Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Shrimp (Penaeus sp.) at 50 stations throughout Alabama's estuarine area are sampled utilizing 4.9-m otter trawls, a 15.2-m bag seine and 1.8-m beam plankton trawls to monitor abundance and growth. A monthly index is determined for postlarval and juvenile shrimp by species and used each year to estimate relative abundance. A model has been developed to predict the opening day of shrimping season as much as 6 weeks in advance using estimates of brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) growth. Daily mean numbers of shrimp per pound collected in samples are plotted against time for growth rate estimates.

Seasonal diets of cattle and lead deer (Odocoileus virginianus) using three subunits of a rotationally burned longleaf pine-bluestem (Pinus palustrisAndropogon spp.) pasture receiving moderate yearlong grazing are compared with lead deer diets from 3 similarly managed, ungrazed subunits. Considering all plant species, diet overlap averaged 44.3, 34.7, 21.5, and 8.0% during winter, spring, fall, and summer, respectively. Summer diets were largely complementary. On the average, deer selected 15.5% more browse on ungrazed sites during winter, but 7.3 and 7.8% more browse on grazed sites during spring and summer, respectively. Prescribed burning reduced diet overlap during spring.

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) forage was greatly increased in 2 loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations after they were control burned and commercially thinned at age 13 years. Forage averaged 26 kg/ha in August 1979 (age 12) before treatment and 326 kg/ha in August 1980 (age 13),1 growing season after treatment, and 429 kg/ha in August 1981 (age 14). Deer forage averaged 31 kg/ha in February 1981 and 52 kg/ha in February 1982, which exceeded the 4.5 kg/ha average in 12-year-old untreated plantations. A 46% decline of deer forage in 1 plantation and a 26% decline in the other plantation in May 1982 compared to May 1981 indicated that the peak in deer forage occurred in the second year after treatment. Most deer forage was forbs and vines with a small woody (browse) component.

Abomasal parasite counts (APC) were determined on 467 whitetailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) collected in summer and 436 deer collected in fall from 50 localities in the Southeast. APC values declined from summer to fall region-wide. Declines in APC values began on most areas in Mountain and Piedmont provinces by October and November, respectively; and in the Coastal Plain province declines in APC values began in November. These differences in the timing of declines in APC values precluded establishment of region-wide guidelines for interpretation of fall APC values. Since APC values did not decline until November in Coastal Plain and Piedmont provinces, the sampling period for APC studies can be extended into October in these provinces. Abomasal parasite counts performed in October or later in the Mountain province and in November or later in Piedmont and Coastal Plain provinces are lower than summer APC values and shoUld be interpreted with caution.

The relationship between abomasal parasitism and physical condition was studied in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Southeast. On both an individual animal and herd basis, the level of abomasal parasitism was inversely related to physical condition. Differences (P ≤ 0.05) in physical condition were noted among herds in each of 3 abomasal parasite count (APC) categories (namely, <500, 500-1,500, >1,500). The relationship between abomasal parasitism and herd physical condition was not cause and effect; rather, both parameters were reflective of the status of deer density relative to habitat carrying capacity. Present data verify that APC values are indicative of overall herd health. Instances in which APC data can be of particular value in deer management are discussed.

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) activity levels were estimated by track counts on 3 study sites in the Cross Timbers region of Oklahoma during 1978-79. An activity index (number of tracks/ day) was developed from repetitive readings of 100 track plots (1 X 3 m) per site. Significant differences (P < 0.05) in monthly activity levels were found. Within-month and between-month variability was influenced by land-use patterns, ambient temperature shifts, changes in food resource availability, and deer behavior patterns. A seasonal bimodal pattern was observed, with peaks during late spring and falI-early winter, while lowered activity was observed during early spring and summer.

