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Status, Ecology and Genetic Identity of Wild Turkey
in the Davis Mountains of Texas

by J. Shane King, Michael Hobson (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) and Louis A. Harveson

A population of wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) has been established in the Davis Mountains region of Texas. A study was initiated to collect data on wild turkey in the Davis Mountains to provide baseline information on this species.

We designed this study of turkeys in the Davis Mountains to:

  1. document survival rates,
  2. estimate population size and density,
  3. assess habitat use,
  4. determine genetic identities, and
  5. develop management recommendations.

Between November 2001 and October 2002, 22 wild turkeys were captured and fitted with radio transmitters on the Davis Mountains Preserve (Jeff Davis County, Texas) and data was collected.

The annual survival rate was 0.2393. Cause-specific mortalities were attributed to mammalian predators (n = 7) and unknown (n = 4).

Using the Schnabel method we estimated that 165 turkeys (95 percent CI = 99.0-371.0) reside on the study area, with a density of 1.06 turkeys/ km2. Turkeys did not use habitats in proportion to their availability (X2 = 170.257, 5 df, P < 0.001) and selected riparian gallery forests.

Microsatellite variation analysis was utilized to determine genetic identities of the study cohort. Two Rio Grande turkey (M. g. intermedia) populations and one Merriam's turkey (M. g. merriami) population were sampled to serve as controls for the microsatellite variation analysis.

The populations had a high number of alleles per locus ( x = 9.2, range = 2 - 15) and 17 control region haplotypes. The genetic identities of the turkey captured in the Davis Mountains revealed approximately 37 percent Merriam's turkey, 56 percent Rio Grande turkey, and 7 percent hybrid turkey.

Management recommendations have been formulated for wild turkey in the Davis Mountains. These recommendations should improve wild turkey habitat as well as facilitate an increase population numbers in this area.    

Cooperative funding for this project was provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Sul Ross State University.
This page was printed from www.sulross.edu/pages/4686.asp on Friday, September 5, 2008.