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In this paper we ask whether we should we re‐examine the future of upland gamebird management and greater federal oversight and partnerships in the twenty‐first century. Management for waterfowl in North America has been successful because of the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) and the subsequent 1986 North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). Although the MBTA included most migratory and non‐migratory species, upland gamebirds, including the northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; bobwhite), were excluded and retained under state control. Although many waterfowl populations have been increasing, bobwhite populations have declined precipitously during much of the period. Excluding non‐migratory gamebirds from the MBTA meant that the multistate coordinating efforts that made the MBTA successful for increasing the management of waterfowl have not been applied. The National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) has made a strong effort to unite states within the bobwhite range but does not have the federal anchoring and financial support that were given to states by the MBTA and NAWMP and currently integrate adaptive harvest, habitat management, and financial partnerships to acquire and manage wetlands that support waterfowl production. The NBCI Coordinated Implementation Program (CIP) is designed to serve the function of developing and monitoring habitat for bobwhites but is entirely voluntary and dependent entirely on state and non‐governmental organization (NGO) funds, lacking federal grants and Federal Duck Stamp funds. To catch up with the successes of waterfowl, we discuss the implications of increasing coordination, partnerships, and funding mechanisms between the federal government, state governments, and NGOs to provide common landscape‐level population monitoring and modeling, adaptive harvest regulations, habitat management goals, and a national upland gamebird stamp. © 2021 The Wildlife Society. This paper explores whether upland gamebirds should have increased federal coordination, like migratory gamebirds, to assure better conservation in the twenty‐first century. The authors discuss the implications of increasing coordination, partnerships, and funding mechanisms between the federal government, state governments, and non‐governmental organizations to provide common landscape‐level population monitoring and modeling, adaptive harvest regulations, habitat management goals, and a national upland gamebird stamp.

Grassland birds have experienced protracted population declines, primarily due to loss and degradation of native grasslands. Restoration of native grasses may benefit grassland birds, but such restoration within the eastern United States has been limited. Production uses of native grasses (e.g., hay, pasture, biofuel feedstock) provide market-based incentives that could lead to more extensive use of these grasses than existing conservation-focused practices, potentially influencing breeding birds. Therefore, we compared breeding bird (n = 9 target species) relative abundance among 4 types of native warm-season grass (NWSG) agricultural production fields: forage (hay and pasture; n = 22 and 7, respectively), seed (n = 21), biofuel (n = 15), and a control (idle fields in conservation programs or practices; n = 37) in Kentucky and Tennessee, 2009–2010. We detected 2 145 birds, with field sparrow (Spizella pusilla,43%) and red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus,27%) encountered most often. Relative abundance did not differ between production types and controls except for field sparrow (lower on seed production fields) and northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus,lower on hay production fields). Species richness equaled or exceeded that of control fields for all production categories. We documented negative relationships between relative abundance and landscape-scale forest cover for four species (field sparrow, grasshopper sparrow [Ammodramus savannarum], eastern meadowlark [Sturnella magna], and red-winged blackbird) and positive relationships with amount of pasture and hay cover for four species (northern bobwhite, grasshopper sparrow, eastern meadowlark, and red-winged blackbird), reinforcing the importance of nonforested environments for these species. We conclude that production stands could be a viable approach for increasing NWSG available for breeding birds and, when established in the appropriate landscape context, can provide benefits similar to those provided by conservation programs.

Wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris; hereafter, turkey) hunting is a popular outdoor recreation activity in many states, including Tennessee, USA. Despite its cultural and social significance, economic benefits associated with turkey hunting are largely unknown. Past economic studies either focused on other big game species or provided generic value for big game, and do not offer benefit estimates specific to turkey. We estimated a demand model for turkey hunting trips in Tennessee and quantified per‐trip and statewide aggregate value of turkey hunting. We compared the net economic value of turkey hunting trips between hunting seasons (autumn and spring) and wildlife management regions that differ in many aspects including turkey population, hunting regulations, etc. Per person per trip value of turkey hunting ranged between US$34 and US$90 depending on the modeling assumption regarding hunters’ opportunity cost of time. Moreover, estimated value differed among regions and between hunting seasons, with the value of a turkey‐hunting trip in the spring season being twice that of the autumn season. Many states in southern United States, including Tennessee, have recently experienced declines in turkey populations and are in need of economic justifications for investment in research and management. Our results are useful to wildlife agencies in characterizing economic benefits of turkey hunting and evaluating the welfare implications of regulations (e.g., closure, reduction in season length) restricting or expanding hunting opportunities. © 2020 The Wildlife Society. We estimated a demand model for turkey hunting trips in Tennessee, USA, and quantified per‐trip and statewide value of turkey hunting. The estimated value differed among management regions and hunting seasons, with the value of turkey‐hunting trips in the spring season being twice that of the fall season.

