T. T. Fendley

Research conducted by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources indicated that populations of mink throughout South Carolina were declining or had become rare in areas of previous abundance. In September 1998, we initiated a 3-year study within the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge in Charleston County, South Carolina, to determine the feasibility of re-establishing a wild mink (Mustela vison) population in the northern coastal marshes of South Carolina. We captured 62 wild mink with dip nets, cast nets, and live traps from tidal marshes near Edisto and Daufuskie islands, South...

We captured 54 black bears (Ursus americanus) 91 times and equipped adult females with radio-transmitters in a managed forest in the mountains of South Carolina during the summers of 1991-1993 to determine population dynamics and female denning ecology. Ages of captured bears ranged from 1 to 10 years, averaging 3.3 + 0.3 (± 1 SE) for males and 3.7 ± 0.3 years for females. Litter size (N = 7, ˉx = 2.3), lactation rate (42.3 %), suspecting mean age at primiparity (4 years), and interbirth interval (2.2 years) were representative of a productive population and good-quality habitat. Eight...

The impact of raccoon (Procyon lotor) hunting with trained hounds on movement, daily use area, and harvest potential of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was studied on Westvaco Corporation's North Whitener Tract in Jasper County, South Carolina, in winter 1993-94 and 1994-95. Two groups (treatment and control) of radioinstrumented deer were selected from a larger group of radio-collared deer. Minimum daily total distance moved (MTD), 4 subsets of MTD, and daily use area were calculated and/or plotted from radio-locations during the 24-hour period before and the 24-hour period...

A better understanding of population dynamics leads to more informed wildlife management decisions. Investigations of mortality rates and their causes for maturing white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are lacking in the Coastal Plain of the Southeast. We captured 36 (18 male and 18 female) fawns with rocket nets and radio-collared them on Westvaco's North Whitener tract in Jasper County, South Carolina, from October through December 1992. We radio-tracked these deer during the 1993 calendar year to investigate mortality rates in a coastal area under a quality deer management program...

Thirteen radio equipped gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) were located by triangulation during 24-hour tracking periods on the Savannah River Site, Aiken, South Carolina, between 22 March 1985 and 24 May 1986. Diurnal and nocturnal habitat use was evaluated for each sex within seasonal (pup rearing N ~ 6, dispersal and mating N = 9, and denning N =1) and comprehensive (N = 13) home ranges. Proportional use of available habitats was not observed for 13 of 16 sex-temporal groupings (P < 0.05). Tests for relative use of 7 available habitat types demonstrated diurnal preference by both...

Nineteen gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) were equipped with radiotransmitter collars and located by triangulation on the Savannah River Site, Aiken, South Carolina, between 22 March 1985 and 24 May 1986. Telemetry locations (N = 3,(08) were used to estimate seasonal home range sizes (N = 23) and calculate minimum total distances (MTD) moved (N = 192). Seasonal home range sizes were not different between sexes or seasons (P > 0.05). Average seasonal home range sizes were 173 ha for males, 139 ha for females, and 158 ha for both sexes combined. MTDs were not different between sexes...

Gosling survival of a resident flock of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) was studied on a 2,750-ha reservoir in Fairfield County, South Carolina, in 1987. The brood-rearing season began in early April and ended in early June. A final count of all goslings on the reservoir 4 weeks after the last nest hatched yielded a gosling survival rate of 4.4%. Only 6 (15%) of 40 goslings from 10 broods equipped with radiotransmitters survived to 8 weeks of age. Gosling survival was estimated as 21.2% ± 0.15% (95% CL), using the Kaplan-Meier survival estimator that censors disappearances and 4.0% ± 0.04...

Fifty of > 1,000 landowners participating in the South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department (SCWMRD) wood duck (Aix sponsa) nest box program were selected at random to evaluate the program's effectiveness. We inspected 311 of 8,561 boxes bi-weekly throughout the 1987 nesting season. Most (95%) of the boxes allocated had been installed, and 82% of those installed were considered acceptable for use by wood ducks. Most (90%) cooperators had at least 1 nest start, and 69% of the available boxes were used. There were an average of 6.5 ducklings produced per available box....

Ten wood ducks (Aix sponsa) were radio-tracked during the wintering period on Steel Creek, Savannah River Plant, South Carolina. Home range size, daily movement and habitat use were determined from 1,140 radio-locations. Data collected during approximately 21 to 28 days of intensive radio-tracking were sufficient for delineating individual wintering wood duck home range size.. Males had significantly larger home ranges than females (42 ha vs 12 ha) and exhibited greater diurnal movements. Females made 0.5 to 3-day excursions (N = 10) to locations outside their home ranges throughout the...

A Statistical Analysis System (SAS) program has been developed for analysis of data gathered from radio-telemetry studies of animal movement. The program requires as input data from each observation (1) a pair of directional readings, one from each of 2 known reference points to an animal location, (2) animal identification number and (3) time of observation. From these inputs, x-y coordinates of each animal location are computed relative to a specified origin. A number of animal movement statistics are computed and displayed graphically. Boundary points for the home range (convex polygon...