Diefenbach D.R.,U.S. Geological Survey |
Casalena M.J.,Pennsylvania Game Commission |
Schiavone M.V.,NY Environmental Conservation |
Eriksen R.,National Wild Turkey Federation |
And 3 more authors.
Journal of Wildlife Management | Year: 2012
Spring harvest rates of male wild turkeys (Meleagris gallapavo) influence the number and proportion of adult males in the population and turkey population models have treated harvest as additive to other sources of mortality. Therefore, hunting regulations and their effect on spring harvest rates have direct implications for hunter satisfaction. We used tag recovery models to estimate survival rates, investigate spatial, temporal, and demographic variability in harvest rates, and assess how harvest rates may be related to management strategies and landscape characteristics. We banded 3,266 male wild turkeys throughout New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania during 2006-2009. We found little evidence that harvest rates varied by year or management zone. The proportion of the landscape that was forested within 6.5km of the capture location was negatively related to harvest rates; however, even though the proportion forested ranged from 0.008 to 0.96 across our study area, this corresponded to differences in harvest rates of only 2-5%. Annual survival was approximately twice as high for juveniles (S = 0.64- 0.87) as adults (S = 0.30- 0.41). In turn, spring harvest rates for adult turkeys were greater for adults (H = 0.35-0.39) than juveniles (H = 0.17- 0.27). We estimated the population of male turkeys in New York and Pennsylvania ranged from 104,000 to 132,000 in all years and ranged from 63,000 to 75,000 in Ohio. Because of greater harvest rates for adult males, the proportion of adult males in the population was less than in the harvest and ranged from 0.40 to 0.81 among all states and years. The high harvest rates observed for adults may be offset by greater recruitment of juveniles into the adult age class the following year such that these states can sustain high harvest rates yet still maintain a relative high proportion of adult males in the harvest and population. Copyright © 2011 The Wildlife Society.
Kolodzinski J.J.,University of Georgia |
Tannenbaum L.V.,U.S. Army |
Muller L.I.,University of Tennessee at Knoxville |
Osborn D.A.,University of Georgia |
And 4 more authors.
American Midland Naturalist | Year: 2010
Current research suggests that female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) will adopt sedentary breeding strategies in populations with an abundance of males and a more active mate-searching strategy in low-density or unbalanced herds. We used GPS collars to document the movements of 10 female deer during the breeding season at two Mid-Atlantic study sites that support high-density herds with nearly equal sex ratios. We calculated 95 and 50 seasonal and weekly kernel home ranges and the daily percentage of points located outside of the seasonal home range (SHR). Peaks in weekly home range size and in the percentage of points located outside of the SHR occurred between 7 Nov. and 9 Dec. (x ̄ 22 Nov.) for eight deer. Past data from one of the study sites have indicated that most breeding activity occurs from 525 Nov. Peaks in the percentage of points outside of the SHR corresponded to brief (x ̄ 24.0 h, sd 18.2 h; range 868 h) excursions. On peak days, 46100 (x ̄ 68.3, sd 17.1) of data points were located outside of the SHR. No other excursions were observed during the 17 wk study period. Our results suggest that female deer may travel outside of their home range during the breeding season even when presented with an abundance of potential mates; these data suggest females are engaging in a discrete form of mate selection. © 2010, American Midland Naturalist.
Crimmins S.M.,West Virginia University |
Crimmins S.M.,University of Wisconsin - Madison |
Edwards J.W.,West Virginia University |
Campbell T.A.,East Wildlife Foundation |
And 4 more authors.
Northeastern Naturalist | Year: 2015
Management strategies designed to reduce the negative impacts of overabundant Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) populations on forest regeneration may be influenced by changes in both population density and timber harvest. However, there is conflicting evidence as to how such changes in per capita resource availability influence home-range patterns. We compared home-range patterns of 33 female White-tailed Deer from a low-density population at a site with abundant browse to patterns of a sample of >100 females prior to a 75% reduction in population density and a doubling in timber harvest area. Home-range and core-area sizes were approximately 3 times larger than were found prior to population decline and timber harvest increase, consistent with predictions related to intraspecific competition. We also observed greater site fidelity than previously exhibited, although this may be an artifact of increased home-range sizes. Our results support previous research suggesting that White-tailed Deer home-range size is inversely related to population density and is driven, in part, by intraspecific competition for resources. Relationships among population density, resource availability, and home-range patterns among female White-tailed Deer appear to be complex and context specific.
