Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Summer and winter transects were run throughout the range of the red wolf (Canis rufus) along the Texas Gulf Coast utilizing a handcranked siren to elicit howling. The red wolf could be distinguished from the coyote (C. latram) by its patterns of vocalization. Slight confusion was caused by wolves which, located close to the siren barked like domestic dogs. No significant differences were detected between the effectiveness of the technique in winter or summer or between two or four-mile spacings of the howling posts along transects. Heavy fog did cause a significant decrease in the number of responses and high winds probably limited the effectiveness of the technique. Many areas thought to be occupied by red wolves were found to contain only coyotes. The coyote appears to be expanding its range into the marshes and coastal prairies which are the last stronghold of the red wolf.

"Dove" proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.), a new variety of proso millet, is being planted to attract doves in the Southeast. A food habit study was initiated to determine the desirability of dove proso as a mourning dove (Zenaidura macroura) food as compared with browntop millet (Panicum ram08um L.). Field trial plantings of equal acreages of dove proso and browntop millet were made in nine counties of South Carolina from 1966-1970. Crops of 152 mourning doves were collected and analyzed. Eighty-six of the crops were collected from a single trial field on Oakland Club, Berkeley County. Volumetrically, dove proso comprised 25.4 percent and browntop millet 13.4 percent of the total food consumed. The percent frequency of use was not significantly different. The frequencies of use of dove proso and browntop millet were 53.3 percent and 50.7 percent respectively. The method of planting dove proso is described, with some of the problems encountered with dove proso in dove fields.

A total of 1,915 bobwhite quail (Colinu8 v. virginianu8) was released on Belmont Game Management Area in South Carolina from 2 to 10 weeks prior to the advent of the 1969 hunt season. An additional 1,134 quail were released on the same area during January and February, 1970. The overall study area had been sub-divided into nine smaller compartments for "release" and "hunting" purposes. The hunting season extended from November 24, 1969 through March 2, 1970. Recovery data showed that 33.52 percent of the quail released prior to the hunting season were harvested during the hunting season. The quail recovered from the releases made late in the legal season represented 37.57 percent of the quail released during this period. Data recorded on flight characteristics of the pen-raised quail were believed to be biased, but other information obtained verbally indicated that the earlier released birds possessed greater qualities as game birds.

Thirty-one different hunters using 24 different bird dogs flushed 5691 bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) in 572 man hours of hunting. Hunters fired 2639 shots and retrieved 846 bobwhites (3.1 shots/bird retrieved). For every three birds in the bag, one dead or crippled bird was left in the field. All hunting was done on an area which had a bobwhite density greater than one bird per acre.

Controlled burning has been widely used for managing plant succession in the southeastern United States. This technique has been particularly useful for retarding the encroachment of hardwood species in plantations of southern pines (Pinus sp.), and for maintaining herbaceous plant associations in early stages of succession. The results of controlled burning generally have been favorable for bobwhite populations, whether the burning was done for their benefit or for managing pine. More specifically, controlled burning in the deep South has increased the production of wild legumes, an important class of quail foods, and has reduced the amount of litter on the soil surface, enhancing the quail's ability to locate its food. Controlled burning, however, may induce changes in a plant community which are not beneficial to other aspects of the quail's life history.

The study was undertaken to determine the fate of endrin in a food chain situation involving the soybean plant, Glycine, Max L. (Leguminosae), the Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis Muls. (Coccinellidae), and the eastern bobwhite quail, Colinus virginianus virginianus L. (Perdicidae). Beetles contaminated withendrin were force-fed to birds at 1 mg/kg/bird, in both acute (4 hr) and chronic (5 day) exposures. Contaminated beans were force-fed to birds at 0.015 mg/kg/ bird, in similar acute and chronic rates. Endrin concentrated primarily in the fat, liver, and gonadal tissues of the birds. Analyses of whole birds revealed retention of approximately 16% of the total acute dose administered, and 21% retention of the total chronic dose. At sensitivities used for analyses, no metabolites were detected in any component of the food chain. The eastern bobwhite quail, Colinus virginianus virginianus L., long has been recognized as the most important game bird in South Carolina.

In order to determine the status of the Foreign Game Investigation Program in Virginia, an evaluation of releases was begun in 1969 and completed in 1971. All foreign game releases made between September 1958 and June 1969 were checked by District Biologists in 1969-70 fiscal year and a report completed which included species, sex and numbers of birds released; if birds still remained in area or when last seen; whether young were observed during 1969; distance birds moved; estimated numbers in area and limiting factors known to exist in the area. These reports were sent to the author for compilation of the data. Eight species of pheasants, the Black Francolin and French Redleg partridge were received from various sources, reproduced and releases made. Some species of pheasants were cross-bred and the hybrid birds released. Crosses of the Western Iranian blackneck (Phasianus colchicus Talischensis) and Chinese ringneck (P. c.

