FWC asks public to report wild turkey sightings

ENGLEWOOD — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is asking the public to be on the lookout for wild turkeys between now and Aug. 31.

The population includes hens, with or without poults, and bearded turkeys, according to a news release. A large portion of Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties make for good wild turkey habitats, according to the FWC's Wild Turkey Distribution Map.

"Our goal is to reach 5,000 observations by the end of August, and we’re about 80% of the way there," FWC Wild Turkey and Furbearer Management Program Coordinator Juliana Ofalt said in a news release. "This survey is important for determining wild turkey nesting success, poult survival, and population distribution and abundance, and is used to manage Florida’s wild turkey populations for future generations."

The 2023 Wild Turkey Summer Survey noted turkey sightings in 65 of 67 counties across Florida, totaling 20,595 wild turkeys.

"Florida’s annual summer wild turkey survey is part of a broader multi-state initiative aimed at better understanding the reproductive success and abundance of wild turkeys," the news release said. "This information is crucial for FWC biologists to manage and sustain healthy wild turkey populations for years to come."

Florida is home to two subspecies of wild turkey — the eastern wild turkey, known as meleagris gallopavo silvestris, and the Osceola or Florida wild turkey, meleagris gallopavo osceola, according to the FWC.

"The Florida wild turkey is best distinguished from the eastern subspecies, which it closely resembles, by the white barring on its wing feathers. On Florida wild turkeys, the white bars on the primary wing feathers are narrower than the black bars and are irregular or broken, which tends to give the wing an overall darker appearance compared to eastern wild turkeys," the FWC states on its website, myfwc.com.

The law enforcement arm of the FWC recently reported arresting four men in the area — three from Charlotte County and one from DeSoto County — who are accused of taking people on hunts for what they said were wild Osceola turkeys, but what were actually been domestic turkeys bred to resemble their wild cousins.

For more information or to report a sighting, visit

myfwc.com/hunting/turkey/.