Survival and cause-specific mortality of male wild turkeys across the southeastern United States

Estimating survival and cause-specific mortality of male eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) is important for understanding population dynamics and implementing appropriate harvest management. To better understand age-specific estimates of annual survival and harvest rates, we captured and marked male wild turkeys with leg bands (n = 311) or bands and transmitters (n = 549) in Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina, USA, during 2014-2022. We fitted time to event models to data from radio-marked birds to estimate cause-specific mortality and annual survival. We used band recovery models incorporating both band recovery and telemetry data to further investigate harvest rates and survival. Annual survival from known-fate models in hunted populations was 0.54 (95% CI = 0.49-0.59) for adults and 0.86 (95% CI = 0.81-0.92) for juveniles. Cause-specific mortality analysis produced an annual harvest estimate of 0.29 (95% CI = 0.24-0.33) for adults and 0.02 (95% CI = 0.01-0.03) for juveniles, whereas predation was 0.15 (95% CI = 0.10-0.20) and 0.12 (95% CI = 0.08-0.17), respectively. Annual survival for adult males in a non-hunted population was 0.83 (95% CI = 0.72-0.97). Survival rate was negatively correlated with harvest rate, indicating harvest was an additive mortality source. Annual survival from band recovery models was 0.40 (95% CI = 0.37-0.44) for adults and 0.88 (95% CI = 0.81- 0.93) for juveniles, whereas annual harvest estimates were 0.24 (95% CI = 0.23-0.25) for adults and 0.04 (95% CI = 0.03-0.05) for juveniles. Both models suggested no differences in annual survival across years or among study areas, which included privately owned and public properties. Harvest was an additive mortality source for male wild turkeys, suggesting that managers interested in increasing annual survival of adult males could consider ways of reducing harvest rates.