Wild turkey range extends from New England to southern Canada to northern Florida and west to Texas, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota. Wild turkey have been observed in portions of the Duke Forest located in Alamance and Orange County. Ideal wild turkey habitat includes a contiguous forest tract of 5,000 acres or more, preferably a hardwood forest with grassy openings. Their range is wide variable depending on season, food supplies, and habitat type and quality. For example, birds may roam only a few hundred acres during one season or they may cover several thousand areas annually.
Wild turkeys are very adaptable to both habitat and range requirements, due in part to their diets.
Acorns are preferred, but they also feed on a wide array of mast, buds, fruits, grasses, seeds, insects, green vegetation, and small animals. Despite their size, wild turkeys are able to fly at speeds greater than 50-55 miles per hour. These calls vary with sex and age in pitch, tone quality, volume, and inflection. Although birds may life up to ten years, the average life span is less than two years. 26 Ludington, L., S. Hall, and H. Wiley.