Turkeys are having more poults — or babies — than they did a few years ago, but reproduction is not much higher than 2020, according to an annual survey.
Missouri Department of Conservation's annual wild turkey brood survey found that the 2021 average production across the state was similar in 2020, but better than statewide production from 2016 to 2019.
The poult-to-hen ratio, referred to as PHR, is an index for turkey production. This year was 1.0, which was the same as the 2020 PHR, but 11 percent greater than the previous five years.
"However, when comparing the statewide PHR to the average turkey production observed over the last 10 and 20-years, production in 2021 was below the long-term average," according to a news release from MDC.