SURVIVAL, REPRODUCTION, MOVEMENT, AND HABITAT USE OF FEMALE EASTERN WILD TURKEYS (MELEAGRIS GALLOPAVO SILVESTRIS) IN MANITOBA’S PEMBINA VALLEY by BRIAN W. KISS A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Environment and Geography University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba Copyright © 2014 by Brian W. Kiss ABSTRACT Vital rates and movement patterns of eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) have never been studied at the northern extent of their North American range in Manitoba, Canada. Using radio telemetry during 2011 and 2012, this study collected estimates of female spring/summer survival, reproductive success, dispersal, home range size, and habitat use. Females had a 53% survival probability, 82% nesting frequency, 29% nesting success, 35% hen success, 11.3 eggs/clutch, 89% hatching success, and a natality rate of 2.3. Winter weather and relatively high predator numbers appear to have caused annual variation in survival and hen success. Spring dispersal distances and home ranges averaged 8.2 km and 554.4 ha, respectively. Home ranges were selected in relation to forests, cattle feedlots, and grasslands; while within home ranges, individuals selected areas close to grasslands, forests, and intermittent streams. These results can be used when modeling current populations, managing harvest, and structuring future releases. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Going back to school and pursuing this degree was not easy, to say the least, but even though were a few bumps in the road along the way, I am truly grateful for the journey and everything that I‟ve learnt, in school and in life. Thank you Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship for initiating and funding a large portion of this research, and employing me as a summer student during my two field seasons in the Pembina Valley. I also appreciate funding from the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) Canada Super Fund, Manitoba Wildlife Federation, Wild Gobblers Unlimited, Safari Club International Foundation, Alice Chambers-Hyacinth Colomb Student Assistantship, and the Richard C. Goulden Memorial Award. Thank you Ducks Unlimited Canada for supplying telemetry equipment, and Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship‟s Manitou District for providing field accommodations. I‟d like to thank my advisor Dr. Rick Baydack, and my committee members Frank Baldwin, Brian Joynt, and Dr. Dave Walker for all of their support throughout this process. Thank you Rick, for originally notifying me of this potential project when I emailed you from Edmonton, desperately searching for graduate school opportunities, and for all of the professional development advice that you‟ve provided during my university career. Thank you Frank, for initiating this research, taking me under your wing as your game bird assistant, and mentoring me throughout the course of this project. The direction and advice that you provided during the last few years has been invaluable. Thank you Brian, for sharing your experience with radio-telemetry research, and helping me cut my teeth down to the valley during my first few weeks of monitoring in 2011. Thank you Dave, for sharing your GIS knowledge during both of my degrees, and steering me down the right path with my habitat analysis. ii This project would not have been possible without support from my colleagues at Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship, and various volunteers from both Pembina Game and Fish, and Wild Gobblers Unlimited. I‟d especially like to thank Jim & Tracy Moores, and Eugene Bodykevich for their extensive help with trapping activities. Also, thank you to Laurie & Richard Lea, David & Craig Dymond, and Reg Edwards who allowed access to their farm sites for trapping operations; and to the many landowners that allowed me to chase my turkeys around their properties during my two years in the valley. I‟d like to extend a big thank you to my parents Marlene and Nestor Kiss, and my sister Alana Kolomaya for their love and constant words of encouragement during the past few years. In addition, thank you all of my close friends, who also showed their support, and didn‟t hesitate to help me let loose and have fun when needed. Lastly, I‟d like to dedicate this thesis to my grandfather, Gerald Sanness. The love for the outdoors and passion for adventure that you shared with me growing up was truly inspiring, and it undoubtedly led me down the path that I travel today. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................... I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................. II TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................................... IV LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................. VI LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................. VII LIST OF APPENDICES.................................................................................................................... VIII CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................... 1 The Wild Turkey .................................................................................................................................................... 1 Ancestral Range .................................................................................................................................................... 3 History in Manitoba ............................................................................................................................................. 5 PROBLEM STATEMENT ...................................................................................................... 7 RESEARCH RATIONALE ..................................................................................................... 9 LITERATURE CITED .......................................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER 2 – SURVIVAL AND REPRODUCTION OF FEMALE EASTERN WILD TURKEYS IN THE PEMBINA VALLEY, MANITOBA ........................................................... 17 BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................... 17 Survival .................................................................................................................................................................. 17 Reproduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 19 STUDY AREA ......................................................................................................................... 20 METHODS .............................................................................................................................. 23 Capture and Monitoring ................................................................................................................................. 23 Nest Investigation .............................................................................................................................................. 25 Mortality Investigation .................................................................................................................................... 26 Analysis .................................................................................................................................................................. 26 RESULTS ................................................................................................................................ 28 Capture .................................................................................................................................................................. 28 Survival .................................................................................................................................................................. 29 Cause Specific Mortality ................................................................................................................................. 31 Reproduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 32 DISCUSSION .......................................................................................................................... 35 MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS ..................................................................................... 41 LITERATURE CITED .......................................................................................................... 44 iv CHAPTER 3 – FEMALE EASTERN WILD TURKEY MOVEMENT AND HABITAT USE IN THE PEMBINA VALLEY, MANITOBA ....................................................................... 48 BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................