Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

A network of cooperating taxidermists provided liver samples for phenotypic determination and scale samples for age and growth analysis of trophy largemouth bass (≥3.6 kg). This network provided data not available through standardized sampling methods. Two hundred fifty-one samples were received from 34 lakes over a 6-year period. Ninety-three percent of these bass contained Florida largemouth bass alleles. Florida largemouth bass and Fl hybrids were generally longer and heavier than northern largemouth bass or Fx phenotypes. Florida largemouth bass had significantly faster mean growth rates than other phenotypes. This study showed that stocking Florida largemouth bass into newly constructed lakes, continuous stockings into known trophy bass lakes, and protection of bass to trophy sizes with restrictive creel and length limit regulations may be necessary management practices to produce, enhance and maintain trophy bass fisheries in Oklahoma.

A 305-406 mm protective slot and 4 fish daily creel limit, allowing harvest of 2 fish <305 mm, was placed on largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in Lake Sutton during July 1989. The purpose of the regulation was to protect slot length bass and increase the angler catch rate for bass >400 mm. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the regulation's effectiveness by comparing size distributions, PSD and RSD40 of fish captured by electrofishing and anglers, as well as angler catch rates of bass >400 mm, before and after the regulation change. Daytime spring shoreline electrofishing was conducted annually between 1988 and 1992. An angler diary program spanned 1986 to 1992. Post-regulation PSD and RSD40 values of largemouth bass captured by electrofishing were significantly greater than 1988 and 1989 values. Length of angler caught bass also increased after the regulation change.

The minimum length limit for smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu in Meredith Reservoir, Texas, was increased from 254- to 305-mm TL in 1986 and to 356 mm TL in 1988. Population assessments indicated these limits contributed to an abundance of 178- to 280-mm bass which displayed low condition indices and slow growth. Angler catch rates of smallmouth bass increased but harvest rates and yield decreased following implementation of length limits. A 305- to 381-mm slot length limit was recommended to improve population structure and increase growth, condition, and harvest.

Changes in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and forage populations were analyzed in Lake Fuqua, Oklahoma, following its designation as a Trophy Bass Lake. A 356-558 mm slot limit for bass was established in 1990 after anglers reported catching many large bass, including a state record. The electrofishing catch-per-hour (C/f) of bass >355 mm in 1993 (C/f = 24) was significantly higher than in 1989 (C/f = 7). The abundance of bass >508 mm also increased significantly from 1989 (C/f = 1.4) to 1993 (C/f = 5.0). The electrofishing C/f of trophy bass (>558 mm) did not change. Relative weight values declined for bass in the slot range and gizzard shad {Dorosoma cepedianum) became rare by 1993. A recommendation was made to raise the slot range (to 406-585 mm) to allow harvest of abundant bass and further protect potential trophies. Certified Florida bass (M. s.

The effects of a slot length limit of 381-533 mm and a daily bag limit of 3 fish on largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) catch and harvest, abundance, and size structure in Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Texas, a newly-opened heated impoundment, were monitored for 3 years, 1985-1988. Randomized creel surveys conducted from March through May each year were used to evaluate angler catch and harvest. Spring and fall electrofishing provided abundance and population structure data. Initial overharvest did not occur because 94% of all largemouth bass caught during the first 5 days of angling were protected from harvest by the restrictive limit. Total spring and fall electrofishing CPUE (catch per hour) increased from 1985 to 1988. CPUE increased for most length groups below and within the slot. The proportion of slot-length largemouth bass did not change after angling commenced although CPUE increased.

A 1993 hunt for Canada geese (Branta canadensis) on 15,390-ha Lake Sidney Lanier, near Atlanta, was the most controversial hunting event to date in Georgia. The hunt was proposed principally as an effort to reduce nuisance problems from a goose flock numbering 1,500-2,000 birds. Media and public attention was intense for several months preceding the hunt with at least 29 articles published in both local and statewide newspapers. Media attention peaked on the first day of the hunt with 4 television stations, 2 newspapers, and 1 radio station covering the hunt on site. Special regulations that limited the number of hunters and that designated specific sites at least 305 m from human development were devised to satisfy safety concerns of the public. Intense enforcement patrols were successfully used to prevent problems during the hunts.

