Summer 2026

DNR Review of Wild Turkey Season and Upcoming Survey Jim Coffey, Forest Wildlife Biologist Iowa DNR

in the past we used a postcard survey that people could record and mail back to us. This survey was expensive and time consuming. Now with modern technology the survey can be conducted online. People who see turkeys can go to the Iowa DNR turkey page and “Report Your Sighting” by clicking the “Report Your Sighting” button. Some very simple questions come up that allow you to input your data. This data is then compiled into agricultural regional zones and a production index is calculated. Most states use a similar system and this then allows us to compare national regional production data. So, I ask you to help with this survey by reporting your summer turkey sightings from July 1st through the end of August. There is some material on the DNR webpage to help you identify male, females and young so your data can be included properly. The only caveat is to only report a sighting once. If you see the same turkeys in the same field every morning while drinking coffee on the front porch do not report them every day,-only once. So, in my world turkey season is a year around undertaking. I love watching the seasons change and a new crop of turkeys appear. Harvest is a great byproduct that this renewable resource provides to us all. I hope you had great spring turkey season (if you hunted) and I thank you for helping count the next crop of turkeys. As always, if you have any questions about Iowa wildlife feel free to reach out by emailing me or better yet give me

With the spring 2026 wild turkey season ending it is time to do both some reflecting and some preparation. With just short o 14,000 birds reported through the mandatory reporting system this spring, 2026 finished as the lowest harvest since 2022. This does not mean it was a bad harvest, in fact it was more like a recent average. Wild turkey harvest can fluctuate from year to year based on several factors. Weather is probably one of the biggest factors that impacts harvest. Weather can impact not only turkey behavior but also hunter behavior. In general we had good hunting conditions throughout most of the season, al little warm early and pretty green late, but plenty of opportunity for people to get out and chase a bird. For the 4th year in a row birds were reported being harvested in all 99 counties. This is kind of a general benchmark on how things are going. Obviously not all counties have the same quality and quantity of wild turkey habitat across the State. Allamakee and Clayton counties are the perianal powerhouses, and there are more people on the eastern 1/3 of the State as well. This leads into the second phase of this article the preparations for next year. From a biologist stand point this means the 2026 wild turkey survey. The annual survey is our best indicator of how production faired during the current year. The number of turkeys harvested in 2026 is really a reflection of how production was in 2024. The two-year old males are the ones that really show up in the harvest. So how does the survey work,

a call and let’s talk wildlife. James.coffey@dnr.iowa.gov 515-979-8033

www.iowabowhunters.org

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