Wild turkeys need a variety of habitats in order to survive and to thrive. According to Baumann, the best turkey conditions consist of a mixture of mature mast-producing hardwoods and pines with relatively open understories mixed with numerous 1- to 5-acre weedy, grassy openings. Ideally, these openings should constitute at least 5 percent and up to 40 percent of the habitat.

Turkeys rely heavily on natural hard and soft mast crops such as acorns, beechnuts, dogwood fruit, blackberries, black gum fruit, sweetgum seeds and pine seeds. Bugs are also a big part of a turkey's diet, with grasshoppers and beetles constituting a large part of the birds' food intake.

"Turkeys have an extremely varied diet. If they can catch it and put it in their mouths, they'll probably eat it," Baumann noted.

The birds rely heavily on hardwood mast and greenery in the winter and need openings in the spring and summer for strutting, mating and raising their broods. Turkeys use forested areas to protect themselves from inclement weather, and for nighttime roosting areas.

"One habitat type is not enough," stated Baumann. "They need a combination of the forests and open areas to prosper."

Many of these management activities are funded through the Pittman-Robertson Act. Passed in 1937, the act placed an excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition sales. Money raised from this tax is returned to each state annually for wildlife management activities. It's a hunter-funded program that helps fund wildlife management activities aimed at improving habitat and maintaining populations of game animals.

The National Wild Turkey Federation also provides major funding for turkey management. All local NWTF chapters contribute to one "Superfund" account. Any agency in charge of managing public hunting lands can apply for funding to purchase equipment, seed, fertilizer and other items that can be used to improve or maintain turkey populations in Georgia. According to Baumann, the NWTF has contributed more than $3 million to the state of Georgia alone since 1987.

Recently, the NWTF contributed $17,000 to support the WRD's annual wild turkey surveys. The brood survey measures wild turkey reproduction rates, while the harvest survey estimates how many gobblers were taken during the previous season and how many will be available the next season. Both of these surveys are extremely useful tools for biologists tracking population growth, predicting success rates for the upcoming season and pinpointing areas whose lower turkey populations indicate that they need added attention.

Besides public land management, WRD biologists provide technical assistance to farmers, hunters and other landowners wishing to improve turkey habitat on private lands. At the request of landowners, the biologists will come out to your property and draw up a management plan.

"A lot of landowners don't realize we're here to help them free of charge," Baumann explained. "It's something they ought to take advantage of!"

When it comes to turkey season, one factor is totally out of the managers' control: rainfall. Spring and summer weather patterns are major influences on the turkey population.