The southeastern United States is home to numerous species of endemic reptiles. The public's desire to possess reptiles, especially turtles, has increased substantially in recent years, perhaps because of the "ninja turtle craze." A new lucrative interstate and international market for the sale of "pet" turtles has developed. Loss of suitable habitats combined with commercialization have depleted populations of several species resulting in their being listed as threatened or endangered or otherwise being legally protected. Rareness of a species increases market demand. Covert investigators with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Game and Fish Division and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service infiltrated operations in the turtle trade in Alabama and Louisiana. After 12 months of work, targeted suspects were identified and prosecuted.

English wildlife law has been well documented for over 1,500 years. Since the Middle Ages the English have tried implementing, at one time or another, almost every law that could be imagined for the taking and harvesting of wildlife. The penalty for violations of these laws have ranged from a fine, prison, mutilation, transportation, to even death. Despite all these laws and draconian punishments, poaching still persisted. Before we propose or try to change any of our current laws, we should review the past and see if this new law or change has failed or worked earlier. Let us ask the question each time we propose a change, "Are we trying to reinvent the wheel?"

Wildlife conservation is an extremely complex matter. Not only must the different species be managed but also their habitat. Any factor that impacts the habitat is of concern to the wildlife manager. Man's activities are key factors in the destruction and loss of habitat. The bulldozing of habitat to make way for new buildings and factories creates by-products that endanger not only wildlife and their habitats but also people. These by-products are wastes and other pollutants. As a component of natural resources management, the Law Enforcement Section of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources must concern itself with violations of environmental laws.

The utilization of paintball scenarios is a viable part of any department's ongoing advanced firearms training program. They isolate potential tactical problems, allowing the firearms instructor to concentrate his efforts in these areas during regular live fire exercises. Most importantly, paintball training gives the individual officer much needed, and henceforth unavailable feedback from a living, breathing target.

In 1989, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon. The mission of the laboratory is to provide forensic support to law enforcement investigations at the federal, state, and international levels. The primary difficulty is that commonly accepted species-defining characteristics are often not present on wildlife parts and products seized by wildlife law enforcement officers and submitted to the lab as evidence. Thus one of the primary goals of the lab is to research, develop, and verify new species-defining characteristics that will enable the lab staff to make positive species-source identifications of the submitted evidence and to testify to those identifications in a court of law.

A coalition of natural resource agencies and private interests in Tennessee is currently enhancing a statewide network of conservation lands and developing a supportive public constituency by creating and promoting watchable wildlife opportunities. This program addresses the national and statewide trends for growing public interest in viewing and photographing wildlife and native plants. In Tennessee, program development has been underway for 12 years. Components are similar to those of the National Watchable Wildlife Program (recreation, education, and conservation) although the element of emphasis may vary from site to site. Goals for the future include improved linkage of both tourist and resident expenditures with conservation programs and local economies; ongoing linkage with Project CENTS (an award-winning statewide conservation education program); and support for the existing statewide Biodiversity Program based on results of an ongoing statewide GAP analysis.

A 1992 survey of Tennessee anglers was used to determine who is fishing and how often, the species they fish for, and how anglers perceive the regulatory structure. The results are based on telephone interviews with 450 active licensed anglers. Nearly 81% of the anglers visited a Tennessee reservoir in 1992, while 41% fished warm water streams, 28% farm ponds, and 22% trout streams. Over 60% preferred separate regulations for reservoirs. Active reservoir fishermen were more likely to support individual regulations. The participants were evenly split on whether a proposed regulation which has public support should be imposed even if the management agency does not feel the fishery would benefit. Eighty percent of the anglers indicated that existing fishing regulations were not complicated.

