Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

A mail survey of licensed trappers was conducted annually from 1976-1977 to 1979-1980 to obtain data to meet reporting requirements of the United States Endangered Species Scientific Authority (ESSA) on the status of the river otter (Lutra canadensis) in Mississippi. Estimates of harvest by trapping, number of trappers catching otters, trapper success, catch per unit effort, and species distribution were obtained from the data. An average of 356 licensed trappers caught an average of 1,155 river otters annually over the 4-year period. Occurrence of river otter was documented in 60 (73%) of 82 counties and 9 (90%) of 10 major river basins in Mississippi. Estimates of harvest and catch per unit effort indices indicated a stable or possibly increasing population density for river otter in Mississippi over the 4-year period.

Five-hundred twenty-seven trappers from a sample of 1000 responded to a mail survey designed to determine the reasons why they trap and the values that they associate with trapping. About 62 percent and 27 percent of the respondents indicated that sport and income, respectively, were the primary reasons that they trapped. Response to the question, "Why rlo you trap?" was significantly associated with age (P < 0.01)", experience (P = 0.01), anrl proportion of income derived from trapping (P < 0.01). Ranking of seven rlimensions of trapping satisfaction indicated that skill was the most important value associaterl with trapping followed by nature, income, exercise, escapism, hunting or fishing privileges, and foorl.

Pellet counts were conducted to estimate population densities of white-tailerl deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on 3 areas in the southern Appalachian Mountains of east Tennessee: (1) the Department of Energy's Oak Rirlge Reservation (2) Chuck Swan Wildlife Management Area, and (3) Carles Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A different sampling interval was userl on each area: 3 months, 2 month, and 3 weeks, respectively. Density estimates deriverl from pellet counts were comparerl to those deriverl from 2 mark-recapture techniques anrl 1 line transect technique on the Reservation; 1 mark-recapture and 1 line transect technique at Chuck Swan; and 2 plot sampling techniques at Cades Cove. The results inrlicaterl that the use of a 3-week to I-month sampling interval for pellet counts appearerl to he appropriate in the southern Appalachians.

Habitat use by the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon corais couperi), and associated species was studied in southern Georgia. Tortoises colonized sites where sand depth typically exceeded 1 m, and generally moved within areas less than 4 ha each year. The greatest population density (15.8/ha) was in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)-scrub oak (Quercus spp.) stands burned every 2-4 years. Thirty other vertebrate species were observed using tortoise burrows, and den size was evidently a factor in selection by some. All radio-instrumented indigo snakes used sandhills during winter and 94 percent of the winter dens were tortoise burrows; they also nested, foraged, and denned in burrows during other seasons and frequented clearings and windrowed areas.

The human dimension of wildlife management will pose increasingly difficult and important challenges to wildlife management agencies and university wildlife departments in the 1980's. The current imbalance between services rendered to consumptive users as compared to services for appreciative users must be rectified. Reallignment of policies and programs to incorporate new information generated by social scientists will be necessary. The first task should be to identify the spectrum of wildlife users from generalists to various specialists. Data on what each subgroup does in the outdoors and what each type expects from the resource should be gathered and analyzed. Analysis of recreational specialization yields new information on resource demand and provides a rationale for allocation of resources in short supply. The social scientist will work with the resource manager to match demand with supply of the available resources.

Wildlife habitat research in the Southeast has undergone several changes in direction since its beginning in the 1920's. Most recently, it has been marked by increased emphasis on special, seasonal habitat requirements; species other than major game animals; application of computer technology; babitat evaluation procedures; and methods of managing for wildlife diversity. These areas will continue to be emphasized in the 1980's. The broadening nature of habitat research and demands for quick answers to immediate problems will challenge the ability of the profession to maintain scientific credibility and research programs to develop basic knowledge needed for the future. Old lines of research on species requirements must be continued. High priority should be given to analysis and synthesis of the literature and to technology transfer.

An overview of the wildlife technical papers published in the proceedings of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies during the period 1971 through 1980 was presented. Over 64 percent (N =404) of the papers dealt with game animals while only 13 percent considered nonharvested species. In terms of subject matter, 48 percent of the papers dealt with species ecology with greater emphasis on aspects of status, habitat utilization and food habits than on characteristics of populations, physiology or behavior. Factors limiting the productivity, effectiveness, and application of wildlife research to resource management problems, as well as thoughts about the direction of future wildlife research were presented.

Telemetry information from 15 black bears (Ursus americanus) in northeastern Georgia were analyzed relative to den use, habitat type, elevation, and proximity to paved roads. Upland hardwoods, located at higher elevations and farther from paved roads, were preferred, especially by adult females during the denning season. These and other findings were used to evaluate the impact of proposed wilderness areas. Major advantages would include protection of den trees and hard mast supplies associated with mature hardwood stands. Reduced accessibility to humans should increase bear survival and allow emigration onto surrounding lands. Two major disadvantages would be possibly unreliable soft mast production, and the inability to do any corrective management should the habitat deteriorate.

