SEAFWA Journal Volume 11, March 2024

Statement

The Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is composed of governmental fish and wildlife agencies in
the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and the territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands. The Southeastern Association is one of four such regional fish and wildlife associations. While the regional
associations are autonomous, they work very closely with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, of which
all southeastern states are also members. Only state wildlife agencies in the 15 southeastern states and territories are
members of the SEAFWA.
Its objectives are to protect the right of jurisdiction of the member states over their wildlife resources on public and
private lands; to carefully scrutinize state and federal wildlife legislation and regulations and to offer support or opposition
to legislative proposals or federal regulations in accordance with the best interests of the member states; to consult
with and make recommendations to the federal wildlife and public land agencies in order that federal management
programs and programs involving federal aid to member states shall be so conducted as to be in the best interests of the
member states; and to serve as a clearinghouse for the exchange of ideas concerning wildlife and fisheries management,
research techniques, wildlife law enforcement, hunting and outdoor safety, and information and educations programs.
The Association participates with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, other regional associations, other
governmental agencies and citizens’ organizations in pursuing mutual goals benefiting fish and wildlife resources;
maintains a variety of committees consisting of fish and wildlife professionals who explore and analyze a wide range
of issues and factors affecting fish and wildlife resources and makes recommendations as appropriate; sponsors cooperative
fish and wildlife programs among member states and other entities to address issues of mutual interest and to
benefit to fish and wildlife resources; provides effective, efficient and allied representation for member states regarding
natural resource matters, particularly for issues which are beyond the capability of one agency to address or which may
unduly tax the ability of individual states.
The Association’s annual meeting and conference is held every year, usually in October. The annual meeting and
conference are on a rotational basis with each state having its turn as host. Officers are elected at a spring meeting, usually
held in May, with the host state normally being that of the incoming President. These meetings promote exchanges
of ideas and philosophy between administrators and the professional fish and wildlife biologists, managers, enforcement,
information and education, and technical workers in related fields.
Organized March 14, 1938, at a meeting of state officials at Jacksonville, Florida, the Association has played a major
role in the evolution of state, regional and national conservation affairs. Its officers and member have included many of
the nation’s conservation leaders. The Clarence W. Watson Award is the most prestigious award given in the Southeast
and is presented annually to the career individual who, in the opinion of the Award Committee, has made the greatest
contribution to wildlife or fish conservation during the previous year or years.

Editors and officers

Managing Editor

Robert A. Gitzen, Ph.D.

College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment Auburn University, Alabama

Associate Editor—Fisheries

Steven M. Sammons, Ph.D.

School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences Auburn University, Alabama

Southern Division, American Fisheries Society

Associate Editors—Wildlife 

Daniel U. Greene, Ph.D. 

Environmental Research South Weyerhaeuser Company Columbus, Mississippi

Raymond B. Iglay, Ph.D.

Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Aquaculture Mississippi State University

SEAFWA Officers—2023

President—Robert H. Boyles, Director, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Vice President—Ryan Brown, Executive Director, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources

Secretary-Treasurer—Ted Will, Director, Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources

Past President— Eric Sutton, Executive Director, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

At-large Board Member—Charles (“Chuck”) Sykes, Director, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

At-large Board Member—Austin Booth, Director, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Executive Director—Ross Melinchuk

 

Association Web Site Address

www.SEAFWA.org
 

Acknowledgements

The Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is published annually. All manuscripts are subject to peer review by members of the Southeastern Section of the Wildlife Society, members of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society, and other relevant experts. The Association and the editorial office are indebted to these individuals for their valuable services.

Impact of Invasive Wild Pig on White-Tailed Deer and Eastern Wild Turkeys in Southwest Georgia

SEAFWA Journal Volume 11, March 2024

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are a highly destructive invasive species and reported to be present in 77% of counties in the southeastern U.S. Wild pigs may negatively affect white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; hereinafter, deer) and eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris; hereinafter, turkey) via competition over forage or exclusion from preferred areas. To explore effects of wild pigs on spatial distribution of these species within a mixed agriculture-forest landscape, we developed models predicting camera trap detections of deer and turkeys as a...

Nonbreeding Waterfowl Behavioral Response to Crewed and Uncrewed Aerial Surveys on Conservation Areas in Missouri

SEAFWA Journal Volume 11, March 2024

Monitoring waterfowl populations provides the basis for improving habitat quantity and quality, establishing harvest regulations, and ensuring sustainable waterfowl populations through appropriate management. Waterfowl biologists currently use a variety of population and habitat monitoring methods ranging from informal ground observations to low-level occupied aircraft surveys. Unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) may provide safer and more precise alternatives to traditional aerial survey techniques that are less disturbing to waterfowl, but there is limited information on how waterfowl in...