A bullfrog food habit study was conducted during 1969 in Nacogdoches County, Texas. Frogs were collected from two diverse vegetational types: (1) open habitat (farm ponds, lakes, and areas void of trees) and (2) wooded habitat (ponds, lakes, and river bottoms in heavily forested areas). There were 55 animal groups and 12 plant groups represented as food items in open habitat samples and 65 ani. mal groups and 20 plant groups in wooded habitat. Total volume of food consumed by all frogs was greater in open habitat than in wooded, however, volume of plant matter consumed was greater in wooded than in open. Crayfish were the main food item consumed, forming over 60 percent by volume in open habitat and over 40 percent by volume in wooded habitat. There was a positive correlation between volume of food consumed and percent crayfish in the diet but a negative correlation between percent insects and volume of food.

Artificially propagated mallards furnish most of the duck hunting for guests of Remington Arms Company, Inc., who hunt on 3145-acre Remington Farms. Each year some 6500 five-week old ducklings are released and fed to flight stage at three or four sites on the three miles of tidewater shoreline and 26 man-made ponds which range from one to 50 acres in size. Fall and winter foods are provided by flooded millet, grown for the purpose, and by waste corn, soybeans and other agricultural crops and wild plants. Ducklings are incubator-hatched from eggs produced by some 400 one- and two-year old captive breeders, selected for good plumage and physical condition. Although unwary prior to hunting season, these mallards soon learn to avoid the gun after shooting starts. They are strong fliers and under favorable conditions provide sporty gunning. Hunting success is high -many hunters bagging their limit.

During the summers of 1969 and 1970, 668 Florida Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos julvigula, Ridgway) were banded from an inland and two coastal breeding populations. Of the 81 band returns, 51 (63.0%) were recovered 10 to 270 miles from the release sites. Most of the ducks (71.4%) were recovered within 49 miles of the release sites.

There is a growing interest in the use of pen-reared wood ducks (Aix sponsa) for establishing or increasing box-nesting populations in local areas. During a 3-year period (1967-1969), 67 pen-reared hens were released on the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland. These releases substantially increased the nesting population. Total population averaged less than 30 hens annually with a recruitment rate averaging less than seven between 1963 and 1967. Between 1968 and 1971, the nesting population averaged about 80 hens. Annual recruitment averaged 29 between 1969 and 1971. Pen-reared hens were as successful as wild hens in hatching and rearing young. Mortality was lower among pen-reared hens than wild hens, due largely to the sedentary behavior of the pen-reared hens. Production of young to flight stage increased from an average of about 100 per year prior to the releases of pen-reared hens to about 430 annually after the last release in 1969.

A survey of the Louisiana Coastal Area disclosed that ponds and lakes made up one-fourth of the area. The ponds and lakes ranged from less than 0.01 acre to over 400,000 acres and numbered 5.3 million. The study shows that the fresh, brackish and intermediate marshes were of high value to waterfowl because of high pond density and plant growth. Ponds and lakes in the saline marshes were of low value to most waterfowl, but of extreme importance to marine organisms.

During the wintering seasons of 1965-1967, 706 waterfowl gizzards were collected and subsequent food habit studies were made. The collections represented 14 species of waterfowl (9 species of dabblers and 5 species of divers). Six hundred and five collections constituted the dabbling duck sample and 101 gizzards represented the diving duck sample. The most important foods consumed were from fresh and slightly brackish water habitats. Seeds of marsh plants and vegetative fragments and seeds of pondweeds were the primary foods consumed. Animal foods in the diet were not considered important. The most important food consumed by volume by dabbling ducks was Najas guadalupensis. The most important food consumed by volume by diving ducks was Brasenia schreberi. The plant most frequently used by dabblers was Scirpus validus, while the plant most frequently used by diving ducks was Brasenia schreberi.

Paired plots, seeded with four sizes of lead shot, were established at three locations in an effort to better understand the lead shot problem associated with waterfowl using Catahoula Lake. Half of the plots were treated with a known number of shot in the fall of 1965 and the remainder were similarly treated in the spring of 1966. Soil samples were to be taken in October every two years. In 1967 soil samples were taken and the shot collected were separated according to size and counted. Analysis of data from these samples indicated very little difference in the number of shot recovered when location and plots were considered separately. However, an interaction was apparently responsible for the significant difference detected in the number of pellets recovered. This was probably due to the degree of hog rooting found in the outside plots. The size of shot, or the effect of livestock, apparently had no influence on the depth at which shot were recovered.

Between October, 1965 and April, 1968, 446 adult female cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus fioridanus) were collected from the Mountain, Pied. mont, and Coastal Plain physiographic regions of Georgia. Prevalence of pregnancy and litter sizes were determined from data on dissected specimens. Although average litter size exhibited a peak of 3.53 in April, no significant differences were noted among months. Also, no significant differences in litter sizes were observed among physiographic regions. Data on prevalence of pregnancy revealed a high percentage of pregnant females in March, April, and May only. Reduced litter sizes, numbers of litters per season, and prevalence of pregnancies indicate lower potential productivity by Georgia cottontails as compared to cottontails from Missouri. A higher potential productivity would appear to be a selective advantage to populations of cottontails in areas where severe climatic conditions might cause significant population declines.