Percent body fat was estimated from the Kidney Fat Index for 1,726 male, white-tailed deer from the Savannah River Plant in South Carolina for the years 1974 through 1978. There was a significant decrease in percent body fat from September through December in all animals ≥2.5 years. Percent fat in fawns increased significantly from September through December. Fat levels in 1.5-year-old animals did not show a general trend for either an increase or decrease from September through December. However, the lowest percent fats were consistently observed in November for all but the 0.5-year-old males: Percent body fat was significantly related to body weight, month of collection, and age of the male, but the multiple coefficient of determination was small for this relationship (R2 =0.09). The rapid change in fat levels in males during the breeding season indicates that caution must be exercised when using the kidney fat index as a management tool.

Femurs, mandibles, and kidneys with attached perirenal fat were collected from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in controlled and field studies to examine the use of fat indices for assessing nutritional status. Eleven fawns were fed formulated rations differing in energy content for 4 weeks. The kidney fat index (KFI) was significantly lower for fawns fed low energy (LE) diets compared to high energy (HE) diets. Femur marrow (FMF) and mandibular marrow fat (MMF) levels were unaffected by diet. In another experiment, 9 fawns were fed diets differing in energy and protein content for 13 weeks. In this experiment, all fat indices were lower in fawns on LE diets than on HE diets. Protein intake had no effect on the fat indices. Samples also were collected from 98 captive and wild deer to examine correlations among the fat indices. A significant correlation (r = 0.44) was observed between FMF and MMF.

Winter foods of the river otter (Lutra canadensis) in southern Louisiana were determined to gain an understanding of prey eaten by otters. Otters were taken by trappers in the salt marsh in southeastern Louisiana and freshwater swamp in the Atchafalaya Basin in southcentral Louisiana. Fishes were found in 83.3% of the digestive tracts from salt marsh and 83.0% of the tracts from the swamp area. Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) occurred in 19.8% of the digestive tracts from salt marsh and 3.8% of the tracts from the swamp area. Crayfishes (Procambarus sp.) were found in 34.% of the swamp area digestive tracts and 1.6% of the tracts from the salt marsh. Remains of mammals were found in 7.9% of the digestive tracts from salt marsh and 7.5% of the tracts from the swamp. Other foods of otters from salt marsh and their frequencies of occurrence were birds (2.4%), mollusks (1.6%) and shrimp (1.6%).

Lithium chloride aversive conditioning to reduce raccoon (Procyon lotor) predation of loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nests was tested under laboratory and field conditions. A total dosage of 1.0 g was determined to produce side effects (diarrhee and emesis) soon after ingestion, and the negative taste reaction to the drug was eliminated when a dosage level of 0.25 g/egg was administered. In separate phases of laboratory testing on 37 raccoons, an aversive conditioned response was observed in only a few individuals. During field testing, there was no significant difference (t = 1.11; P> .05) between the depredation rate on turtle nests before and after a 3-week period of LiCI treatment. Despite the administration of the drug at an undetectable dosage level with resultant physiological side effects, an effective psychological association of food with illness was not made by raccoons.

Food habits analyses were conducted on 264 diving ducks (7 species) from North and South Carolina during the 1970's. The Baltic clam (Macoma balthica) was the predominant food among canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) from the Pamlico River area, whereas sago pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus) predominated in birds from impoundments in North and South Carolina. Shoalgrass (Halodule beaudettei) formed 100% of the gullet food and 99% of the gizzard food in redheads (Aythya americana) from Pamlico Sound. Lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) in North Carolina had fed predominantly on mollusks (Mulinia lateralis and Rangia cuneata), whereas widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima) was the predominant food in birds from South Carolina. In North Carolina, ring-necked ducks (Aythya collaris) fed mainly on vegetation, and greater scaup (Aythya marila), bufflehead (Bucephala albeola), and ruddy ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis) fed mainly on Mulinia lateralis.

Estimates of ducks harvested by hunters from 1965 to 1975, as calculated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, were compared to corresponding estimates calculated by 33 State wildlife agencies. States were grouped into 4 categories according to survey methodology and the relative magnitude of Federal estimates to State estimates was calculated for each category and contrasts performed through analysis of variance on log transformed data. As a group, States where wildlife agencies made pre-season hunter contact produced harvest estimates that were not significantly different from Federal figures. State estimates calculated by the Southeastern Cooperative Fish and Game Statistics Project were significantly higher than Federal estimates, as were estimates from the remaining 2 groups of States where agencies did not make pre-season contact but either sampled or did not sample junior hunters.

