Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Thirty-three white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns 5 to 27 days of age were captured in 1970 through 1972. Movements were monitored during June and July to determine their survival and causes of mortality. Three hundred and thirty-one radio locations were plotted for the 22 fawns monitored. Mortality rates in 1970, 1971 and 1972 were 18,64 and 45 percent respectively. Eighty-three percent of fawn mortality occurred during the first month of age. Blood loss and gross infection resulting from the feeding of lone star ticks (Amhlyomma americanum) were associated with the causes of 71 percent of fawn mortality where causes were determined. The decrease in fawn mortality in 1972 foIlowed high mast production in the FaIl of 1971. Corresponding to this decreased mortality was an increase in production of both total fawns and t\\\\-;n fawns in 1972 as compared to 197 I.

The monthly availability and use of browse plants for food by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was studied from February 197\\ through January \\972 on Durango HuntingClub, a bottomland hardwood area in Tensas Parish, Louisiana. A modified version of the Aldous Deer Browse Survey Method was used to determine the monthly availability of all plants present and the actual use of these plants by deer. A total of 141 plant species and plant groups was 39 identified and studied. Eighty-one (57.4%) of the 141 plant species and groups were utilized to some extent by deer. The largest number of plant species and groups (100) was available in August, while February had the smallest number (32). During the month of February, 16 (50.0%) of the 32 available species and groups were utilized by deer as compared to August when 30 (30.0%) of the 100 were browsed. Over the l2-month period, the mean number of browsed species and groups was 26 (36.6%).

A study of Japanese honeysuckle was conducted from April 1970 through April 1972 on Barksdale Air Force Base in northwest Louisisana. Production and nutritive quality of honeysuckle under natural, fertilized, and/ or controlburned conditions were evaluated. Honeysuckle produced 948 ovendry pounds of forage per acre on a bottomland soil and 697 ovendry pounds of forage per acre on upland soils. It had a high regrowth response by seasons. The survival rate of planted rootstock in a wildlife opening and under a forest canopy averaged 70 percent under different planting conditions. Leaves contained a high nutrient quality throughout the year. They are available during the winter season when other browse reaches its yearly low in Louisiana. Field observations showed that deer browse honeysuckle the most during the winter season. Protein, phosphorous, and ash were consistently higher throughout the year on the bottomland soil.

Year around tracking with radio telemetry, supplemented by winter snowtracking, was used to determine home range sizes, major activity patterns and behavior of coyotes in Arkansas. Home ranges averaged 12.8 square miles for adult male coyotes, 5.1 square miles for adult females, and 4.6 square miles for female pups. Home ranges of some adult males, adult females and immature coyotes overlapped. Coyotes used some portions of their ranges more intensely than others and often marked their range with urine and feces. Adults were most active at night but foraged periodically during the day; pups were more active than adults during the day.

Thirty-five loblolly pine plantations in the Georgia Piedmont, ages one to seven years since site preparation, were sampled by line transects for bobwhite quail food plants, and plantations four years old and under were systematically hunted to obtain data on relative abundance of quail, distribution of coveys, and food habits. Plantations in the second and third growing seasons after site preparation and planting produced the most total quail food plants. Annual quail food plants were most prevalent on plantations aged three years or less. They were at their maximum on two-year-old plantations, and declined drastically after the third year. Perennials reached their greatest line occupancy in the third season and declined gradually thereafter. Census data indicated that quail populations were highest two seasons after site preparation. Plantations over three years of age were generally too densely vegetated and supported too few quail for good hunting.

Chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides have been the subject of considerable controversy. DDT, the most controversial insecticide, and other chlorinated hydrocarbons have been used extensively until recently when their uses were altered by state and federal legislative and judicial actions. The use of these materials has declined but the problem of environmental pollution still exists because of the persistence and ubiquity of these "hard" pesticides. Insecticides have been implicated as being the causative factor in the decline of some predatory bird populations. The concern herein is not with a species at the top of a food chain but with the bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus. L.), a favorite game bird which consumes primarily plant material. As a farm game species, the bobwhite is compatible with agriculture and in many instances exists in high populations on farmed areas.

Wing collections were used to determine mercury levels in bobwhite quail in Tennessee. Results of the assays indicated that the average mercury level in primary wing feathers was six times greater than the minimum acceptable limit established by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Further tests indicated that mercury levels in quail wing feathers were 24 times greater than those found in quail flesh. By comparison, mercury levels in quail were estimated to be safe for human consumption. The much higher mercury levels found in feathers, the consequent less margin for error in detection, and the ease of collecting and handling indicate that wing collections may be better for monitoring trends in mercury levels in bobwhite quail. Advantages, disadvantages, and cautions are discussed.

