Super Hens: Do They Exist?
Research shows that some hens are much better than others at raising broods, perhaps calling into question the viability of fall either-sex seasons in areas with poor reproduction rates.
A fall flock of hens and their poults conjures many images. Some folks see the future. Others envision autumn opportunity. But recently, those pictures might seem a bit hazy.
As part of an attempt to halt recent turkey population declines, several states have restricted or eliminated fall seasons. It’s still unclear how those actions have affected turkey numbers in those areas, but recent research has introduced another consideration: Could even a small, controlled autumn harvest of hens potentially remove critical “super hens,” which raise most of the broods, thereby replenishing the turkey population?
First, the research.
Significant Studies
A recent study (Nelson et al. 2022) indicates that only about 25% of hens monitored hatched a nest, and only about 8% raised at least one poult 28 days post-hatch. Other research (Byrne et al. 2022) showed that if a hen raised a brood one year, it had a 63% probability of being successful the next year, versus only a 6% probability if it failed. The combined bottom line is that a few successful hens are responsible for much of the reproduction in turkey populations. And researchers have a good idea why.
From 2014 to 2019, a team at Tennessee Tech University evaluated patterns in the nest site selection of 387 turkeys and the consequences of selection on reproductive success across the Southeast. Researchers monitored 549 nest sites and found that the nest initiation date had the largest effect on daily nest survival rates. Hens with the earliest nest initiation date were about four times more likely to have a successful nest than females with the latest nest initiation dates.
“The most important predictor of nest success between nest timing and nest cover was timing, with earlier nests having the highest probability of survival,” said Patrick Wightman, a leading turkey researcher and assistant research scientist at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. “This confirms what historic literature for turkeys and other ground-nesting bird species has suggested, using the largest data set to date for Eastern wild turkeys.
“Timing is often tied to female hierarchy, where the most dominant hen will breed and nest first. There may also be a link to winter body condition and nest survival, with females in better condition coming out of winter more likely to be dominant, nest earlier and be better suited for nesting and protecting young.” Research has also noted differences in behavioral strategies for nesting and brood rearing.
“For example, some hens are more attentive to nests and broods, putting themselves at greater risk but likely increasing the chances of survival for their young,” Wightman said. “In contrast, some hens prioritize their survival over that of their young. Research has shown that females who take longer nest recess bouts while incubating have increased individual survival but also increased nest loss. It could be that certain females have behavioral traits that result in higher productivity.”
Landscape characteristics near the nest can also increase nest and brood survival. Wightman said research found that the number of patches (unique areas the female repeatedly visited during incubation recesses) a hen visits while off the nest increases the probability that the nest will hatch.
“Therefore, one could speculate that having a nest surrounded by quality habitat increases nest survival because the hen can leave the nest and forage in many different directions or patches,” he said. “However, if quality is limited and they use the same limited number of patches repeatedly, then they are more predictable for predators to key in on.”
In addition, the distance a hen must travel after her nest hatches to find quality brood-rearing habitat influences survival.
“The shorter the distance needed to travel from the nest to brood-rearing habitat, the higher the probability of poult survival,” Wightman said. “Therefore, having brood-rearing cover easily accessible across the landscape is imperative for recruitment.”
Super Hens and Fall Hunting
It might seem intuitive to view those studies and conclude that autumn hen harvest could remove valuable super hens from populations, thereby harming the overall population. However, the answer doesn’t seem as cut and dried.
“Increasing quality nest and brood-rearing cover by managing for early successional plant communities is, in my opinion, the most important management implication [of the research],” Wightman said. “Furthermore, I believe that not harvesting females may also help. Not harvesting females surely isn’t going to hurt the population; it can only help or have no impact at all. So, if I were observing population declines, I wouldn’t harvest females. However, that’s just my opinion, and if it’s legal and a person wants to, then they should.”
Of course, fall hunters might quickly point out that they don’t solely harvest hens and jennies. They also take jakes, gobblers entering their second spring (jake-and-a-halfs) and adult gobblers, and typically in limited numbers compared to spring harvests.
“Research suggests that harvesting under 6% of your female population will have no effect,” Wightman said. “Therefore, if female harvest is very low, it is likely not impactful. However, a dead hen is one that definitely can’t reproduce, and given how few hens actually successfully raise a brood, it’s something I personally wouldn’t do if I were managing a declining turkey population.”
Going Forward
In areas where fall hunting remains legal — and that’s still 40-plus states — hunters might have to make personal decisions. Of course, most autumn hunters would refrain from shooting hens if they believed the harvest might negatively affect the overall turkey population. So, in areas with healthy turkey numbers, fall hunters might feel secure that their limited hen harvest is sustainable. In other spots, hunters might choose to exercise trigger control, targeting only male turkeys in fall.
Research will likely shed more light on turkey population dynamics and potential solutions for recent declines. Until then, it’s safe to say hunters everywhere will continue pulling for super hens to boost turkey populations and keep hunting traditions thriving.
By the Numbers
25% Monitored hens that hatched a nest.
8% Monitored hens that raised at least one poult to or beyond 28 days.
63% Probability of a hen that raised a brood one year having success the next year.
6% Probability of a hen that failed to raise a brood one year having success the next year.
≤6% Estimated harvest