Wild turkeys are a major hunting species and conservation success in the US, with welfare considerations around hunting methods, lead ammunition, and habitat management for sustainable populations.
Wild turkey welfare in hunting management involves direct welfare considerations for hunted individuals and indirect effects on non-target scavengers. Head and neck shots with turkey-specific ammunition produce rapid death when accurate, but wounding rates with archery equipment are significant and cause prolonged suffering in escaped birds. Lead shot and bullets in carcasses cause secondary poisoning in eagles, vultures, and mammals that scavenge gut piles. Non-toxic ammunition alternatives perform equivalently to lead and eliminate this secondary welfare and toxicology risk. Habitat management through prescribed burning improves habitat quality and population condition welfare simultaneously.