An evaluation of several body measurements for determining age of juvenile cottontail rabbits was undertaken on the Coastal Plains and Piedmont Soils of Alabama from January 1963 to December 1966. Coefficients of variation were calculated, and growth curves were fitted from least squares analyses of measurements of tarsus length, ear length, nose-rump length, and body weight from 151 known-aged cottontails born in pens and raised in large enclosures. Tarsus length provided the best estimate of age in young cottontails. Body weights at birth were greater than weights reported for cottontails from Pennsylvania and Illinois. A loss of body weight following birth was indicated. After approximately 90 days of age, rates of growth for cottontails in this study were slower than rates reported for Wisconsin, Illinois, and Kentucky cottontails. Implications of the slower rate of growth and its effects on sexual maturity and reproduction by young-of-the-year are mentioned.

Ten pairs of pen-reared bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus virginianus L.) were studied in an effort to determine the mechanical effect of radio-telemetric transmitters on fertilization. Five pairs of quail were equipped with transmitters weighing approximately 24 grams and measuring approximately 2 x 2 x 3.7 centimeters. The remaining 5 pairs without transmitters were maintained under similar conditions. Records were maintained on production, fertility, and hatchability. Such data recorded at two-week intervals throughout the laying season showed that the radio-telemetric transmitters had no adverse effect on the reproductive success of pen-reared quail. The South Carolina Wildlife Resources Department planned a study on the causes of mortality of bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus virginianus L.) during the nesting season utilizing radio telemetry.

As a waterfowl wintering area, Catahoula Lake is of national significance and one of the most important natural wintering areas in the nation. It is the key to waterfowl abundance and hunting success in Central Louisiana. For a ten year period from fall of 1960, through the winter of 1970, there was a yearly average usage of 20,000,000 duck days for Catahoula Lake (Louisiana Wild Life and Fisheries Commission, 1970). Ducks found in greatest abundance were pintails and mallards. A food habit study of mallards and pintails was conducted to determine foods eaten by these waterfowl. Notes were also made of the food habits of other ducks that use the Lake. During the course of the study, gizzards were collected from 139 ducks and gullets were collected from the same birds when they contain food. Mallard and pintail predominated in the collection with 57 and 42 respectively, and six other species were represented in the 39 other gizzard/gullets.

Trapping, handling, and marking methods were evaluated for wild nutria (Myocastor coypus) in agricultural areas in Louisiana and Texas. Treadle-operated box traps, set on rafts instead of land, increased retrap response and reduced mortality. A modified leg-hitch sling and the tailhold method were found best for simple handling, and a light-weight restraining device was developed for close examination. Sodium pentobarbital injected intrathoracically at 50-60 mg!kg was the safest and most consistent anesthetic; carrot baits treated with diazepam effectively tranquilized nutria for safe handling. Nutria showed gross physiological rejection of nearly all marking materials tested (coloring agents and such objects as tags, flags, pins, and collars attached to or through the skin of various parts of the body). A No.3 self-piercing monel metal animal tag inserted through a web in the hind foot was the only reliable, long-lasting marking method tested, but it was inconspicuous.

Inaccessibility of efficient trapping sites for the European wild hog (Sus scrofa) stimulated the design and use of a portable live trap. Materials for several traps can be transported at one time in a pickup truck and the trap can be assembled by one person in less than 15 minutes. Relatively low cost and convertibility into a larger multi-capture trap are other attributes. A research project involving the live capture of European wild hogs (Sus scrofa) prompted the design and construction of a more portable live trap for this species. Prior to development of this trap, rigid and more stationary traps of the same general appearance were used (Matschke, 1962). Due to the seasonal and altitudinal movements of wild hogs the frequent relocation of traps to new trap sites is necessary for maintenance of trapping success. However, movement and proper placement of large rigid traps were limited to areas readily accessible by means of a pickup truck.

The objective of this project was to determine what inputs were being used in decision making in the Division of Wildlife Refuges, Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. The problem of identifying information items or inputs for a management information system is not unique to this agency. All resource management agencies must identify input types and specific input items before the agency can develop or use a management information system. A sample list of decisions was identified from publications and reports. A classification system was developed and the decisions were categorized. A method of collecting inputs for decision-making is described that is considered more efficient than the "collect everything" approach. Inputs used to make the decisions showed considerable overlap of use from decision to decision. An objective and analytical approach using a decision matrix was used to determine the relative value of inputs.

Three hundred and two snipe were collected in an effort to evaluate proposed aging and sexing techniques and to determine a practical method of aging and sexing the common snipe by external characters. Thirty-one external variables were selected for measurement based on their potential to discriminate between ages or sexes of various birds as shown by past studies. The minimum percent misclassification of sexes (28.38%) and ages (22.64%) was obtained when the top 25 sex~ ing and top 22 aging variables were formulated into a discriminant function (Z), constructed so as to minimize the frequency of misclassification when used as a means of discriminating sex and age of snipe. These possible misclassifications were considered too great to accurately sex or age snipe. None of the variations noted in morphological characteristics or in feather color patterns, shades, tints, and shapes could be consistently and accurately related to differences in sex or age of snipe.