Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

It's a pleasure for me to be here today. I had a prepared talk and last night I decided that isn't what I wanted to say, so I tore it up and got it down in notes, so I am going to talk off the cuff this morning. I'd like to take issue with one point that the Mayor made when he said that the group here was primarily interested in fish and wildlife. I think that is only partially true, I think this group here is primarily interested in people and in people's relationship with fish and wildlife. I've got a tough act to follow-Governor West, I think, set the theme and said many of the things I wanted to say. I couldn't help but be tremendously impressed with his knowledge of the problems of environmental management and conservation and I couldn't help but feel how fortunate we are that the new breed of politicians, of public servants, have been so mindful of the importance of our resources and of man's relationship to them. Secretary Reed and Dr.

An analysis was made of 956 rumen samples collected from whitetailed deer in the Appalachian Mountain, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain provinces in the Southeast during the four seasons. The study indicated that deer select the same type of diet seasonally although foraging in ecologically different areas. Hardened woody twigs had the lowest frequency of occurrence and lowest volume of all food categories. Green leaves of woody plants ranked highest in frequency of occurrence and volume. Mushrooms ranked third in frequency of occurrence and fifth in total volume. The annual contribution of forbs, grasses and sedges, fungi (mushrooms), and dry leaves totaled 35.9 percent by volume, equalling the amount provided by green leaves of woody plants.

In the spring of 1968 Japanese honeysuckle was planted on four wildlife food plots in the Arkansas Ozarks. Two years later, with moderate fertilization and occasional mowing, this evergreen species produced 239 ovendry pounds of winter forage per acre, 12 times more than the surrounding forest. The nutrient quality of leaves was consistently high throughout the year. Leaves retained through the winter contained about 14 percent crude protein, more than eastern redcedar, flowering dogwood twigs, panic grasses, and pussytoes, the most common native forages eaten by deer during the winter. Honeysuckle leaves were more digestible than any native forage. Since honeysuckle was not browsed heavily by deer until mid-winter, most current annual growth was available after mast had been eaten and when green forage was scarce.

During four years of deer collections from three areas in Arkansas, 550 female reproductive tracts were analyzed. Four hundred and twenty-six tracts collected during fall hunting seasons proved to be of little value. Of 124 does collected by spotlighting and from road kills in spring, 101 were pregnant. Eighty-nine of these were adult does and 12 were fawns. The mean conception date (MCD) of adult does from the northern study area was November 13-three weeks earlier than MCD in the central and southern areas. This was a highly significant difference. The ovulation rate of 108 adult does collected statewide was 1.77 ova per doe. A pregnancy rate of 93% was calculated for 92 adult does collected in spring. The reproductive rate for 108 adult does was 1.66 fetuses per doe. This indicates that 93% of the fertilized eggs implanted. Analysis of variance of each parameter indicated that there were no significant differences between study areas.

Hybridization of white-tailed and black-tailed deer was investigated over a three year period in Tennessee. White-tailed deer were placed in pens with black-tailed deer of the opposite sex, and hybrid deer were readily obtained. Hybrids were placed in pens with fertile, purebred white-tailed and black-tailed deer of the opposite sex. None of the hybrids produced young during their first year of life. During their second year of life, 50 percent of the hybrids produced young of which 66 percent were stillborn. Previous to this, all white-tailed, black-tailed hybrids were reported to be sterile. Hybrids could not be distinguished from blacktails, and white-tailed characteristics were lost.

A study was conducted on Mt. Mitchell Wildlife Management Area in w~stern North Carolina to determine the effects of dogs on movement patterns, behavior and mortality of radio-equipped deer in a rugged, mountainous habitat. Data were obtained from 11 of 15 radio-instrumented deer. Six were radio-monitored during the raccoon, bear and deer seasons and although four were legally harvested no mortality could be related to the effects of dogs. From February to July, eight of the radio-instrumented deer were subjected to 20 experimental chases by hunting hounds. Chases averaged 54 minutes in duration and 2.36 miles in distance with maximums of 165 minutes and 6.77 miles recorded. The chases were generally downhill and streams were crossed repeatedly. Chased deer quickly left their home ranges but returned in all cases where mortality did not occur.

