Wild turkeys are one of the great conservation success stories of North American wildlife management, rebounding from near-extinction to abundant populations — but hunting management and disease present ongoing welfare challenges.
Wild turkey welfare is primarily shaped by hunting management quality and disease pressure. Well-managed turkey hunting with appropriate weapons and skills produces clean kills; poor practice results in wounded birds. Disease management through monitoring and habitat quality improvement are the primary welfare interventions for non-hunting mortality. The conservation success of wild turkeys demonstrates that game species management, when well-funded and evidence-based, can achieve genuine population welfare outcomes.