Impacts of feral hogs (Sus scrofa) on native plant and animal communities have increased as feral hogs have expanded in geographic range. Wildlife managers use a host of tactics to manage population growth of feral hogs, including recreational hunting with dogs. However, hunting with dogs can cause disturbance and behavioral changes to non-target species. We monitored 161 eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) over 147 days during 2014-2018 in South Carolina to evaluate turkey movement behaviors and range sizes before, during, and after spring feral hog-dog hunts. The average daily distance traveled per bird in the two-week period preceding hunting was 1940 m (SD = 899; range 158-10,048 m). Average dai- ly distances traveled decreased by 0.3% on days during hunts but increased 15.6% during the two-week period following hunts. Daily distance traveled decreased by 9% on hunted days compared to non-hunted days. Average distance between consecutive roost sites in the two-week period before hunt- ing was 512 m (SD = 483; range 0-3484 m), and increased 22% during hunts. During the two-week period following hunts, average distance between consecutive roost sites decreased 15%. We found no difference between range sizes of wild turkeys in the two-week period before compared to the two- week period after hunts. Our results showed movement response of wild turkeys to disturbance from feral hog-dog hunting was highly individualistic and may depend on the frequency of interactions individual turkeys have with dogs and hunters. Short duration, high intensity feral hog-dog hunts had limited impacts on wild turkey movement ecology.