Grassland birds have declined more than any other guild in the United States because of loss and degradation of native grasslands. The United States Department of Agriculture Farm Bill programs have restored some native warm‐season grasses (NWSG), but populations of many grassland bird species continue to decline. Market‐based NWSG uses focused on hay, pasture, and biofuel feedstock may be more appealing to landowners, and may still provide grassland bird habitat on the landscape. We examined breeding grassland bird occupancy of 102 NWSG production fields including 5 treatments (control [n = 37], grazing [n = 7], hay [n = 22], seed [n = 21], and biofuel [n = 15] production) in Kentucky and Tennessee during 2009–2010 breeding seasons. We used a robust design model in Program MARK to determine occupancy and detection rates for grassland birds. We modeled occupancy differences among treatments and sites (i.e., KY, TN), and included covariates (i.e., field‐level vegetation metrics and landscape composition at 3 scales [250 m, 500 m, and 1 km]) for eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna), field sparrow (Spizella pusilla), grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), and red‐winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). Covariates that influenced occupancy included treatment (field sparrow, 2009 only), site (eastern meadowlark, grasshopper sparrow, and northern bobwhite), percent NWSG cover (positive, red‐winged blackbird), and percent forest cover within 250 m (negative for eastern meadowlark, grasshopper sparrow, northern bobwhite, and red‐winged blackbird) or within 1 km (negative, field sparrow). Our results suggest that forest cover in the surrounding landscape negatively influences species occupancy, and species occupancy generally did not differ among NWSG production treatments. These treatments could be an alternative means to provide grassland bird habitat within an agriculture production landscape. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.

Oak (Quercusspp.) woodlands and savannas throughout the Mid‐South, USA have become closed‐canopy forests through succession in the absence of fire, contributing to declines in disturbance‐dependent avian species. Restoration could ameliorate these trends, but effects of such management practices on avian communities of the Mid‐South are poorly understood. We implemented an experiment on the Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee with treatments involving fall (Oct) or spring (Mar) fire with woodland (14 m2/ha) or savanna (7 m2/ha) residual basal area and unmanaged control stands (20 ha each). We conducted fixed‐radius point counts 3 times annually (2010–2012) and analyzed trends in naïve occupancy for 41 species. For 20 species with adequate data (10 early‐, 10 late‐successional), we performed multiple‐season, robust‐design occupancy modeling and accounted for detection bias. We then used mixed‐model polynomial regression to define relationships between occupancy and measures of live and dead basal area, midstory density, and herbaceous groundcover. Restoration substantially altered forest structural characteristics but did not affect the occupancy of most late‐successional species. In contrast, the presence of early‐successional species increased as live basal area decreased and herbaceous groundcover increased. Only 3 of 41 species (hooded warbler [Setophaga citrina], ovenbird [Seiurus aurocapilla], and worm‐eating warbler [Helmitheros vermivorum]) exhibited reduced occupancy as woodland and savanna conditions were approached. The presence of all other species, including 13 regionally and 2 continentally declining, remained constant or increased as restoration progressed. Woodland conditions of 10 m2/ha live basal area and 20% herbaceous groundcover maximized occupancy of early‐successional species with little consequences for late‐successional species. Proceeding further toward savanna conditions negatively affected species associated with lower strata of mature‐forests but further increased the presence of some early‐successional species. Midstory density and dead basal area were poor predictors of occupancy and thus may be necessary but not sufficient in promoting early‐successional species. Our results suggest implementing oak woodland and savanna management in the Mid‐South could benefit disturbance‐dependent birds of high conservation priority with minimal negative impacts on the presence of late‐successional species. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.

ABSTRACT:As a wildlife biologist, I have often wondered about the tendency of land managers toward planting nonnative species for wildlife, purportedly because of superior nutritional characteristics. Therefore, I analyzed seeds of 26 species of plants for 3 key nutritional factors: gross energy, crude protein, and crude fat. Six of the species were nonnative (including 4 common agricultural crops), whereas the other 20 were native North American plants often reported in wildlife food habits studies. Two crop plants (Helianthus annuusL. [Asteraceae] and Glycine max(L.) Merr. [Fabaceae]), one nonnative plant (Lespedeza bicolorTurcz. [Fabaceae]), and 7 native species had the 10 highest values of crude fat. Glycine max, along with 2 nonnative Lespedezaspecies and 7 native species had the greatest values of crude protein. For gross energy, Helianthus annuusand Glycine max, along with 8 native species, ranked highest. When comparing the combination of gross energy, crude fat, and crude protein for all species, 4 nonnative and 6 native species ranked highest. This study, the first to test these species with identical procedures, provides comparative evidence that supports using native plants, rather than agricultural and other nonnative species, to supply wildlife winter food.