Common moorhens (Gallinula chloropus), double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), and mottled ducks (Anas julvigula) were collected from phosphate-mine settling ponds and natural wetlands in north and central Florida between June and October 1981. Contents of esophagi, proventriculi, and stomachs were removed from 185 birds, identified, and measured by volumetric displacement. Aggregate percentages of food items in diets were compared between settling ponds and natural wetlands. Rank order of items in moorhen diets differed among the 2 habitats. Plant foods comprised at least 80% of moorhen diets on both habitats. Cormorants primarily consumed the same species of fish on settling ponds and natural areas. However, high numbers of mosquito fish (Gambusia afjinis) and small invertebrates were consumed on the settling ponds but not on the natural wetlands.

The food habits of common moorhens (Gallinula chloropus) and purple gallinules (Porphyrula martinica) on a north-central Florida lake were studied through monthly analysis of gizzard contents from May 1981 through April 1982. Common moorhens consumed an average volume of 93% plant and 7% animal food, whereas purple gallinules consumed an average volume of 71% plant and 29% animal food. The major foods of the common moorhen were leaves and stems of Hydrilla verticillata, seeds of Polygonum spp., and snails, Planorbella spp. The major foods of purple gallinules were seeds of Nuphar luteum and Polygonum spp. and insects of the family Chrysomelidae.

Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) nests were located on the Texas A&M University Campus from February-October 1981. Mortality differed between the various stages of the nesting cycle, and in different months within each stage. The number of days in which wind speed exceeded 27.6 km/h (15 kts) each month explained 34% of the variability (P =0.10) associated with total nesting mortality. Mean monthly temperature was positively correlated (P < 0.10) with mortality occurring during the 1st nestling week and negatively correlated during the 2nd week after hatching. Loss of nestlings was correlated (P < 0.05) with an index to blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) production and total monthly rainfall (P =0.10).

Seasonality of nesting by mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) in north-central Florida was investigated in 1979-80 by assessing changes in call (coo) counts, gonad size, nesting activity, and crop gland development. We assessed the incidence of nesting during the fall and possible impacts of hunting on dove productivity. Weekly call counts taken during this study indicated that incidence of cooing was highly variable; the highest levels of cooing occurred during February and March and they diminished as the spring and summer progressed. Very little cooing was recorded from October through December. Recrudescence of testes in adult males occurred in December, with some regression in size during September. Ovaries increased in size during February and March and diminished during August. Most adult ovaries appeared to be inactive in fall. Eggs and nests first appeared in late February of each year, peaked in both April and June, and were scarce by August and September.

Based on 162 European wild hogs (Sus scrota) collected from 1971 to 1973 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the male: female ratio was 52: 48 and the age composition consisted of 52% of the hogs being <12 months, 21% 12-26 months, and 27% >26 months of age. No sex difference in collection by trapping and shooting occurred (0.1

Stomachs from 36 hunter-harvested black bears were collected over a 5-year period from October through January in Baker and Columbia Counties, Florida. Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) was the most important item in the diet. Other important foods included black gum (Nyssa biflora), gallberry (Ilex glabra), yellow jackets (Vespula spp.), and armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus). The practice of winter burning may have artificially increased the importance of saw palmetto to bears in the study area.

Depredating black bears (Ursus americanus) were trapped and tagged at beeyards in an attempt to create aversion to those beeyards. Of the 9 bears trapped and released, only 1 bear was known to return to a beeyard during the study period. Electric fences were also shown to be effective for protecting beeyards from depredating bears. There was a 70% greater probability of bear damage among unfenced beeyards than among fenced beeyards. A combined, electric fence, trap-and-release program is described.

