Nesting Habitat of Eastern Wild Turkeys (Meleagris Gallopavo Sylvestris) in East Texas‪.‬

Abstract. -- Eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo sylvestris) captured in Iowa and Georgia were relocated to the Pineywoods of east Texas where they were radio-marked and released. During the 1995 and 1996 nesting seasons, nest sites of radio-marked hens were located and characteristics of the habitat surrounding the sites and of randomly selected sites in the same vegetation type were evaluated using paired t-tests. Of 24 nest located, 6 were successful. Most nests were in mature pine-hardwood stands or pine regeneration areas. Nest sites had higher densities of living and dead grasses and higher screening cover values than did random sites (P 0.05). Other habitat characteristics did not differ between nest and random sites (P 0.05). These results suggest that herbaceous ground cover is the most important habitat variable which hens use when selecting nest sites. Habitat characteristics surrounding nests located in this study were similar to those documented in other studies in the southeast. Although nesting habitat probably is adequate in east Texas, land managers could increase such habitat by mowing utility rights-of-way on a two to three-year schedule, implementing a three to five-year prescribed burning regime, thinning pine stands at or before canopy closure, retaining slash after logging operation, and delaying site preparation in regeneration areas until after the nesting season. **********