In Maryland, human populations are increasing and are accompanied by increasing land development. In response, state and local governments have enacted environmental laws and regulations to limit impacts on wetlands, forests, and the Chesapeake Bay. Communication among development, land planning, and natural resource professionals during the development design process could enhance regulation by helping to insure designs meet requirements and consider impacts of development on wildlife habitats not protected by law. This communication seldom occurs. In response, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources created Natural Design in Development (NDD), a series of conference/workshop sessions which trained these professionals to communicate more effectively with each other during the design of a residential development site. Five regional conferences in Maryland attracted over 600 participants. Results of the effort were not quantified.

Up to 10 raccoons (Procyon lotor) were live-trapped and held within covered wire cages for about 1 month each season during June 1988-August 1989. Animals were fed 250-300 g of dry dog food daily and provided water ad libitum; percent change in body mass during captivity was used to evaluate the response of raccoons to the holding facility and maintenance protocol. Change in body mass at release varied from - 0.6 kg to 1.6 kg. Daily percent change averaged 2.7%; the largest total percent change in body mass of 70%. Percent change in body mass was independent of retention time, previous experience, age, sex, or season. The facility appeared to provide effective temporary housing as none of the animals were injured, nor was there any evidence of captive-related trauma or unusual behavior during captivity or following release.

Approximately 41,375 ha of catfish ponds in Mississippi attracted as many as 150,000 waterfowl and American coots (Fulica americana) during winters in the mid-1980s. We evaluated relationships between numbers of northern shoveler {Anas clypeata), ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis), scaup (Aythya affinis, A. marila), and American coot and habitat features of catfish farms in west-central Mississippi during winters 1983-1986. All species tended to use large clusters of ponds with other ponds nearby. High waterfowl use also occurred on pond clusters near the Mississippi River. Although catfish ponds do not require special management to attract the above species, our results suggested that pond-complex size and relative location within the study area were primary proximate factors influencing waterfowl and coot use. Present strategies to deter piscivorous birds from exploiting catfish may disperse wintering waterfowl and American coots from catfish farms.

Energy utilization of natural prey items by Mississippi bobcats (Felis rufus) was measured and annual prey requirements were estimated. Male and female bobcats were fed 5 diets of natural prey items, December 1990-February 1991. There were significant differences in amount of energy (kcal) in prey items, with white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) meat (5.7295) greater (P < 0.05) than fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) (5.0304). The deer diet also was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than the rodent diet and the rabbit and rodent diets in metabolizable energy (ME) and metabolizable energy content (kcal ME/g DM), respectively. Digestion coefficients for dry matter differed between diet types with the deer diet (81.3%) significantly greater (P < 0.05) than the rodent (63.68%) and rabbit (63.88%) diets. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) between male and female bobcats in digestion efficiency of dry matter or energy (kcal).

We evaluated mixtures of Telazol and Rompun for immobilizing captive white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Three doses of Telazol and Rompun were used to immobilize adult male deer (N = 32), and 5 doses were used to immobilize yearling deer (N = 78). Mixtures of these agents immobilized deer quicker and with deeper sedation than previously experienced using Rompun alone. There were no differences in immobilization or recovery periods between doses of 250:150 mg versus 167:200 mg Telazol:Rompun in adult males. There were no differences in immobilization or recovery periods between doses of 100:100 mg versus 167:100 mg Telazol: Rompun in yearling deer, but effective immobilization took longer than with a dose of 100:200 mg.

