Wild turkey poult survival in southcentral Iowa

Poult survival is key to understanding annual change in wild turkey (Meleag ris gallopavo) populations. Survival of eastern wild turkey poults (M. g. s ilvestris) 0-4 weeks posthatch was studied in southcentral Iowa during 1994 -97. Survival estimates of poults were calculated based on biweekly flush c ounts and daily locations acquired via radiotelemetry. Poult survival avera ged 0.52 +/- 0.14% ((x) over bar +/- SE) for telemetry counts and 0.40 +/- 0.15 for flush counts. No within-year or across-year differences were detec ted between estimation techniques, More than 72% (n = 32) of documented pou lt mortality occurred less than or equal to 14 days posthatch, and mammalia n predation accounted for 92.9% of documented mortality. If mortality agent s are not of concern, we suggest biologists conduct 4-week flush counts to obtain poult survival estimates for use in population models and developmen t of harvest recommendations.