Ear tagging and lip tattooing techniques were evaluated from 172 and 91 recaptured black bears (Ursus americanus), respectively. No significant differences (P < 0.5) in tag losses were detected between metal (21%) and plastic (17%) roto cattle tags. The use of 2 metal tags may increase the chance of long-term retention of these more durable tags. Tattoos exhibited good durability and legibility when properly applied on the smooth part at the side of the upper lip close to the gum. Multiple marks (2 ear tags, lip tattoo, and recording natural markings and abnormalities) should be used and the marks should be properly applied to maximize the chance of identifying bears over extended periods. Procedures for applying marks, factors associated with loss of marks, correction for loss of marks, tag return success, color coding techniques to delineate sex, nuisance history, and area of capture, and reobservation of marked bears are discussed.

Two subadult male bobcats (Lynx rufus) were radio-tracked in the South Carolina Coastal Plain region during the winter and spring of 1979 and 1980. Subadults deserted their initial activity areas in early spring and began a nomadic pattern of movement characterized by establishment of temporary activity areas for varying periods of time (30-60 days). Minimum total straight line distances along the routes taken from initial capture sites to points of last radio location were about 25 km. One subadult exhibited a degree of temporal and spatial segregation from adult bobcats of both sexes monitored during the same time and at the same general location.

A cursory evaluation of scent-station techniques was made in 6 physiographic regions of Alabama between January and April 1979 and between October 1979 and April 1980. In addition, predator calling was conducted at 30 stations in each of these 6 regions between November 1979 and March 1980. Synthetic fatty acid scent (FAS) was used as an attractant the first year, whereas FAS, red fox urine, bobcat urine, and a 1: 1 mixture of red fox and bobcat urine was used in systematic rotation the second year. Animal visitation was converted to indices of relative abundance for each species, and comparisons were made between years, amd among physiographic regions and attractants. Indices of free-ranging dog abundance were similar between years, among physiographic regions, and attractants. Bobcats responded more frequently to predator calling than to scentstations containing various scents.

Night-light capture rates for flightless juvenile and adult Florida ducks (Anas fulvigula fulvigula) were used to assess the possible significance of phosphatic clay settling areas as post breeding habitat. Capture rate was significantly below (P < 0.05) that documented for brackish water areas on the Merritt Island NWR, but was similar (P > 0.05) to the capture rate for brackish water habitat on Florida's Gulf Coast and fresh water habitat in Southeast and Central Florida. Analysis of the esophageal contents of ten actively feeding specimens collected during the study suggest the ample availability of invertebrate food items believed essential in the satisfaction of protein requirements of laying hens and ducklings. Other aspects of nesting and post nesting ecology and management implications are discussed.

Artificial wood duck nest boxes were surveyed during 1977 on the Bear Creek Waterfowl Management Area in west Tennessee. Box types used were wooden, metal vertical, and metal horizontal. Utilization, height, orientation and hatch success were recorded. Light intensity readings were taken on ten days. Utilization was 15% for wooden, 27 percent for metal vertical, and 0 percent for metal horizontal. Nest success in terms of percent hatch was 73.4 percent for wooden and 84.0 percent for metal vertical structures. The mean angles of utilized and unutilized boxes were not significantly different. There was no difference in light intensity between wood and metal boxes. Utilization was not dependent upon light intensity; rather visibility favored utilization.

Personnel of 6 National Wildlife Refuges in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee captured and neckbanded 1,462 Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) in 1977-80. Of these, 728 individuals were observed 1,430 times in the Mississippi Flyway. These observations and 44 hunting recoveries indicated that geese from the 6 refuges had varying degrees of association with both the Mississippi Valley Population and the Eastern Prairie Population. Geese banded at White River refuge tended to show greater affiliation with the Eastern Prairie Population than did geese banded at 3 other refuges.

New trends which effect state ma/!;azines can be seen in 4 major areas of printing: typesetting, paper production, press and fulfillment and color reproduction. As computers become more commonplace, in-house typesettin/!; is seen as a viable alternative for the smaller publication. Mill production and expansion schedules may force shorter run magazines to go to roll stock. This move can result in substantial savings if a partial groundwood coated stock is substituted for coated free sheets. The introduction of the mini web press makes this stock choice possible for the 25,000 to 100,000 run ma/!;azine. Innovation is finally reachin/!; the bindery with jet inking now in use in some plants for direct label application. Further developments indicate the possibility of the printer eventually handling fulfillment. Competition could allow these costs to become negotiable. Computerization is impacting color reproduction, too.

There has been an increased demand upon the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency's Audio-visual Department to produce various types of title and graphic slides. Several inexpensive and efficient methods for making attractive and informative slide graphics have been developed. Using very simple techniques and equipment, it is possible to produce multi-colored slides from black and white art work; captioned slides that are professional and extremely informative, and several other variations of the same. Combined, these visual aids can create a slide presentation tbat will rival high-priced production companies.

RESPECT stands for Responsible Educated Sportsmen Promoting Ethical Conduct Together. Operation RESPECT is a cooperative program to combat unethical sportsman conduct in Virginia and offset the negative publicity generated by the antihunting advocates. It was founded in 1979 by joint agreement of the Virginia Division of the Izaak Walton League of America, the Virginia Wildlife Federation and the Virginia Commission ofGame and Inland Fisheries. General support for the program was achieved in September 1979 at a sportsmans leaders conference. Thirteen planning strategies employed to generate momentum for the program are outlined. The Operation RESPECT Council developed after the conference. In contrast to similar programs in other states, the Council of sportsman leaders sets policy and gives direction to programs.