Dr. Michael Chamberlain

It’s no secret across the US that wild turkeys are facing some big issues. Everyone has a theory on why many areas are seeing such a big drop in populations and successful nesting seasons. However, few are working as hard to figure out the real reasons as Dr. Mike Chamberlain.

A couple years ago, we invited Mike onto the DSD podcast to learn about the science behind bird behavior and we learned so much about his ongoing studies and how much they’ve discovered. Dr. Chamberlain, in conjunction with University of Georgia, and other organizations leads multiple research projects to band and gps wild turkeys in specific areas to help learn more about their daily activities, the challenges they face and population trends. At the banding sites, they also take blood samples to help identify genetic information of specific flocks and how they relate to other flocks on the same landscapes. Currently, studies are being conducted across several states (SC, GA, LA, TX, KY, and NE).

Along with these banding and genetic studies, they have also done a ton of research on gobble frequency and how that relates to hunting pressure and other factors. Utilizing remote, mounted sound recording devices, they can analyze and track the amount and frequency of gobbles throughout the year. The work that Dr. Mike Chamberlain, his students, and volunteers are doing is so important to the future of turkey hunting as state agencies across the US are restricting turkey hunting more and more due to population declines.

“Our Limited Series will now be a direct way for DSD and you to give back to the wildlife we all love. “

As turkey hunters, we are all indebted to the people that work tirelessly to help keep the wild turkey thriving across America. Because of this, DSD is excited to announce a new way that we are helping to give back to programs like these across the nation. Our Limited Series will now be a direct way for DSD and you to give back to the wildlife we all love. Going forward, 20% of the revenue generated from each Limited Series will go directly to a related cause and we couldn’t think of a better one to start off with than Dr. Mike Chamberlain’s ongoing projects around wild turkeys. To learn more about the DSD Limited Series, click here.

There is so much more to learn about the incredible work this team has done already, and we’re just giving a brief summary in this article. For more information about these projects, we will include a few links below.

Instagram: @theturkeydoc
DSD Podcast: Click Here
MeatEater Podcast: Click Here