Reprinted from JOURNAL OF FORESTRY Vol. 41, No. 6, June, 1943 The 1942 Status of Wild Turkeys in Missouri A. Starker Leopold¹ and Paul D. Dalke² A recent inventory of wild turkeys in Missouri shows a population of 4,340 birds in 31 counties in the Ozark region. Their occurrence seems to be materially influenced by soil and topography, with the heaviest concentrations on shallow-soiled “balds” on Clarksville stony loam. Protection from hunting and other disturbance by man ranks high among the requirements for management. In general the native wild strain appears to be more productive than any of the hybrid game-farm strains. THIS report presents the findings of a statewide turkey inventory conducted jointly by the Missouri Conservation Commission and the Missouri Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit³ between January 1 and April 15, 1942, for the purpose of obtaining more accurate and up-to-date information on the number and distribution of wild turkeys in the state than that provided by the Bennitt and Nagel game survey of 1934-1935 (1). METHODS The basic principle involved in the census was to obtain estimates of local turkey populations from resident farmers, hunters, country storekeepers, and game protective officers. This method is applicable in Missouri because: (1) the turkey is a large and conspicuous game bird in which practically everyone takes an interest; (2) it habitually forms fairly stable winter flocks which localize their activities on well-defined winter territories; (3) its population density is rarely such as to cause confusion in identifying individual flocks; (4) the Ozark hill people live in practically every hollow and corner of the turkey range, and through their many activities have opportunity to know the local turkey flocks. Few other game species meet these specifications. The field procedure in general followed that used by Mosby in Virginia (10), but involved more detailed cross-checking of individual flocks. An investigator first obtained from each local conservation agent all available information concerning the distribution of turkeys in the county, together with a list of reliable observers in each locality. Data regarding individual flocks were entered on county highway maps. Similar county-wide records were obtained from ¹Field biologist, Federal Aid to Wildlife Program, Missouri Conservation Commission, West Plains, Mo. ²Associate biologist, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Missouri Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Columbia, Mo. ³Missouri Conservation Commission, American Wildlife Institute, University of Missouri, and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, cooperating. forest rangers, refuge managers, and others with extensive knowledge of local game conditions. These initial steps often resulted in roughly locating half or more of the birds in a county. Then the more detailed field inventory began. Interviews with residents of a given locality were pursued until each flock had been located and its size established by at least three individual reports, preferably obtained from observers on opposite sides of the flock territory. Often these figures agreed almost to a bird. When discrepancies occurred, the judgment of the investigator was used in determining the probable flock size. Sometimes eight or ten farmers had to be interviewed before a conclusion could be reached as to the number of turkeys in one small area. Many slight errors were undoubtedly made, but these would generally tend to compensate in a large area such as a county. Some difficulty was experienced in getting certain individuals to tell freely what they knew. This was particularly true of the poaching fraternity, who were suspicious of close questioning on the subject of turkeys. A few offered deliberate untruths, but these were quickly detected by the system of cross-checking reports of each flock. In general, good cooperation was received from local people. Before leaving a locality, the investigator recorded on the map the approximate range and number of birds for each flock. Areas where no turkeys were found were so marked or left blank. A test was made of the accuracy of the inventory on a sample of 220 square miles around Carman Springs Refuge in northwestern Howell County. After the inventory of Howell County had been completed, a new refuge patrolman made an independent investigation of the local turkey population by means of field observation, interviews with all residents, track counts, gobbling counts (in April), and other available methods. Three months were devoted to censusing this area, previously covered in four days by the standard inventory method. Whereas 428