Science in Conservation During War Times 65 
The above cases illustrate two types of action programs that 
are carried on by this Commission, which benefit wildlife as a 
whole. Sometimes it is also desirable to draw specific, state-wide 
management plans for single game species, or closely related 
^ groups of species. To illustrate the various stages in arriving at 
a management program for one game bird, I will present some 
of our findings on the wild turkey, which I have personally con- 
tributed to, and feel qualified to discuss. 
4 
A logical first step in the study of any species is a survey of 
its cun^ent status and population trend. Thus, in the winter of 
I 
1941-42 a state-wide census of the wild turkey population was 
undertaken, to determine the extent of occupied range in Mis- 
souri, and the number and distribution of birds. Altogether, 590 
flocks of turkeys were located, distributed through 30 counties, 
nearly all in the Ozark region. The number of birds in these 
flocks totalled 4,340. A backcheck 'on one sample area indicated 
approximately 85 per cent accuracy in the census method, which 
was reasonably good. In 1935 a similar though less detailed sur- 
vey had found only 3,585 turkeys in the state. This showed a 
20 per cent increase in turkeys during an eight-year period, 
which certainly was not great, but still encouraged us in the 
belief that the species could be restored. The figures also sub- 
stantiated our previous belief that the turkey population was still 
far too low to warrant an open shooting season, and the infor- 
mation was thereby of immediate use to the Conservation Com- 
mission in formulating its regulations. 
From this survey we were able to deduce other important 
points. In comparing the turkey map with the soils map of Mis- 
souri, we found a definite correlation between the distribution of 
turkeys and the occurrence of certain soil types within the Ozark 
region. The Clarksville Stony Loam, a thin but fairly well limed 
and fertile soil, supports four-fifths of the turkeys in the state. 
Practically all turkeys have disappeared from large blocks of 
timbered land in the eastern Ozarks, underlaid by granite and 
deficient in calcium and phosphorous. Conditions of protection, 
cover, water and amounts of food appear to be quite comparable 
in both types of woods; so the deficiency in the granite soil lies, 
presumably, in the quality of food produced. Thus we learn that 
the mere presence of a forest is no assurance that an area is good 
turkey range. The fertility of the soil underlying the forest may 
itself be a limiting factor. The conclusions reached in this case 
are being borne out by a more extensive, current survey of 
sample areas throughout the state ; in many other species,^ distri- 
bution and local density seem to be directly correlated with soil 