Of the 126 deer killed by hunters within a 746-acre enclosure at Albany, Georgia, during a 10-year period, 24 (19 percent) were not found by the hunter. Archers lost 4 of 8 deer killed (50 percent), gunners using buckshot lost 16 of 61 (26 percent), and gunners using shotgun slugs lost only 4 of 57 (7 percent). Antlered bucks were lost at more than twice the rate of antlerless deer. Only 2 of the 24 lost cripples were fawns, the lowest rate recorded for any group. In both sexes, yearlings were lost at a higher rate than older deer. Archery loss data from Virginia are in· eluded for comparison.

A postal survey of 301 archery deer hunters was conducted during April-May, 1970 to determine the utilization of South Carolina game management areas by archery hunters during 1969. The hunters were asked three questions; namely (1) the number of deer killed, (2) the number of visits made to the management areas, and (3) the number of hours spent while hunting deer. Due to an oversight, the random selection of archery hunters to be contacted in the postal survey was made from returned "hunt permits" on which each archery hunter had previously answered the same questions asked in the postal survey. The questions on the returned hunt permits had been "answered" by the archery hunters at the close of each scheduled archery hunt that was held during the September-December, 1969 hunting season. A tabulation of the information obtained from the postal survey revealed that the 301 archery hunters had killed 30 deer.

Food items were identified from crop contents of 21 juvenile wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris, Vieillot) collected in Clarke County, Alabama during July, August and September of 1965, 1966 and 1967. Estimated ages ranged from 45 days to 105 days with an average of 75 days. By volume, vegetable materials comprised 73.2 percent and animal materials 26.8 percent of the diet. Grasses, primarily seeds, represented 61.5 percent of the total volume with bahia grass (Paspalum notatum) seed comprising 48.6 percent. Grasshoppers were the most important animal food representing 15.5 percent of the total volume. Grasses and grasshoppers made up 77 percent of the total volume, indicating the importance of openings as a source of summer foods.

This paper reports on the behavior of nesting wild turkeys (Meleagris gaZZopavo osceola) obtained by radio-tracking 97 wild hens during the spring and summer of 1968 through 1971 on two study areas in Florida. More than 80 percent of the 71 nests found were in natural scrub vegetation. They were made when the hens scratched shallow depressions in the soil. A few leaves or other dried vegetation were placed by the hens with their bills over each newly laid egg just before the hens left their nests after laying. Nesting material probably accumulated inadvertently in that way rather than by deliberate construction of a nest prior to laying. Egg covering material was obtained within the reach of hens from their nests. Eggs were covered more often during the laying period than after incubation was underway. Eggs were laid in the nests about mid-day at a rate of less than one per day. Hens generally remained at their nests longer when they laid the seventh egg.

Wild caught, captive alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) over a seven-year period exhibited a successful nesting rate of 48 percent in six pens maintained on Rockefeller Refuge. Hatching success in pens (56 percent) closely correlated the 58 percent determined for wild alligators inhabiting natural marsh. Pen construction methods, stocking rates, and maintenance techniques were implemented to simulate natural marsh conditions, thereby encouraging breeding and contributing to the well being of the alligators. Diseases posed no problem during this investigation although fighting did cause some concern during the early stages of the study. Courtship activities, nest construction techniques and maternal duties following egg laying were highly variable among the various alligators under study. Also, courtship behavior was highly ritualized. Behavior of pen reared alligators as compared to wild captured adult alligators were compared.

Samples from fresh and saline waters in Louisiana showed little relation between foods eaten by young alligators and organisms available in these environments. Crustaceans were the principal foods in both freshwater and saline areas. Alligator stomachs from a freshwater area contained more than 6 times as much food as those from an adjacent saline area. The stomach capacity in the freshwater area was twice as great as in the saline area. The study suggests that young alligators which remain for extended periods in saline areas will have reduced growth rates as a result of reduced food intake.

A study was initiated on Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in order to investigate the possibility of using an electrical current as an aid in capturing alligators. A modified 110-220 volts-A.C. fish shocking unit and a 110-220 volts-D.C. pulsating unit were used in this study. Best results were obtained with the 110-220 volts-D.C. pulsating unit. This method is limited to areas of low water salinity and best results were obtained when the animal was partially exposed and the unit could be applied directly. Mortality occurred where alligators were repeatedly shocked and also if the prod was applied to the under surface of the stomach. The best results were obtained by applying the shock to the side of the neck just anterior to the front legs. Alligators were completely immobilized for approximately 15-25 minutes. Field test were limited as the unit was found to be greatly affected by salinity.

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.