Survival of Female Rio Grande Turkeys during the Reproductive Season

We estimated mortality specific to dispersal, nesting, and brood-rearing activities (15 Mar-15 Aug) for 118 female Rio Grande wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia) in south-central Kansas from 2 February to 15 August 1991 (n = 40) and 8 January to 5 September 1992 (n = 78) to better understand the effect of these activities on survival during the reproductive season. Female survival from January through August was 54.7% (SE = 0.047) and survival during the reproductive season was 62.1% (SE = 0.047). Juvenile females dispersed (? = 11.51 km) longer distances (P = 0.014) than adult females (? = 6.16 km). We found no relationship between dispersal distance and survival for adults (P = 0.54) or juveniles (P = 0.15) during the reproductive season. Dispersal information could be used by managers as a guideline to establish management unit boundaries for harvest and habitat management activities. Survival (0.742) of females incubating first nests of the year was lower (P = 0.033) than survival (0.933) of females incubating second or third nests of the year. The influence of spring and early summer rains on vegetational communities may have been responsible for the higher survival probability of renesting females.