Factors impacting gobbling chronology and activity of male wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in Alabama

Abstract

Eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) are the second most pursued game species in the United States and hold significant cultural and economic value across the Southeast. Recent declines have raised concerns regarding population sustainability. Consequently, many Southeastern states (e.g., Alabama) have adjusted season frameworks through delayed seasons and reduced bag limits in an effort to reverse these trends. The potential impacts to wild turkey populations and hunter satisfaction within Alabama have not been investigated. Further, little is known regarding the relationship between landscape composition and gobbling activity, which is an important determinant of hunter satisfaction. Thus, we deployed 91 autonomous recording units (ARUs) on public and private study sites across Alabama to investigate how different factors impacted gobbling activity and chronology of male wild turkeys. We deployed ARUs from 1 March to 30 June during 2022 and 2023 and recorded all ambient sound from 1 hr before sunrise to 5 hr after. A small, 6-day difference in peak gobbling occurred from north to south Alabama, but the difference was likely inadequate to warrant region-specific hunting seasons. Gobbling activity was suppressed on transitional and moist days. Gobbling activity was positively associated with cumulative male removal, but not to other measures of hunting activity. The proportion of gobbling activity captured by the hunting season was greater on private land, where the season started one-week earlier than on public land. In general, our results showed that later seasons captured less gobbling activity. Gobble detection rates increased with the amount of early successional and mature bottomland forest cover at the landscape level, and were positively associated with forb ground cover at the local (ARU) scale. Overall, our research provides state agencies and managers with important information on the impact of changes in season frameworks, along with how latitude, humidity, hunting, and habitat characteristics affect gobbling in wild turkey populations.