Population Ecology of the Eastern Wild Turkey in Northern Missouri

• Published in: Wildlife monographs 1995-10 (130), p.3-50
• Main Authors: Vangilder, Larry D., Kurzejeski, Eric W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural seasons; Animal nesting; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Fowling; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Harvesting seasons; Hens; Hunting seasons; Mortality; Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking; Population size; Poults; Turkeys
• ISSN: 0084-0173; 1938-5455

The success of eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) restoration programs in the Midwest has led to dramatic increases in occupied range. Habitats with limited forest land, once thought unsuitable for wild turkey, now support densities that exceed 30 birds/ km2 of timber. Turkey population growth has resulted in the liberalization of harvest regulations with corresponding increases in hunter numbers and turkey harvest. As pressures on the wild turkey resource escalate, so does the need for an enhanced understanding of population dynamics. We used radiotelemetry to investigate survival and reproduction of wild turkey hens from 1980 to 1989 in the mixed timber-agricultural region of north-central Missouri. We also used direct recovery rates of banded gobblers to examine spring harvest mortality. Radio-marked hens (n = 327) were monitored annually, ≥5 times/week, to derive estimates of cause-specific mortality, seasonal survival, and reproductive parameters. Band numbers from tagged gobblers (n = 134) were recorded at mandatory turkey check stations to estimate harvest mortality. Seasonal survival rates of hens were variable, with winter rates exhibiting the greatest range (0.625-1.00). Although daily survival rates did not differ among seasons (P = 0.142) according to analysis of variance, a model selection procedure indicated that seasons could not be combined. Cause-specific mortality varied among seasons within years, with predation being the major cause of mortality. Legal fall-harvest mortality averaged 4.4% of radio-marked hens. Illegal kill of hens during the spring gobbler season ranged from 0.0 to 30.0% and averaged 5.2%, exceeding legal fall harvest of hens in some years. During the first year after banding, 17.2% of adult gobblers were harvested during spring hunting season. The nesting rate (measured as the proportion of hens attempting to nest) was consistent and high (≥0.9) across years; however, hen success and nest success showed significant annual variation. hen success differed between adult and subadult hens as did the success of first nests. We observed no difference in the success of renests between age classes of hens. Most poult mortality occurred by 2-weeks posthatch; however, annual estimates varied among years. Poult mortality at 4-weeks posthatch ranged from 0.419 to 0.705. Across years, increasing poult mortality was associated (ρ = 0.75, P = 0.054) with the number of days in June that rainfall exceeded 2.54 cm. We