ABSTRACT The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is currently considered a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act. To identify potential limiting factors for lesser prairie-chicken populations, we developed an age-based matrix model of lesser prairie-chicken population dynamics to compare the relative importance of components of reproduction and survival, and determine if various management alternatives stabilize or increase rates of population change. We based our analyses on an intensive 6-year population study from which demographic rates were estimated for each age class in Kansas. We used deterministic models and elasticity values to identify parameters predicted to have the greatest effect on the rate of population change (?) at 2 study sites. Last, we used life-stage simulation analysis to simulate various management alternatives. Lambda was <1 for both populations (site 1: ? = 0.54, site 2: ? = 0.74). However, we found differences in sensitivity to nest success and chick survival between populations. The results of the simulated management scenarios complemented the lower-level elasticity analysis and indicated the relative importance of female survival during the breeding season compared with winter. If management practices are only capable of targeting a single demographic rate, changes to either nest success or chick survival had the greatest impact on ? at site 1 and 2, respectively. Management that simultaneously manipulated both nest success and chick survival was predicted to have a greater effect on ? than changes in survival of adult females. In practice, our demographic analyses indicate that effective management should be based on habitat conservation measures to increase components of fecundity.

Abstract:The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) is an economically important gamebird that is currently undergoing widespread population declines. Despite considerable research on the population ecology of bobwhites, there have been few attempts to model population dynamics of bobwhites to determine the contributions of different demographic parameters to variance of the finite rate of population change (?). We conducted a literature review and compiled 405 estimates of 9 demographic parameters from 49 field studies of bobwhites. To identify demographic parameters that might be important for management, we used life-stage simulation analyses (LSA) to examine sensitivity of ? to simulated variation in 9 demographic parameters for female bobwhites. In a baseline LSA based on uniform distributions bounded by the range of estimates for each demographic parameter, bobwhite populations were predicted to decline (? = 0.56) and winter survival of adults made the greatest contribution to variance of ? (r2= 0.453), followed by summer survival of adults (r2= 0.163), and survival of chicks (r2= 0.120). Population change was not sensitive to total clutch laid, nest survival, egg hatchability, or 3 parameters associated with the number of nesting attempts (r2<0.06). Our conclusions were robust to alternative simulation scenarios, and parameter rankings changed only if we adjusted the lower bounds of winter survival upwards. Bobwhite populations were not viable with survival rates reported from most field studies. Survival rates may be depressed below sustainable levels by environmental conditions or possibly by impacts of capture and telemetry methods. Overall, our simulation results indicate that management practices that improve seasonal survival rates will have the greatest potential benefit for recovery of declining populations of bobwhites.

We conducted this 2-year study to determine if lesser prairie-chickens Tympanuchus pallidicinctus and ring-necked pheasants Phasianus colchicus used the same habitats where their ranges overlapped in southwestern Kansas. Telemetry locations of 50 transmitter-equipped lesser prairie-chickens and 28 pheasants were used to monitor habitat use by the two species. Additionally, vegetation characteristics at 39 nest sites of lesser prairie-chickens were compared to those at 14 pheasant nest sites. Morisita's Index of niche overlap detected moderate similarities of habitat mixes used by lesser prairie-chickens and pheasants, but location data showed that spatial use of those habitats differed. Vegetation structure around nest sites of the two species differed significantly indicating selection of different habitat for nesting birds, and lesser prairie-chickens nested far from the outer edges of native prairie whereas pheasants nested nearer the outer edges. Despite the modest amount of similarity in mixes of habitats used by lesser prairie-chickens and ring-necked pheasants, we conclude that the two species occupy separate niches given the current extent of habitat in southwestern Kansas. However, if additional habitat loss or fragmentation occurs pheasants may gain competitive advantage over lesser prairie-chickens. Thus, we recommend maintaining and conserving large blocks of native habitat as well as the connectivity between them as a management strategy for maintaining populations of lesser prairie-chickens.

