Hunters typically focus their scouting efforts on roosting areas, clearings, and routes connecting the two areas when looking for spring turkeys. This strategy makes sense because, at this time of year, gobblers are more concerned with showing off than with finding a meal. But turkeys have to eat, too, and paying attention to food sources can pay off.
Turkey hunters can benefit greatly from knowing what wild turkeys eat and why they eat particular foods at particular times of the year. From a management perspective, it can help us gauge the productivity of different habitats. And from a scouting perspective, it can help us pinpoint areas where birds are likely to congregate.
Wild turkeys are fascinating creatures, and they can be a welcome sight in backyards and natural areas These large birds play an important role in the ecosystem, and they can be a joy to watch as they strut and gobble
If you’re lucky enough to have wild turkeys visiting your property, you might be wondering what you can feed them. While they can eat a wide variety of things, there are certain foods that are particularly attractive to them. In this article, we’ll explore the top 5 wild turkey foods that you can use to attract these beautiful birds to your backyard.
The Top 5 Wild Turkey Foods
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Cracked Corn:Cracked corn is a classic wild turkey food, and for good reason It’s packed with protein and fiber, which are essential nutrients for turkeys Cracked corn is also relatively inexpensive and easy to find. You can purchase it in bulk at most feed stores.
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Seeds:
Seeds are another great source of nutrition for wild turkeys. Sunflower seeds, milo, and millet are all favorites. You can mix seeds with cracked corn to create a more diverse and appealing meal. -
Nuts:
Acorns are a natural favorite for wild turkeys, but they can be scarce in the winter. Beech and hickory nuts are a great alternative. However, it’s important to avoid using feeders for nuts, as turkeys can become territorial. Planting bushes and trees that bear nuts is the best way to attract them to your property. -
Crabapples:
Crabapples are another easy and inexpensive way to attract wild turkeys. They are high in sugar and provide a quick burst of energy. You can plant crabapple trees in your yard, or simply collect fallen crabapples from the ground. -
Leaves:
Now, you might be thinking, “Leaves? Why would I feed wild turkeys leaves?” Well, leaves are actually an important part of a wild turkey’s diet. They provide essential nutrients and help to keep the birds’ digestive systems healthy. You can simply leave piles of leaves in your yard, or you can mix them with other food sources, such as cracked corn or seeds.
Additional Tips for Feeding Wild Turkeys
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Spread the food out: When you’re feeding wild turkeys, it’s important to spread the food out over a wide area. This will help to ensure that all of the turkeys have a chance to eat, and it will also help to prevent them from becoming territorial.
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Don’t overfeed: It’s important to avoid overfeeding wild turkeys. Too much food can lead to health problems, such as obesity. A good rule of thumb is to provide about two large handfuls of food per turkey per day.
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Keep your feeders clean: If you’re using feeders, it’s important to keep them clean. This will help to prevent the spread of disease.
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Don’t use pesticides: Pesticides can be harmful to wild turkeys, so it’s important to avoid using them in areas where turkeys are feeding.
By following these tips, you can provide wild turkeys with the food they need to thrive. In return, you’ll be rewarded with the opportunity to watch these fascinating creatures up close.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the best time of day to feed wild turkeys?
The best time to feed wild turkeys is in the morning or evening. This is when they are most active and most likely to be looking for food. -
Can I feed wild turkeys human food?
It’s best to avoid feeding wild turkeys human food. Human food is not as nutritious as wild turkey food, and it can also be harmful to their health. -
What should I do if I see a sick or injured wild turkey?
If you see a sick or injured wild turkey, it’s important to contact your local wildlife rehabilitator. They will be able to provide the turkey with the care it needs.
Additional Resources
- National Wild Turkey Federation: https://www.nwtf.org/
- The Wild Turkey: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wild_Turkey/
How the Diets of Different Turkey Subspecies Vary by Region
A wild turkey’s wide-ranging diet is part of why the birds can be found in every U. S. state outside of Alaska. Furthermore, wild turkey flocks manage to survive in swamps, mountains, plains, and deserts, despite the perception held by many domestic turkey hunters that hardwood forests in the East represent the epicenter of turkey country. Here is a general breakdown of each subspecies and the major foods they tend to focus on.
