Little is known about effects of selective harvesting on home range and habitat use of wild turkeys. Such knowledge is needed to develop sound wild turkey management plans. Thirty-two eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) hens were monitored by telemetry in Wetzel County, West Virginia, from 15 April to 18 August 1990-1992. Spring home range (N = 24) averaged 532 ha; hens (N = 6) nesting in selectively harvested habitats had significantly smaller (344 ha) home ranges than hens (N = 18) nesting in unharvested forest (609 ha) (P = 0.01). Summer home range averaged 631 ha with no significant difference {P = 0.59) between hens using unharvested (N — 11) or harvested (TV = 5) stands. Although hens nested in 5 habitat types in proportion to their availability, during nesting (15 April to hatching) and brood-rearing (hatching to 18 August), unharvested chestnut oak (Quercusprinus) and bottomland hardwood and nonforest habitats were used more than expected. Laying-incubation ranges had significantly higher (P = 0.01) average (± SD) percent understory cover in harvested (TV = 7) (59 ± 6.6%) than unharvested (N = 20) (36 ± 4.3%) areas. Percent herbaceous understory cover in broodrearing habitat was significantly higher (P = 0.01) in harvested (N = 6) (72 ± 1.9%) than unharvested (N = 12) (60 ± 2.1%) areas. Selective timber harvesting may have increased food availability and structural heterogeneity of understory vegetation, thus improving quality of wild turkey nesting and brood-rearing habitats.
