David H. Austin

A heavily hunted turkey (Meleagris gal!opavo osceola) population was monitored by radio-tracking during 6 hunting seasons. In the sample of 125 radioinstrumented birds, there was no difference in the rate of harvest of turkeys that had been transplanted to the area and those that had been captured on the area, or between adults and juveniles or between males and females. Nearly all harvest in the sample occurred during the first week in the 3 hunting seasons that both sexes were legal game. Harvest was more evenly distributed throughout the 7-week-Iong season when only gobblers were legal...

Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo osceola) on a study area in Florida nested 1.4 miles from winter release sites and 1.2 miles from their late winter range. Net distance and direction of movement of 12 hens from winter range to nesting sites was only about 0.2 miles west. The hens usually roosted within one mile of their nests during the laying period (mean distance 0.8). Renesting was within one mile (mean 0.8) ofthe first nest. Two hens radio-tracked during the laying period used 100 to 200 acres daily and usually roosted 'ess than one mile from their nests. Laying was in late morning...

Techniques developed by trial and error in 23 years of field work with wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in Florida are described. Capture methods employing traps, cannon nets, and orally administered drugs are described only briefly because they have been adequately described in other papers. Methods and equipment for baiting, observing, handling, holding, banding, and releasing wild turkeys are discussed.

Since January 1965 approximately one hundred feral swine (Sus scrota) have been captured with alpha-chloralose on whole corn at bait Bites intended for wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo). A series of experiments on penned feral and domestic hogs was conducted to determine minimum and maximum dosages of alpha-chloralo~e and preferred baits for the safe capture of free-ranging hogs. A method to capture feral hogs with alpha-chloralose applied to baits is described. During the past several years feral hogs have become increasingly more important as game animals in Florida, especially on...

After two years of minor experimental use, the cannon net trap was made operational for routine turkey trepping in Florida. In 1963, 1964 and 1965, 1934 turkeys were captured with the equipment and procedures described in this paper. A list of major equipment, its current cost, and sources of supply are included.