Hughes T.W.,National Wild Turkey Federation |
Lee K.,National Wild Turkey Federation
International Journal of Environmental Studies | Year: 2015
The North American wild turkey was historically abundant in its ancestral range prior to European arrival on the continent. The dual factors of unregulated hunting and habitat loss reduced wild turkey populations to a fraction of their former abundance. Hunting organizations pushed for early legislation that paved the way for wild turkey conservation and restoration. First attempts at restoration were often based on release of pen-reared turkeys, and a great deal of time and money was spent on this unsuccessful approach. Advanced capture techniques allowed trap and transfer of wild turkeys to unoccupied habitat and began population restoration. With the aid of the hunter-founded National Wild Turkey Federation in 1986, a sophisticated system of state-to-state transfer was perfected. Aggressive trap and transfer programs over a thirty-year period restored wild turkeys in both the United States and Canada and by the early 2000s their numbers had recovered to near pre-colonial abundance. © 2015 National Wild Turkey Federation.
National Wild Turkey Federation | Date: 2012-10-16
Magazines featuring articles for the education and entertainment of those who support conservation of the wild turkey and preservation of a hunting heritage.
News Article | February 23, 2017
The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and the American Forest Foundation (AFF) have announced an exciting new partnership promoting well-managed and healthy family-owned forestland. The two organizations have established a memorandum of understanding that helps ensure well-managed forests for the benefit of wildlife and people who enjoy them. “AFF and NWTF share a strong commitment to promoting and maintaining the health of our forests,” said George Thornton, NWTF CEO. “This partnership will provide opportunities to strengthen our forests and the habitats they provide for wildlife, for sportsmen and for everyone to enjoy.” The agreement establishes a partnership for cooperation and collaboration to promote active, responsible forest management and stewardship of family forests, particularly in overlapping focal areas between the AFF and the NWTF. “Several recent studies have shown that one of the main reasons families own their land is to protect and improve wildlife habitat,” said Tom Martin, president and CEO of the AFF. “While some manage their land for wildlife habitat, a large percentage acknowledge they could be doing more. Through this partnership, our groups will work together to educate more family forest owners about the benefits of using sustainable forest management techniques on their land.” This MOU provides a framework for cooperation and collaboration to: When the National Wild Turkey Federation was founded in 1973, there were about 1.5 million wild turkeys in North America. After decades of work, that number hit an historic high of almost 7 million turkeys. To succeed, the NWTF stood behind science-based conservation and hunters’ rights. Thanks to the efforts of dedicated volunteers, professional staff and committed partners, the NWTF has facilitated the investment of $488 million in wildlife conservation and the preservation of North America’s hunting heritage. The NWTF has improved more than 17 million acres of wildlife habitat and introduce 100,000 people to the outdoors each year. The NWTF Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative is a charge that mobilizes science, fundraising and devoted volunteers to raise $1.2 billion to conserve and enhance more than 4 million acres of essential wildlife habitat, recruit at least 1.5 million hunters and open access to 500,000 acres for hunting. For more information, visit NWTF.org. American Forest Foundation is a private, non-profit organization that works to sustain family-owned forests to protect the clean water, wildlife habitat, and sustainable wood supplies we receive from them, and to educate the next generation on the importance of forests. AFF accomplishes its mission by engaging and supporting the nation’s 22 million family forest owners through programs including the American Tree Farm System®; supporting partners and local community organizations in their work with family forest owners; working with federal policy makers to fix and create national policies that support keeping forests as forests and support family forest owners in protecting and enhancing forest benefits; and building awareness among the next generation of Americans, including through programs like Project Learning Tree, about the importance of forests and the role of forests in providing clean water, wildlife habitat and sustainable wood supplies.