity), directly to william.cassidy@ct.gov, or 860-418-5961. Also, Banded Purple Martins and Chimney Swifts observations are welcome at this time. Every little thing you do can be a big help for our wildlife.