How much do you know about the turkey “birds and the bees”? Test your turkey trivia with this quiz on the big game bird’s breeding behaviors.

Photo credit: Richard McCree.


Wild Turkey Reproduction Quiz

1. Which of these seasonal changes are the primary trigger for turkeys to begin breeding behavior in the spring?




2. True or False: If you hear toms gobbling and see them strutting in February, that means hens are already getting bred.



3. Most hunters know jakes can’t successfully breed hens. Is this because:




4. True or False: It’s opening day and you hunt a field with 3 longbeards and a couple hens. You harvest the most dominant gobbler. The hens will mate with the remaining adult birds right away.



5. You may have heard the term “predator swamping” when hunters and biologists talk about predator effects on young game animals. What does this term mean?





6. What is the percent chance that a given turkey nest will successfully produce at least one surviving (lives to day 28) poult?