Brood habitat use, reproduction and movement of recently restocked eastern wild turkeys in East Texas

Abstract

Habitat use, reproduction, and movement of recently restocked eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) were studied using radio telemetry on 2 different intensively managed pine forests in east Texas from June 1980 through July 1982. A total of 33 hens was monitored. Habitat at locations for 12 broods, 37 nests, 2 broodless hens, and 507 randomly located points was sampled using nested, circular plots. A maximum of 19 habitat attributes was sampled for each plot. Linear discriminant function analysis (DFA) was used to quantify habitat attributes for each comparison of plot groups. Results of DFA indicated that turkeys preferred pine-hardwood and bottomland hardwood forest types during fall and winter. Retention and enhancement of pine-hardwood and bottomland hardwood forest types was recommended. Individual broods used a wide variety of different habitats. Brood habitat was characterized as primarily pine forests, non-stocked to fully stocked, with low density tree midstory, and abundant herbaceous groundcover. A few broods primarily used forest openings and food plot areas. Management for brood habitat should be directed toward providing areas with abundant herbaceous ground vegetation, maintaining hardwoods along bottomland sites, thinning forest stands to maintain low and medium stocking, and prescribed burning pine stands. Turkeys nested in a wide variety of habitats. Several turkeys nested in 1-year-old clearcut areas. Habitat used for nesting was characterized as pine forests with low stocking rate and tree midstory density, and abundant herbaceous groundcover and shrubcover. Nesting habitat on forest lands can be provided by thinning forest stands, creating open areas by limited use of clearcutting or permanent openings, and enhancing abundance of shrubcover and groundcover. Seasonal ranges were significantly greater (P < 0.05) for hens that hatched poults than hens that were unsuccessful nesters. Average brood ranges were much greater in this study than other reported studies.