Home range size and resource use of male eastern wild turkeys in West Virginia

Abstract

Age-related differences in habitat use are commonly observed among eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris). We investigated home range size and within home range habitat (third-order) selection of 55 radio-tracked adult and juvenile male wild turkeys across five ecological regions of West Virginia from September 2004 to August 2007. Mean core (50% fixed-kernel density estimates [KDE]; adult = 363.2 ha; juvenile = 447.6 ha) and peripheral (95% KDE; adult = 1635.4 ha; juvenile = 2105.8 ha) home range size estimates were large, but comparable to both historical and contemporary published estimates, particularly from forest-dominated areas. Resource use differed between age classes, particularly in relation to forest fragmentation metrics. Both adults and juveniles preferentially selected for deciduous forests, while avoiding developed land and open water. However, adults selected for forest edges and avoided non-forest areas and non-core forest patches. In contrast, juveniles utilized most fragmentation classes in proportion to their availability but avoided large core (>200 ha) forest areas. To benefit eastern wild turkey populations in West Virginia, management efforts should prioritize the creation and maintenance of forest edges in deciduous stands <200 ha, particularly in regions with minimal anthropogenic influence.