For a county where turkey hunting is as much a rite of spring as it is a pastime, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is asking Moore County residents to keep their eyes open one more month.

The agency’s 2026 wild turkey summer observation survey, open to the public since June, runs through August 31. TWRA is asking Tennesseans and visitors alike to report every wild turkey they see — gobblers, jakes, hens with poults, and hens without — through an online form.

“As we begin to wind down another summer, please remember to report your sightings of wild turkeys to TWRA via the annual summer turkey survey,” said Roger Shields, TWRA Wild Turkey Program Coordinator, in a statement. “Whether you see gobblers, jakes, hens with poults, or hens without poults, they are all important observations for the survey. So please take time to report any turkeys you see this month.”

The agency has set a goal of at least 30 observations from each of Tennessee’s 95 counties. Last summer, TWRA received reports from every county except Crockett.

TWRA official tell us there were just two reports from Moore County during the 2025 observation period — both from TWRA staff.

TWRA has conducted the survey annually since the 1980s, with public participation entering its fifth year. The data helps the agency track wild turkey reproduction and compare population trends year over year, which in turn informs hunting regulations.

Residents can report sightings by clicking here. First-time participants will find an explanation of why TWRA conducts the survey, an identification tutorial with a quiz, and links to the observation forms themselves.

TWRA’s past wild turkey status reports and survey summaries are available at tn.gov/twra, under the hunting and big game turkey section. •

About the Lynchburg Times: The Lynchburg Times is the only news source in Moore County owned and operated by a Lynchburg native. It’s also one of the few women-owned newspapers in the state. Our editor boasts 20 years of experience covering Lynchburg. Our readers, small business partners, and corporate underwriters support community journalism because they believe it still matters. If this story was valuable to you, consider becoming a supporter at lynchburgtimes.com.