Survival and productivity of eastern wild turkey females in contrasting landscapes in Wisconsin

Abstract

Eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) have colonized the entire state of Wisconsin, USA since being successfully reintroduced in the 1970s. Recently, conservation groups have expressed concerns regarding habitat quantity and quality in association with population plateaus and declines in local abundance in some portions of the state. Estimates of survival and productivity are needed to identify the current population status and for drafting effective management plans. We evaluated female eastern wild turkey demographic parameters and the relationship of these parameters to landscape composition between townships that were forest-dominated and those that were primarily open (e.g., cropland, pasture) in southwest and west-central Wisconsin. We radiomarked 129 female eastern wild turkeys during a 2-year field study (2010–2012). Seasonal variation and landscape effects on survival were important components in our top models, which accounted for >98% of the relative support. Seasonal survival (±SE) was lowest during spring (15 Mar–18 Jul) across both landscapes (0.672 ± 0.039). The model-averaged estimate of annual (15 Mar–14 Mar) female survival across all study townships was 0.515 ± 0.035 and survival estimates were lower in forested landscapes (2010 = 0.450 ± 0.075, 2011 = 0.279 ± 0.094) than in open landscapes (2010 = 0.707 ± 0.053, 2011 = 0.651 ± 0.045). Predation accounted for 77.8% of all mortalities and was highest during spring; predator-related mortalities were more frequent in forested townships (P = 0.027). Nest survival was similar in forested landscapes () and open landscapes (). Additionally, we estimated apparent nesting success to be 0.256 ± 0.04 and it was not different between landscapes (P = 0.573). Poult survival was lower in forested landscapes compared to open landscapes at 4 weeks post-hatch (P = 0.008). Differences in eastern wild turkey population demographics may exist in separate local populations that are in close albeit different types of landscapes. Management of eastern wild turkeys that enhances female and poult survival during the nesting and brood-rearing periods can greatly influence population growth, particularly in forest-dominant landscapes. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.