Dispersal of 54 restocked eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) was studied using radio telemetry on 2 different areas in east Texas from February 1979 through July 1981. Twenty-five turkeys dispersed farther than 5 km from the release site. The maximum distance recorded from the release site for the first year following release varied from 1.3 km to 11.9 km and averaged 4.6 km. Dispersal increased through the spring and summer following release, then did not further increase until the next spring. The mean annual dispersal area was 1,688 ha. For the entire study period, the population dispersal areas were 19,300 ha on I study area and 10,545 ha on the other.

Gizzard fat (GF), wing fat (WF), eviscerated body weight (BW) spleen weight, and thyroid weights were analyzed in 84 ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) to determine area, sex, and seasonal variations. Birds were collected from 2 study areas in the Texas Panhandle during 4 seasons. Area differences in major grain crops and food habits were not reflected in the nutritional indices examined. However, differences in pheasant densities between areas were detected. Gizzard fat and WF were greater in hens than in cocks. Highest values for GF and BW occurred in February; lowest values occurred in August. In May, a drastic decline in WF and GF occurred in cocks, and probably reflected reproductive/territorial activities. Spleen weights were greater in males than females, and were greater in August and November than in February. In juveniles, no differences between sexes in WF were detected, but GF was greater in hens than cocks.

Quail food plots established on regenerated pine sites in South Carolina were evaluated in relation to planting dates, seeding rates, and site preparation methods for pines. Stem count data indicated Piedmont food plot establishment should involve broadcasting a mixture of 0.14 kg of bicolor lespe. deza (Lespedeza bicolor) and 0.34 kg of Kobe lespedeza (Lespedeza striata) seeds per 0.04 ha plot in March on either disked or burned sites. Sandhill data indicated that broadcasting 0.14 kg of bicolor and 1.36 kg of Kobe seeds per 0.04 ha plot in March on disked soils would effectively establish food plots in that region.

Food plots for quail (Colinus virginianus) were established on 2 regenerated pine plantations in the Sandhills Region of South Carolina during 1976 and 1977. Bicolor (Lespedeza bicolor), Japonica (L. japonica), Thunberg (L. thunbergii), Kobe (L. striata), Korean (L. stipulaceae) lespedezas, and a reseeding variety of soybean (Glycine max) were evaluated along with various planting methods. The planting methods included combinations of broadcast seeding, dibbling seedlings, disking, inoculating seeds, covering seeds, and fertilizing. All plant materials tested were successfully established in persistent food plots except for reseeding soybean which failed to reestablish itself. A legume mixture of an annual and perenniallespedeza was recommended so that seed would be available to quail throughout the 5 to 7 years that newly regenerated pine stands could successfully support hunting. All planting techniques were successful in establishing food plots of the planted materials.

Home ranges and habitat preferences of radio-collared cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) on an intensive farm and a traditional farm were monitored during 1979-81 in eastern Wake County, North Carolina. On the traditional farm, mean home ranges of males (6.37 ha) were larger (P < 0.05) than those offemales (3.15 ha) . On the intensive farm, mean home ranges of males (2.60 ha) were not larger (P > 0.05) than those of females (2.11 ha). Home ranges of males on the traditional farm were larger (P <0.05) than those of males on the intensive farm; however, home ranges of females on the 2 farms were not different (P > 0.05). On both farms, rabbits preferred brush to woodlots with understories, woodlots with negligible understories, and edge, and preferred fields the least. These data indicate that habitat preferences did not change with agricultural practices. Diurnal and nocturnal habitat preferences were similar.

The effects of whole-tree harvesting upon white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) , snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) , and ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) were studied from 1978 through 1981 in southcentral West Virginia. Transect sampling by recording fecal pellets was conducted in mature forest and in clearcuts ranging from 0 to 8 years of age. Use of clearcuts created by whole-tree harvesting was compared to use of those created by conventional clearcutting. Deer used whole-tree clearcuts more than conventional clearcuts, but hare used conventional clearcuts more than whole-tree clear- cuts. Ruffed grouse data were too limited to indicate the influence of type or age of clearcut. Whole-tree harvest can be used to increase certain species of wildlife, but additional studies are needed to determine the long-range impacts.