04/08/2026
🦃 🦃 🦃
This we're talking nesting!
A hen Wild Turkey lays 9–13 eggs over about two weeks, then incubates them for nearly 28 days - rarely ever leaving the nest.
Nest location is key. Hens often choose sites within about 30 meters of an opening like a road edge, trail, or food plot, giving poults quick access to good brood habitat after hatching. Nests are tucked into thick side cover - briars, grasses, or vines - with light overhead cover, allowing hens to stay hidden while still spotting predators.
Even with the right setup, the odds are tough.
• Only about 10–40% of nests successfully hatch
• Of those, roughly 25% of poults survive their first few weeks
But when they do hatch, it happens fast. Within 24 hours, poults are on their feet, following the hen and learning how to survive.
Every successful nest plays a major role in sustaining turkey populations. Next time you’re out this spring, remember - new life could be hidden just out of sight.
📸: Chris Hutchison