Pine (Pinus spp.) plantations comprise a major habitat type in the Southeast, and burning is used for forest and wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) management. We studied turkey hen (N = 165) use of control-burned loblolly pine (P. taeda) plantations, July 1986-March 1991, in Kemper County, Mississippi. Generally, hen use of plantations during summer (Jul-Sep), fall (Oct—Dec), and winter (Jan-Mar) was equal to or less than available for plantations <1 year and 5:7 years since-burned. Use was equal to or greater than available for plantations 1-6 years since-burned. During spring (Apr-Jun), successful (hatched eggs) hens used most years since-burned classes equal to or greater than available for the preincubation and early brood (1-14 days post-hatch) periods. Most (90%) hens nested in plantations and success tended to be higher in those plantations not burned for approximately 5 years.

We studied effects of pair status, molt intensity, and year on food selection by migrating male blue-winged teal (Anas discors) in southwestern Louisiana during springs 1990 and 1991. Diets consisted primarily of animal foods; but plant material, consisting mostly of seeds, comprised as much as 44%. There was no difference in animal food consumption by paired and unpaired males; however, the proportion of animal material in the male diet was greater in 1990 than in 1991. Animal food consumption was not positively correlated with mean molt intensity. Food preferences of paired and unpaired males were similar in both years. Animal foods, especially benthos and organisms associated with vegetative substrates, were preferred to seeds and freeswimming invertebrates.

Stomach contents of 108 juvenile alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) were analyzed to determine if alligators hatched and raised in captivity (until 120-cm size) then released to the wild would be capable of foraging successfully for food. Seventyeight farm-reared, post-released alligators harvested during the 1991 annual alligator hunt on Marsh Island Wildlife Refuge and 30 native wild alligators harvested of similar size class were selected and stomach contents compared. Crustaceans were the most important prey item among all alligators, with blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) being the most frequently occurring item. Fish and mollusks occurred more frequently in wild alligators, whereas farm-released alligators consumed more birds and mammals. Native alligator stomachs contained significantly more (P < 0.05) endohelminths than farm-released alligators. Lateral fat bodies were significantly heavier (P < 0.05) in farm-released alligators than native wild alligators.

We examined antler mass and number of antler points of 73 captive whitetailed (Odocoileus virginianus) bucks (born in 1985-89) during 1986-91 for relationships with buck maturity, birth date, and body mass, and compared development of spike- versus branched-antlered yearlings to provide harvest recommendations. Antler mass of individual bucks at each age-class was positively associated with antler mass at the subsequent age-class (rs ≥ 0.59, P < 0.01). Number of antler points of individual bucks at successive age-classes was positively associated through the 4.5-year ageclass (rs a 0.41, P < 0.01). Bucks with fewer antler points as yearlings had fewer antler points at the 2.5-year age-class (rs = 0.41, P < 0.01) but added more antler points between the first and second antler sets (P < 0.01, R2 = 0.78) than bucks with more antler points as yearlings.

Two odor attractants, Carman's Distant Canine Call (CDCC) and W-U lure, were monitored simultaneously at scent-station transects in 5 units of the Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas. We examined transects for furbearer tracks for 3 consecutive days quarterly from January 1987 through March 1988. Significantly (X2 = 26.9, df = 1, P < 0.01) greater numbers of furbearers were attracted to scent stations with CDCC than to those with W-U lure. We recommend CDCC over W-U lure for attracting furbearers to scent stations in Southeastern pine habitats.

Information on the relationship of heartwood development to site quality, competitive index, tree age, and tree size for loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and longleaf (P. palustris Mill) pine is presented. Twenty-nine loblolly and 26 longleaf pine stands representing a range of age classes (30 to 170 years) and site indices (12 to 37 m) were sampled in the Southeast. At age class 50, a portion of the loblolly pine growing on site index 24 m and better sites contained sufficient heartwood (≥12.7 cm at 6.7 m) for redcockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) (RCW) cavity activity. None of the longleaf pine contained sufficient heartwood until age class 60 because the longleaf pines at age 50 were smaller diameter trees than the loblolly pines. The average codominant and dominant loblolly pine contained sufficient heartwood at age class 70 on site index 27 m and better sites and for all sites by age class 80.