ABSTRACTLong-term population declines and habitat reductions have increased concern over the status of the lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus). Robust estimates of demographic parameters are essential for identifying population declines and planning effective management. We evaluated the effects of age and season on the survival of female lesser prairie-chickens at 2 sites in southwestern Kansas, USA. Using telemetry data from a 7-year field study (from 1997 to 2003), we estimated seasonal (Apr—Sep) and annual (Apr—Mar) survival. We also examined daily survival rates of females attending nests during the 26-day incubation period and young during the 14-day early brood-rearing period. We evaluated the probable mortality causes of radiomarked birds by examining evidence at recovery sites. We captured 227 female lesser prairie-chickens (87 yearlings, 117 ad, and 23 age undetermined) and fitted them with radiotransmitters. Estimates of 12-month survival were lower among yearlings (S12= 0.429, SE = 0.117) and adults at site I (S12> = 0.302, SE = 0.080) than among yearlings (S12= 0.588, SE = 0.100) and adults at site II (S12> = 0.438, SE = 0.083). The patterns in timing of mortality and age-specific 6-month survival were consistent with those of 12-month estimates at site I from 1998 to 2002, with a peak in mortality during May and June. Females tending to nests or to prefledged chicks had lower daily survival (DSRtend= 0.993, SE = 0.001) than females not involved in these activities (DSRfailedbreeder= 0.997, SE = 0.002). We recorded 92 mortalities from April 1997 to March 2003, and 59% and 11% were attributed to predation by mammals and raptors, respectively. Our research suggests that predation during the nesting season can have a major impact on lesser prairie-chicken demography, and conservation efforts should focus on enhancing female survival during the nesting and brood-rearing seasons.

Abstract:The lack of adequate documentation of wildlife translocations, particularly details regarding the source stock used, have potentially serious implications for wildlife management. Poor documentation of translocations may lead to unintentional mixing of distinct types, potentially causing problems for future management, design of harvest programs, and evolutionary stability. In Kansas, we employed molecular tools and assignment methods to uncover the cryptic distribution of wild turkey subspecies resulting from decades of poorly documented translocations. Pure forms of Eastern (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) and Rio Grande turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia) remain in many portions of the state, and future translocation programs now have the option to keep these distinct by prohibiting translocations between regions containing different subspecies. In addition, we documented 3 zones of hybridization: 1) at the interface between Eastern and Rio Grande subspecies, 2) in southwest Kansas where immigrant Merriam's turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo merriami) are mixing with translocated Rio Grande turkeys, and 3) surrounding an undocumented translocation of Eastern turkeys within a region characterized primarily by Rio Grande turkeys. The DNA-based techniques employed in this study were extremely informative tools for characterizing the distribution of wild turkeys in Kansas and suggest that such tools could be applied in a multitude of similar situations in other wildlife species.

AbstractWildlife managers depend on accurate information regarding wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) survival patterns to properly manage turkey populations. Survival patterns of male Rio Grande wild turkeys (M. g. intermedia) have not been studied intensively. Wildlife managers in the Texas Panhandle, USA, and southwestern Kansas, USA, suspected that turkey populations were declining. From January 2000 through August 2002, we studied survival and movement of 107 juvenile male and 115 adult male radiomarked Rio Grande wild turkeys on 4 study sites in the Texas Panhandle and southwestern Kansas. We predicted that males would experience lowest survival during spring and that there would be no difference in survival between age classes. We also predicted that greater male movement rates would lead to lower survival rates. Juvenile males had a higher annual survival rate (0.597 [95% CI hereafter: 0.478–0.716]) than adults (0.364 [0.257–0.472]). Juvenile male survival did not differ among seasons, with survival rates of 0.813 (0.736–0.891), 0.904 (0.837–0.972), and 0.917 (0.838–0.996) for spring, summer, and autumn, respectively. Adult male turkey survival was higher during summer (0.915 [0.859–0.972]) than during spring (0.725 [0.651–0.799]), autumn (0.671 [0.536–0.807]), and winter (0.792 [0.732–0.851]). Males had lower survival rates during seasons when long-distance movements were common. The annual survival rate for turkeys that moved to new core-use areas (0.383 [0.282–0.484]) was lower than that for turkeys that did not (0.535 [0.460–0.609]). Also, survival rates increased with time since relocation of core-use areas. Hunting accounted for 18.5% of all mortalities. However, most (80.7%) mortality was attributed to natural causes, mostly mammalian predation. We suspected most predation was the result of coyotes (Canis latrans) and bobcats (Lynx rufus). Managers in the northern portion of the natural range of Rio Grande wild turkeys should be aware of the presence of natural mortality factors that are evident in lightly hunted populations. Managers interested in increasing the survival of male Rio Grande wild turkeys should concentrate on efforts that will provide needed resources in close proximity to roosts.

