Chloe Bates
Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Master’s in Range and Wildlife Management
Analysis of Survey Methods and Development of Habitat Suitability Models for Rio Grande Wild Turkeys
Since receiving this scholarship, I have earned a master’s degree in Range and Wildlife Management at Texas A&M University – Kingsville. My research focused on providing the Texas Military Department baseline population estimates for Rio Grande wild turkey on two military installations. Specifically, my goals were to, 1. analyze the precision of survey methods (road, roost, and camera-trap), and 2. Develop habitat suitability models to isolate areas most likely to harbor turkeys. While survey analyses and habitat suitability models have been conducted for Rio Grande wild turkeys in Texas, few have done so in either the Post Oak Savannah or Cross Timbers ecoregions. By conducting surveys, I found both installations did not have large enough populations to allow for statistical analyses or population estimates. I also found most turkeys on both installations were observed during the breeding season. By developing habitat suitability models for the winter and breeding season, I found both installations had higher levels of suitability for the breeding season than the winter season for wild turkey. This study provided the Texas Military Department with baseline information on two Rio Grande wild turkey populations; and identified where habitat could be improved to better support turkey populations year-round.
