Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

The United States is an important producer nation of wildlife and is one of the world's largest consumers of wildlife. The United States wildlife trade is briefly reviewed, primarily live birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and their products. This multi-million dollar business is growing larger each year causing greater demand for native wildlife and creating the need for each state to more closely monitor these commercial activities.

The stressful nature of law enforcement requires specialized selection and training for those who seek to make it a career. In recent years, psychological testing has been used by psychologists and law enforcement administrators as an aid in selecting successful candidates. An additional use for such testing might be to improve training in social interaction through selfunderstanding.

Occupational stress exists in all jobs. Wildlife conservation officers are, by nature of their jobs, subjected to job-related stressors. In order to better understand occupational stress, it is necessary to identify those events that occur in the professional lives, or as a result of the professional lives, of conservation officers. In response to this, all 160 conservation agents of the Missouri Department of Conservation were questioned by 2 separate mail surveys. These questionnaires allowed Missouri's wildlife officers to tell what was stressfUl to them in their jobs and evaluate these stressful events. Missouri's conservation agents identified and rated 95 events which produced stress in their occupation. These represent the Occupation Critical Life Events Scale for conservation officers in Missouri.

During the study period of 1 May 1981 through 30 April 1982, compliance rates (game arrests! 100 hunters checked) for individual hunting cases were computed for 2 groups of Tennessee wildlife officers. One group of 35 officers was driving high visibility, state-owned vehicles. The other group of 35 officers was driving low visibility, personally-owned vehicles. No significant difference was found between the compliance rates of the 2 groups.

The various benefits from a correctly timed drawdown on reservoir fisheries have been well documented; however, little has been written on the public relations aspect. An extreme (2.7 m -9 foot) drawdown on the most heavily populated lake in Arkansas is discussed, focusing on the procedures and problems involved with "selling" such a management technique to the public. By discussing the public relations work involved with the project, the problems that can arise and recommendations based on this experience, it is hoped that other management biologists planning similar operations will receive some insight into situations they may encounter.

One hundred and seventeen solutions to endangered species problems were presented by gifted students participating in the Georgia Future Problem Solving Bowl, a competition which encourages students to develop solutions to problems they will encounter in the future. The Nongame/ Endangered Wildlife Staff subjectively evaluated the students' attiutdes on endangerment based on their responses to Bowl questions. Solution responses overemphasized the impact of hunting on endangerment while demonstrating little knowledge of the impact of habitat degradation. Attitudes expressed by students strongly suggest serious deficiencies in wildlife education in Georgia schools. A well-developed endangered wildlife educational program in schools would help students assume their future role as land stewards. If wildlife is to remain an important part of the environment, wildlife professionals must ensure that Georgians understand the conservation of our natural resources.

To acquaint young people with fishing, and to provide an initial fishing opportunity, the Missouri Department of Conservation promoted "Kids Fishing Day" and a series of statewide fishing clinics as an expansion of its urban fishing program. Special emphasis is given to selecting clinic participants with little or no fishing experience, and particularly to disadvantaged or handicapped youngsters. Clinics are limited to 25 children to ensure individualized attention. Community organizations are solicited as co-sponsors to foster local involvement and to provide instructional assistance. The Department stocks fish, provides all fishing equipment, and a variety of fish and fishing literature. Fishing tackle companies provided a variety of items as gifts for all participants. In 1982, more than 2,000 children attended Kids Fishing Day programs, and another 900 attendsd the 36 clinics.

Representing the land grant institutions, extension fisheries and wildlife specialists contribute to management of fish and wildlife resources through education. In a telephone survey, 17 state specialists ranked their audiences by time spent working with each and ranked 10 communication methods by frequency of use in reaching each audience. In order of priority, the audiences served were extension agents, commercial interests, private landowners, youth, general public, faculty and students, natural resource agencies, and conservation organizations. The most frequently used communication means was the telephone call. Other heavily-used methods were personal letters, extension publications, on-site visits, workshops, and conferences. Least used were magazine articles and research publications. Moderate use was reported for newsletters, and radio and television programs.

With the creation of a waterfowl stamp in 1981, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department opted for a bid procedure rather than an art contest and established stringent specifications to select a successful bidder. The procedure paid off, and Texas made $1.2 million from the sale of stamps and art prints with its first year stamp. All revenue from stamp sale receipts may be spent only for research, management and protection of waterfowl; for the acquisition, lease, or development of waterfowl habitats in the state; or for grants as provided by the enabling legislation.

Although Mississippi currently has a hunter education program, there is no mandatory requirement. Therefore questions evaluating attitudes toward mandatory hunter education and hunter safety training backgrounds were included in a mail survey to a sample of 1981-82 Mississippi hunters. The majority (65.7%) of hunters would favor a mandatory hunter education program for new hunters. Graduates of a safety training course were significantly more in favor of mandatory training than non-graduates. Hunters with children had the same attitudes toward mandatory hunter education training as hunters without children. Approximately 18% of the 1981-82 Mississippi hunters had received hunter safety training.

In 1982, the Missouri Department of Conservation surveyed 370 volunteers for their experiences, perceptions, and opinions related to use of "hunter orange" during spring hunting of eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris). Results showed that gobblers can indeed be called and taken while a hunter orange item is being displayed, but hunters were ambivalent as to the effects of the band on heightening the alertness of turkeys. Subjects generally agreed that hunter orange served to alert other hunters to their presence, but were hesitant to say they "liked" the idea of using an item of hunter orange during spring turkey season.

