Wild Turkey Nesting Ecology in the Lower Coastal Plain of South Carolina
A population of eastern wild turkeys {Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) was studied in the lower coastal plain of South Carolina to determine if intensively managed short-rotation pine plantations have a detrimental effect on reproductive success. Reproductive parameters including nesting chronology, nest success, hen success, clutch size, and hatchability were estimated from 50 radio-instrumented hens monitored during 1988-1990. Predation during nesting and brooding periods was the major cause of nest and adult hen losses (55%). However, illegal kills were as high (45%). Median dates for...
