Eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) have colonized the entire state of Wisconsin, USA since being successfully reintroduced in the 1970s. Recently, conservation groups have expressed concerns regarding habitat quantity and quality in association with population plateaus and declines in local abundance in some portions of the state. Estimates of survival and productivity are needed to identify the current population status and for drafting effective management plans. We evaluated female eastern wild turkey demographic parameters and the relationship of these parameters to landscape composition between townships that were forest-dominated and those that were primarily open (e.g., cropland, pasture) in southwest and west-central Wisconsin. We radiomarked 129 female eastern wild turkeys during a 2-year field study (2010)(2011)(2012). Seasonal variation and landscape effects on survival were important components in our top models, which accounted for >98% of the relative support. Seasonal survival (AESE) was lowest during spring ( Management of eastern wild turkeys that enhances female and poult survival during the nesting and brood-rearing periods can greatly influence population growth, particularly in forest-dominant landscapes.

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The eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) is an economically important upland game bird that has been successfully reintroduced in Wisconsin, USA, and now occurs across the entire state. Although populations have become relatively stable across much of the state, recent concerns have been expressed regarding a plateau in total harvest and declines in local abundance across some areas. Current ecological and demographic parameters are needed to develop biologically justifiable and efficient management strategies. To address these concerns, we used demographic data collected during recent studies on wild turkey survival and productivity in 2 contrasting landscapes with differing proportions of forest and open cover. We then used the properties of deterministic matrix models to identify parameters predicted to have the greatest effect on the finite rate of population change (l) in both landscapes. Our analyses projected population decline for turkeys in predominately forested landscapes (l ¼ 0.782) and population increases in more open landscapes (l ¼ 1.112). Variance-scaled sensitivities suggested that l was most sensitive to variation in nest and poult survival for populations in both landscapes. A life-table response experiment further indicated that higher l in open landscapes was largely attributable to greater rates of yearling and adult female survival during the nesting and brood-rearing period. Simulated variations suggest manipulations in female harvest during the fall either-sex season had less impact on l than did alterations in components of fecundity. Our model results indicated that wild turkey population growth varies across landscapes in southwest and west-central Wisconsin. Management practices that address factors influencing components of fecundity likely have the greatest effect on l in both landscapes. Additionally, populations in forested landscapes may require more conservative harvests to enhance female survival if population stability or increase is to be realized. Ó

Spring burning is used to control invasion by woody vegetation of rangelands in eastern Kansas and also of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields planted to native grasses. We measured the effects of spring burning of CRP fields on vegetation structure and avian populations in northeastern Kansas during the summers of 1992 through 1995. Several vegetation characteristics differed between burned and unburned CRP fields in May, but few differed in July. Mean avian abundance on burned CRP fields was 5.6 birds km-' of survey transect, significantly less (P < 0.01) than the 8.6 km-' on unburned fields. The avian-assemblages on burned and unburned fields differed more in May/June ~orisita's Index to Similarity (MIS) = 0.86] than in June/July or July/August (MIS = 0.98 and 0.97, respectively). Avian species richness ranged from 12 to 21 on burned fields and from 10 to 19 on unburned fields. A total of 27 nests was found on burned fields, significantly less (P < 0.01) than the 372 found on unburned fields. The 22.2% nesting success on burned fields was not signiticantly different (P = 0.205) than the 34.1% success on unburned fields. Spring burning reduced bird-nest numbers in the summer of the same year, hut did not reduce signiticantly (P = 0.235) the number of nests found in those fields the following summers nor the abundance of birds or nesting success. Avoidance of annual burning would reduce adverse impacts on bii populations relying on CRP fields for nesting habitat.

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