Microhabitat variables were measured at 79 locations used by migrant common snipe (Capella gallinago). The maximum water depth used was 27 mm. Snipes demonstrated diurnal rhythms of habitat selection, using wet sites with short vegetation during feeding periods, and dry sites with taller vegetation during nonfeeding periods. Lower vegetation densities were selected in late afternoon. During feeding periods, 67% of snipes were within 15 cm of a soil/water interface, but during midday, 69% were more than 5.0 m from water. Twenty-three plants were associated with snipe microhabitats, but snipes selected microhabitats because of water conditions and vegetation structure, not vegetation composition.

The accuracy of Lincoln Index estimates for a wild population of mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) of known size was examined. Data indicated there was a tendency to overestimate population size regardless of the percentage of the population that was marked. Learned trap-escape behavior apparently caused the observed overestimations. A similar bias probably exists for other studies on birds.

Nesting success and production of mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) was studied on the Texas A&M University Campus during 1978 and 1979. Data indicated that mourning dove nesting and production were highly variable between months within years and monthly between years. Nests initiated in August were the most important both in quantity (20% of total) and rate of success (32% of total).' Although September-initiated nests contributed only 5% of total nests and 6% of fledged young, August-initiated nests still active during early September contributed 20% of the total fledglings in 1978 and 26% in 1979.

Aerial surveys were used to determine numbers of wintering waterfowl and their habitat preferences on Sam Rayburn Reservoir in East Texas during the winters of 1979 - 81. The magnitude of relative preference for 6 wetland types was defined as the mean difference between the ranks of wetland use and availability. A total of 23,277 waterfowl representing 14 species was tallied from 12 surveys. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), gadwall (A. strepera), American widgeon (A. americana), and teal (Anas spp.) were the most abundant species and composed 89.0% of the total Ducks preferred scrub-shrub, emergent wetlands, and aquatic beds over unconsolidated bottom and shore, live forested wetlands, and dead forested wetlands (P < 0.05). Results suggest that waterfowl habitat management should be primarily considered in the design and construction phase of reservoir projects.

We banded 1,987 Canada geese (Branta canadensis) at Ballard Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Kentucky 1974 - 81. Additionally we observed 1,459 neckbanded individuals at Ballard WMA 1977 - 81 and obtained 11,649 observations of these individuals in the Mississippi Flyway. Analysis of these observations and 195 hunting recoveries indicated a strong association between Ballard WMA and Wisconsin. Average annual survival was estimated as 72% for geese banded at Ballard WMA 1974 - 79. Of 783 movements between refuges in southern Illinois and Ballard WMA, 73% were movements into Kentucky. Sixty individuals originally banded on the Hudson-James Bay coast were observed at Ballard WMA 1977 - 81. The origin of these individuals does not suggest a strong association between Ballard WMA and a particular segment of the breeding range.

Drive counts of pheasants (Phasianus colchicus subsp.) were evaluated on playa basins in the High Plains of Texas. The counts were 97-99% precise when the density of counters averaged 1/0.85 ha. The change-in-ratio estimator was modified to estimate pre-hunt population size when post-hunt population size and the proportion of cocks in the harvest are assumed known. Problems associated with drive counts of pheasants are discussed. Costs averaged $38/playa basin ($1.52/ha).

Arkansas residents and personnel of the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission reported 1,253 observations of black bear (Ursus americanus) and signs of their activity from 1976 through 1980. Cub:sow ratios ranged from 1.85 to 2.18 and averaged 2.06. Percent cubs observed ranged from 19.6 to 23.6 and averaged 22.4. Nuisance bear complaints increased during this period. Survey techniques and implications for present and future black bear management are discussed.

Eighty-one river otter (Lutra canadensis) carcasses were collected from trappers and a fur dealer in Georgia during the 1979 - 80 and 1980 - 81 trapping seasons for environmental pollutant analysis. Mercury occurred in all muscle, liver, and hair samples analyzed with ranges of 0.2 to 13, 1.2 to 60, and 7.1 to 155 ppm, respectively. Detectable cesium-137 occurred in 77% of the samples ranging from less than 141 to 6,660 pCi/kg. DDT and its metabolites were detected in 97% of the otter fat samples at levels ranging from 0.08 to 91.90 ppm. Mirex, dieldrin, and PCBs were found in 68, 59, and 66% of the samples with ranges of 0.16 to 75.40, 0.03 to 1.26, and 0.57 to 84.20 ppm. Muscle, hair, and liver mercury levels, cesium-137 and mirex levels were all significantly higher in the coastal plain than in the piedmont region of Georgia.

Beaver pelts from the Mississippi Beaver Cooperative fur sale held during March 1980 were examined to determine both the extent and origin of the damage responsible for downgrading. Of 1,914 pelts in the sample, 1,255 (65.6%) were significantly damaged. Damage inflicted by beaver accounted for 27.5% of the total. Skinning and fleshing cuts accounted for 31.5% of the damage. All other types plus those of unknown origin totaled 41.0%. Methods of dealing with the damage problem are discussed.

Food habits of cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) were determined by microscopic analysis of stomach contents from 2 physiographic regions of Virginia during 4 seasons of the year. The area examined in the mountain region (Radford Army Ammunition Plant [RAAP)) contained a high population of rabbits whereas the area studied in the piedmont region (Fort Pickett) was an area with a history of relatively low rabbit populations for the past 2 decades. Food habits of rabbits from the 2 areas were different; rabbits from Fort Pickett subsisted on much greater quantities of forbs throughout the year than RAAP rabbits which consumed primarily grasses. Collectively, leaf and stem parts of grasses and forbs made up well over 90% of total food items found in stomachs throughout the year. At Fort Pickett grasses occurred in greater volumes in winter and spring, whereas forbs were more numerous in summer and fall. Grasses predominated in all seasons at RAAP.