Rapid Yield Estimation Methods for Unharvested Rice Cultivated for Migrating and Wintering Waterfowl

SEAFWA Journal Volume 11, March 2024

Land managers in the southeastern United States cultivate rice (Oryza sativa) to provide calorie-dense forage for autumn-migrating and wintering waterfowl and other migratory birds. Conservation planners require accurate yield estimates for rice and other energy-rich croplands to parameterize bioenergetic models and support data-driven, adaptive resource management efforts. We developed a rapid method to efficiently estimate rice yield and quantified associated precision, accuracy, sampling time, and operating costs in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (n = 16 fields). We...

Lesser Prairie-Chicken Brood Ecology on the Southern High Plains of Texas

SEAFWA Journal Volume 11, March 2024

The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) has declined precipitously in abundance and currently occupies a substantially reduced portion of its historic range. Within the sand shinnery oak (Quercus havardii) prairies at the southwestern extent of the lesser prairie-chicken’s contemporary range, efforts to conserve the species have been constrained by limited information on how land management practices influence habitat quality, and subsequently, affect lesser prairie-chicken recruitment. From 2008–2011, we captured and radio-tagged hen lesser prairie-...

Travel Distance and Habitat Selection by Female Wild Turkeys on the First Day of Egg Laying

SEAFWA Journal Volume 11, March 2024

Nest site selection has a critical effect on nest success for eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris), yet the underlying drivers of nest site selection are often misrepresented in the literature. Early works typically focused on evaluating behavioral ecology of female wild turkeys before nest initiation, under the assumption that female wild turkeys sought out nest sites well in advance of nest initiation. However, recent work has clearly found no evidence of nest site search behavior before the day of nest initiation, thus increasing the need to focus evaluations...

Effects of COVID-19 on Wild Turkey Hunter Satisfaction and Behavior in Tennessee

SEAFWA Journal Volume 11, March 2024

Understanding hunter satisfaction and behavior under normal and abnormal situations is important for effective management of game species by state wildlife agencies. SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) created a global pandemic that coincided with the 2020 spring wild turkey hunting season. Concern was expressed by some wild turkey researchers and biologists that COVID-19 lockdown protocols could result in increased hunting effort and unsustainable harvests because of people having more free time. We assessed how COVID-19 and associated lockdown protocols affected hunter satisfaction and behavior during...

Changes in Hunter Behavior, Success, and Satisfaction in Relation to Wild Turkey Season Opening Dates and Season Length

SEAFWA Journal Volume 11, March 2024

Many states throughout the range of wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) have delayed their spring wild turkey hunting seasons to allow reproductively active males more time to breed before being harvested and to potentially increase population fecundity rates. Six states in the Southeast recently delayed their spring hunting season by 7 to 14 days. However, there are no published data indicating their previous season frameworks had a deleterious effect on wild turkey reproduction or that delaying the season increased fecundity. In addition to potentially affecting turkey...

Influence of Mowing and Herbicide Application on White-tailed Deer Use of Perennial Forage Plantings

SEAFWA Journal Volume 11, March 2024

Plantings of perennial and biennial forage, such as white clover (Trifolium repens), red clover (Trifolium pratense), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa), commonly are used by managers to increase nutritional resource availability for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Regular mowing and selective herbicide applications are two common practices used to maintain perennial plantings and reduce weed competition. However, there is little information available on how these management activities influence perennial forages or wildlife response. We evaluated...

What are Hunters Willing to Pay for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Management? A Comparison of Different Contingent Valuation Approaches

SEAFWA Journal Volume 11, March 2024

Wildlife management agencies in regions where chronic wasting disease (CWD) is prevalent have adopted costly management practices to mitigate the spread of this fatal and highly transmissible disease. Non-market valuation represents a critical tool for managers attempting to address these costs, but the mode and methods of contingent valuation (CV) questions can impact valuations due to biases inherent to self-reporting economic decisions. We administered online (n = 1430) and phone (n = 602) surveys in North Carolina and South Carolina to assess what hunters with licenses to hunt white-...

Urban Deer Management Status within the United States: A Synthesis of State Wildlife Agencies’ Urban Deer Management Resources

SEAFWA Journal Volume 11, March 2024

Across the U.S., the presence of white-tailed deer (deer; Odocoileus virginianus) in urban areas can create conflicts with residents (e.g., ornamental plant damage). State wildlife agencies approach urban deer management differently from traditional deer management due to diverse community groups, urban stakeholder viewpoints about deer, and other aspects of wildlife management in urban environments. With this variation in mind, we reviewed deer management resources across the U.S. to understand the current state of urban deer management. Of the 46 states with deer populations, 21...