Home range and dispersal patterns of gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in an unexploited population near Raleigh were determined by recapturing marked or tagged animals in leaf nests, live traps and artificial nest boxes during 1956-65. Adult gray squirrels occupied yearly home ranges averaging 1.8 Younger squirrels were more mobile and had larger home areas, 2.7 acres for subadults and 2.5 acres for juveniles. In all age classes males had larger average home ranges than females. Home ranges of young females and of adults were more stable than those of young males. Squirrels known to have survived for from 1 to 8 years occupied rather small areas, indicating that individuals tended to remain in the same area for their lifetime. Young squirrels often remained with their mother for 6 months or longer. Seventy squirrels remained in the area of their birth and 9 females produced litters in the same nest boxes in which they, themselves, were born.

The objectives of this study were to determine: (I) daily and seasonal movements and activity patterns of clapper rails in Louisiana coastal marshes and (2) their seasonal food habits in different habitat types. We constructed 12 miniature radio transmitters and attached them to clapper rails to achieve the first objective of this study. The period of contact for the instrumented rails ranged from 7 to 47 days. The results of the radio telemetry study indicate that Louisiana clapper rails have an average minimum home range of 168 yards along canals and tidal ditches in the summer and 533 yards in winter. One instrumented rail was preyed upon by a mink. The food habits study on clapper rails collected in the salt and brackish marshes indicated that the bulk of their diet during the summer consists of fiddler crabs. In the winter fiddler crabs become less important while crayfish and snails become more important.

Various factors were tested to determine their effects on natural and planted stands of S. olneyi in coastal marshes ofLouisiana. Factors tested were soil type, water level and salinity, site preparation, planting date, vegetative type, and effects of animal feeding. Burning, tilling, and a combination of burning and tilling were tested as means of site preparation. Tilling alone was the best method tested and burning alone the poorest method; nevertheless, survival in the burned area was almost twice that in the area with no site preparation. Plantings in the fresh, intermediate, brackish and salt marsh showed that a combination of best growth and survival occurred in the intermediate marsh. Growth was equal in 4 soil types tested. Water level was a primary factor affecting growth and survival of stands. Overall growth and survival was best at 2 and 4 inches above the soil surface.

The primary objectives of the study were to determine and document waterfowl use of Eurasian milfoil in the vicinity of a new outbreak near Back Bay and Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuges in Virginia and North Carolina. Digestive tracts were collected in the vicinity of Back Bay, Virginia, and Currituck Sound, North Carolina, during the 1968-69, 1969-70 and 1970-71 hunting seasons. Examinations of 170 waterfowl digestive tract contents included 27 Canada geese, 74 dabbling ducks of six species, 38 diving ducks offour species and 31 coots. Analysis revealed that: 71.8 percent contained Eurasian milfoil, 84.7 percent held other foods, 13.5 percent had milfoil as the only food, 27.1 percent had other foods but no milfoil and 1.8 percent had no food.

During a two-year period (1970-71),3,037 hatchling Wood Ducks (Aix Sponsa) were web tagged and another 2.049 adults and sub-adults leg banded in an effort to measure preflight mortality, nesting population growth, and to indicate migration habits of those produced on the Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge. All ducklings web tagged were taken from nest boxes located on the refuge and all ducks were captured within or in close proximity to the nesting sites. Recoveries of web tags indicate an average annual mortality of 60.5% among preflight young, for the two-year period. Band returns indicate a 72.3% return of nesting females to the refuge and an annual growth of 60.6% in the nesting population. Direct band and tag returns indicate a dispersal of Wood Ducks from the refuge to other areas of the country starting late in the summer. The dispersal includes an early movement of drakes primarily to the north, as far as Wisconsin, and involves both adults and young-of-the-year.

Between 1969 and 1972 335 elk (Cervus canadensis) were transplanted from Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge to eastern Oklahoma. Three releases (151 elk) were in the oak-hickory forest type in northeastern Oklahoma, and five releases (184 elk) were in the oak-pine forest type in the southeastern part of the state. Cumulative known mortality in the northeastern releases (December 31, 1971) was 31 animals while known cumulative calf crop was 33 animals. Minimum population size at this time (reliable sightings) was 148 for the Northeast. Cumulative known mortality in the southeastern releases (December 31, 1971) was 24 animals while known calf crop was 39 animals. Minimum population size at this time (reliable sightings) was 117 for the Southeast. Due to terrain and elk behavior, population estimates for the Northeast are thought to be reasonably accurate ,vhile Southeast estimates are probably significantly lower than actual population size.

It has generally been accepted that the public attitude toward ownership and usage of firearms has undergone considerable change as the American population has become more urbanized. This study examines the attitudes of Middle Tennesseans toward hunting and the use and control of firearms (nonpistol) by individ uals. An areal analysis was conducted to determine differences of opinion within the population according to the type of residence - rural, town or city. A random sample was conducted during October 1971 by personal questionnaire in a city of approximately 450,000, a town of 17,000, and from rural dwellers of Middle Tennessee. The sample was confined to adult males because of the traditional masculine nature of hunting and the use of guns. The total sample consisted of 270 individuals; 5S from rural, areas, 72 from small towns and 143 from the city. In an analysis of Table I, differences between the three groups become readily apparent.