Eastern turkeys are the largest and most abundant subspecies of wild turkey found in the U. S. They are found in every state east of the Mississippi River, where they feed primarily on hard mast like acorns and beechnuts, as well as native grass seeds and herbaceous plant flowers. As with the other subspecies, insects also play a valuable role in their diet.
A map showing the ranges of the different wild turkey subspecies. NWTF
Eastern turkeys in the Midwest are especially fond of waste grains and other agricultural food sources, including soy beans, corn, and wheat. A study conducted in Wisconsin looked at 100 hunter-harvested birds and found that the birds’ crops contained roughly twice as much waste grain (roughly 54 percent) as wild plants (roughly 27 percent).
Rios are native to the semi-arid southern Great Plains states, including Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Texas. They depend heavily on oaks, pecans, and other mast trees, along with insects and a variety of grasses. Researchers with Texas A&M found that a random group of Rio Grande turkeys in the state had a well-balanced diet consisting of “about 36 percent grasses, 29 percent insects, 19 percent mast, and 16 percent forbs.”
Hydration is also extremely important to Rios and other wild turkeys in arid states. Turkeys obtain the majority of their hydration from surface water sources like ponds and creeks, but they also consume succulent plants, which have a higher water content than other plants. For this reason, in environments such as deserts and scrublands, Rio Grande turkeys may rely heavily on prickly pears and other cacti for food.
A resident of the mountains and high plains in the Western U. S. , Merriam’s turkeys inhabit some hard-to-reach locales. They eat the cones and seedlings of ponderosa pines and other coniferous trees, though they prefer the nuts from hardwood trees.
Tender grass shoots and buds are other springtime favorites, and Merriam’s turkeys often feed exclusively on grasshoppers at certain times of the year, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Merriam’s turkeys living in cattle country will also concentrate on feedlots, scrounging for leftover alfalfa, barley, and other waste grains.
In a study conducted on Merriam’s turkeys in South Dakota’s Black Hills, the U.S. Fish and WIldlife Service found that “adult birds consumed 78 different kinds of food” throughout the year. But four main food groups dominated their crops: ponderosa pine seeds, bearberries (also known as manzanita), green grasses, and arthropods (mainly grasshoppers and beetles).
These vibrant turkeys, which are unique to Florida, thrive in the state’s interior marshes and wide-open fields. While birds in drylands tend to eat more grubs and acorns, swamp birds typically consume more frogs, salamanders, and other small amphibians. Favorite foods also include berries, wild grapes, ferns, and other plants.
Gould’s turkeys are the rarest of the five subspecies of wild turkeys, and they are restricted to the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico. (Their range also stretches south into Mexico. They eat a variety of grasses and cacti, sometimes with the addition of lizards, in a diet akin to that of Rio Grande turkeys. They also concentrate on piñon nuts and berries from the common scraggly juniper trees found in the Southwest.
What Types of Food Do Wild Turkeys Eat?
Wild turkeys are true omnivores. This means that, in addition to the occasional small mammal, reptile, or amphibian, they will consume almost anything they come across, including grasses, invertebrates, forbs, seeds, tubers, nuts, and fruits. Wild turkeys living in farm country will also seek out waste grain, chaff, and other agricultural leftovers.
A hen searches for bugs during the summertime in Florida.
Although the majority of a wild turkey’s yearly diet consists of plants, the birds’ primary source of protein comes from invertebrates, particularly grubs and insects. That means wild turkeys do eat pill bugs, grasshoppers, beetles, snails, caterpillars, and ticks.
Turkeys forage for these food sources throughout the day by scratching and pecking at the ground. Before being swallowed and digested, the food is held in the bird’s crop, an enlarged chamber in the esophagus.