Sul Ross State University

Distribution, Status and Winter Roost-Site Characteristics
of Wild Turkey in the Trans-Pecos, Texas

by Kory Perlicheck, Mike Hobson (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) and Louis A. Harveson

Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) occur intermittently throughout the Trans-Pecos region. In the lower desert of the Trans-Pecos, turkeys are strongly associated with the limited amount of riparian habitat.

Turkey populations in the region are thought to be on the increase; however, empirical data is lacking. We initiated a study to:

1. map the distribution;
2. document microhabitat characteristics of roost sites;
3. map potential roost sites;
4. map riparian corridors; and
5. estimate winter population density of wild turkeys throughout the Trans-Pecos.

We measured microhabitat characteristics (canopy cover, stand density, visual obstruction readings, understory herbaceous cover, tree height, diameter-at-breast height (dbh), height-to-lowest-live-branch, slope, aspect and distance to permanent water) from 15 winter roost sites in three habitat types in the Trans-Pecos region: Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), live oak (Quercus virginiana), and sugar hackberry (Celtis laevigata).

All roost sites were <1 km of permanent water and located in riparian regions.

Among the three habitats, large tree diameters were a prerequisite for roost trees in live oak habitat, where live oak roost trees were larger (mean dbh = 57.8 cm) than non-roosting trees (mean dbh = 39.1 cm) and sugar hackberry habitat, where roost trees were larger (mean dbh = 25.8) than non-roosting trees (mean dbh = 21.3).

Due to the sparse tree density, we recommend that large trees (>6.3 m) be protected throughout the Trans-Pecos. In addition, exotic species (e.g., Tamarisk) should be controlled and native riparian habitats should be preserved.

Cooperative funding for this project was provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Sul Ross State University.