In response to a need for information on wood duck habitat in north Alabama for use in a TVA regional land-use planning report, a quick method of assessing overall streamside breeding habitat was developed and executed in 1970. Biologists from TVA and the Alabama Department of Conservation participated. All streams large enough to be noted on each road map of the II counties were visited at all points crossed by roads. The immediate habitat was rated as good, fair, or poor and! or none. The following criteria were used: Good: Wide mix of 14" + dbh hardwoods, overmature trees visible, little human disturbance. Fair: Good mix of hardwoods up to 14", few overmature trees, some human activity. Poor and! or Non-habitat: Hardwoods generally 10" or less, high human activity; or habitat destroyed. Results of the survey are given in Table I. Nearly 1,600 miles of such streams were visited in approximately two manmonths' time.

A boat-mounted ladder-stand was constructed to facilitate inspection of duck nest boxes that were mounted on poles between six and eight feet above water. This device allowed a large number of boxes to be inspected in a short period of time without having to set up and take down a ladder at each box. The ladderstand was constructed from materials readily available. The need to inspect nest boxes, which must be mounted high over water to protect them from floods, often involves a considerable amount of effort. A boat is usually used to transport an extension ladder to each box; the ladder is then set in the water and supported against the tree or pole holding the box. After inspection, the ladder must be extracted from the mud, placed back in the boat, and the procedure repeated at each box.

A study of the age and sex structure in a selected beaver (Castor canadensis carolinensis) population was conducted from January 1971 to January 1972 in Green County, Georgia. Twenty-four beavers were trapped from four colonies in the study area. The animals were aged by cranial measurements and dental cementum and sexed by necropsy. There was no significant sex ratio difference in the kit and yearling classes. The sex ratio for the 2-year-old and adult classes was 13 males to 7 females. The sex ratio for the total population was 14 males to 10 females. The four study colonies averaged six beavers per colony.

Techniques developed by trial and error in 23 years of field work with wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in Florida are described. Capture methods employing traps, cannon nets, and orally administered drugs are described only briefly because they have been adequately described in other papers. Methods and equipment for baiting, observing, handling, holding, banding, and releasing wild turkeys are discussed.

Project personnel contacted ranchers, farmers, highway maintenance crews, farm and ranch laborers, Game Management Officers, and other interested persons to receive prompt reports of nests of Rio Grande turkey (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia) found incidentally during the 1968, 1969, 1970, and 1971 nesting seasons. One hundred and twenty-one turkey nests were found during the four year period in the Edwards Plateau of Texas. Upon locations, nests were observed by project personnel and data recorded on nesting forms. Laying began in late February and continued through late August. Laying was started in the latest nest the eighth day of August. Average clutch size was 10.37 eggs in 71 nests observed after incubation began. Forty-seven nests produced 414 poults from 462 eggs leaving 2 fully developed embryos unhatched and 45 infertile eggs in the nests.

A wild turkey (Meleagris gal/opavo silvestris) population was established near Auburn, Alabama be releasing 26 wild-captured birds during 1965 and early 1966. From March 1965 through June 1972 dynamics of the population were studied. Continued observation on the population, most individual of which wjre marked, was the primary method of study. A total of 2,362 positive identifications of individually marked turkeys was made. Direct count estimates of spring-breeding populations and late-summer populations were made each year from 1965 through 1971, excluding 1969, on the 7,293 acre study area. Late summer counts gave hen-poult ratios and estimates of total reproductive success. Hunting was not allowed during the first 5 years after the original release. Harvest data collected from hunter permit questionnaires and personal interviews showed that 1.8 and 1.2 legal turkeys were harvested per square mile on the study area during the springs of 1971 and 1972, respectively.

A telemetric study was conducted on adult male alligators [Alligator mississippiensis (Daudin)] on Rockefeller Refuge from April 14, 1971 through March 18, 1972. Fourteen alligators were captured, tagged, marked for identification purposes, outfitted with color coded neck-collar radio transmitters, and released at their respective capture sites. A directional receiving unit was used to follow their daily movements. The size of the animals ranged from 8'3" to 10'5.5". Minimum home range sizes and habitat preferences were determined for eleven of the alligators under investigation. Radio signals were not detected d uring the majority of the winter dormancy period which extended from the end of December through mid-February. The longest movement recorded was 33 airline miles from the capture site.

A stratified, random sample of hunters on the Ocala National Forest produced 1,598 questionnaires which were coded and analyzed at Florida State University's Computing Center. One section of the survey explored hunter attitudes concerning other hunters and toward hunting white-tailed deer with dogs. This paper discusses the results from part of the survey. The cooperation of personnel in the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission and U. S. Forest Service in conducting the interviews is gratefully acknowledged.