Abstract: Lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) populations have declined rangewide, and one of the principal causes is thought to be low nest success. Little is known about the relationship of vegetation structure and human intrusion to lesser prairie-chicken nest location and success. We conducted our study from 1997 to 2002 in southwestern Kansas, USA, on 2 sand-sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia) prairie areas managed for livestock production. We determined apparent nest success (26%) for 200 of 209 lesser prairie-chicken nests located. Nest sites had taller grass, greater sand-sagebrush density, and higher visual obstruction than random locations in the surrounding prairie. We recorded the distances from nests to 6 anthropogenic features (wellheads, buildings, improved roads, unimproved roads, transmission lines, center-pivot irrigation fields) to determine whether the features were related to nest location and success. Sand-sagebrush habitat around 5 of 6 features (all except unimproved roads) was avoided for 80 m (wellheads) to >1,000 m (buildings) by nesting lesser prairie-chickens, but distances to the features were not substantial predictors of apparent nest success. Grass height, sagebrush plant density, and sagebrush height were the most important vegetation characteristics influencing nest success.

Abstract: We derived consequences (realizations of hunter efficiency, relative harvest rates) of fixed, liberal quail (northern bobwhite [Colinus virginianus], Gambel's quail [Callipepla gambelii], and scaled quail [C. squamata]) harvest regulations applied at large scales from time series on quail abundance, total harvest, and hunter participation. Data came from Kansas (1966–2001), Missouri (1983–2001), Oklahoma (1990–2001), north and south Texas (1986–2001), and Arizona (1982–1999), USA, where harvest regulations were liberal (season length 2.5–4 months, daily bag limit 8–15 birds) during the periods of record. For all study regions, hunter-days were expressible as a linear function of quail abundance, and total harvest was expressible as a linear function of hunter-days. These results implied that hunter efficiency (harvest/hunter-day/index bird) declined monotonically and curvilinearly as quail populations increased. Likewise, relative harvest rate declined monotonically and curvilinearly as abundance increased, which implied that harvest was not self-limiting; however, the rate of decline generally was low because harvest rate was the product of an increasing (hunter-days) and a decreasing function (hunter efficiency) of quail abundance. Under fixed, liberal regulations, variations in quail abundance seem to govern harvest rates at the state or regional level; the regulations per se probably are biologically inconsequential.

Abstract:We examined how harvest affected natural mortality rates and how the dynamics of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus, hereafter bobwhite) covey membership might affect the additive nature of harvest. We conducted repeated searches for coveys and radiomarked all coveys found on 12 259-ha study areas in east-central Kansas, USA. We simulated a harvest in 6 randomly selected areas each year during November–January, 1997–2000, by trapping and removing 60% of bobwhites in each covey. We used flush counts and radiotelemetry to measure harvest effects on natural mortality rates, overall winter survival, covey size, and densities. Observed natural mortality rates of radiomarked individuals were similar between harvested (50.6 + 4.3%) and unharvested areas (52.1 + 4.7%). Estimated winter survival was 47.9% on the unharvested areas and 20.9% on the harvested areas. Harvest did not affect the number of coveys, average covey size, or density of bobwhites, indicating that coveys coalesced through local movement. Our results indicate that harvest is additive to natural mortality and suggest that local movement to maintain optimal group sizes can mask the true effect of harvest on observed densities in small areas.

The author proposes an educational curriculum for practicing wildlife biologists. He provides an overview of a curriculum which he views is ideal for wildlife students consisting of core biological sciences, applied biological sciences, core and applied physical sciences, core and applied social sciences, and core quantitative sciences. He also urges wildlife professionals to take a Consumptive Wildlife Recreation.

An introduction to articles published within the issue is presented, including one on the framework for planning ecological data management, another on a case study on developing a system that allows on-line entry of data by multiple users and one on a case study of data management challenges for a large-scale biodiversity monitoring program in Alberta.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in the winter 2012 issue including "A Growing Threat: How Deer Breeding Could Put Public Trust Wildlife at Risk," one about the ethics of wildlife photography, and one on the importance of wildlife graduate programs.

An obituary for editor Dr. Warren B. Ballard is presented.

During the spring and fall turkey hunting seasons of 1999, hunters and Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks field personnel examined wild turkeys, Meleagris gallopavo L., for ticks and submitted them to us for identification. From springtime hunting, we received 113 ticks from 12 turkeys killed in nine counties, all in the eastern one-third of Kansas. Collectors reported examining three additional wild turkeys on which no ticks were found. All ticks were nymphal lone star ticks, Amblyomma americanum (L.). Of 11 wild turkeys examined in seven counties during October, one was parasitized by 30 A. americanum larvae. Data from this study and accounts from the published literature suggest that parasitism of wild turkeys by immature lone star ticks is commonplace wherever this host and ectoparasite are sympatric. Our study suggests that M. gallopavo may be an important host that supports lone star tick populations.