David G. Krementz

The loss of historic ecosystem conditions has led forest managers to implement woodland and savanna ecosystem restoration on a landscape scale (≥10,000 ha) in the Ozark Plateau of Arkansas. Managers are attempting to restore and conserve these ecosystems through the reintroduction of disturbance, mainly short-rotation early-growing-season prescribed fire. Short-rotation early-growing season prescribed fire in the Ozarks typically occurs immediately before bud-break, through bud-break, and before leaf-out, and fire events occur on a three-to five-year interval. We examined short-rotation...

State wildlife management agencies use harvest regulations to manage white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) herds at sustainable levels while providing recreational opportunities for sportspersons. State agencies face increasing challenges when managing white-tailed deer because hunter expectations and satisfaction levels vary. Changes in harvest regulations that may influence hunter expectations and satisfaction should be evaluated by state agencies considering alternative management strategies. We conducted a mail survey of white-tailed deer hunters in Arkansas to evaluate opinions...

Populations of giant Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima) have been established in most of the lower 48 United States. However, establishment and spread of these populations has led to an increasing number of human-goose conflicts. Knowing the pattern of dispersal of these populations may be useful to wildlife managers interested in minimizing nuisance problems. Consequently, we analyzed band recovery data from six Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs) of four midwestern states to determine if there was a common pattern of dispersal among these populations. We used negative binomial...

We estimated breeding season survival rates and nest success for Bachman's Sparrows at the Savannah River Site, South Carolina, using radio telemetry. The 1995 breeding season (2 May-9 Aug) survival rate was 0.905 (95% C. I. 0.779-1.03) with 2 mortalities out of 20 individuals. The 1996 breeding season (10 May-25 Jul) survival rate was 0.882 (95% C. I. 0.729-1.04) with 2 mortalities out of 18 individuals. No significant differences in survival rates were detected between years, sexes, or habitat types. The overall breeding season survival rate was 0.893 (95% C. I. 0.794-0.992). Daily nest...

Prescribed winter burning is a common practice in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) to manage for red-cockaded woodpeckers (Picoides borealis). The effect of these burns on non-target animals is not well studied. Bachman's sparrows (Aimophila aestivalis) were captured in predominantly longleaf pine stands to be burned and not to be burned at Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge (CSNWR) and the Savannah River Site (SRS), South Carolina. Sparrows were marked with radio-transmitters and monitored daily. Before burning, daily movements did not differ among sites within or among study...

We attached radio transmitters to day-old American black duck (Anas rubripes) and mallard (A. platyrhynchos) ducklings and monitored duckling habitat use, brood movements, and survival rates for 30 days. Ducklings moved an average of 2.3 km within the first 24 hours and another 1.5 km thereafter. After the initial move, broods usually moved once more. No differences in initial movement distance, subsequent movement distance, or total number of movements were found between black duck and mallard broods. There was some evidence that broods in more human developed areas moved more than broods...