Connecting hunt outcomes to the demographics, behaviors, and experiences of wild turkey hunters in Mississippi. (10th May 2022) - Butler, Adam B.
Abstract: The ability to evaluate population trends through time is essential to successful conservation of wildlife. Directly estimating abundance of eastern wild turkeys ( Meleagris gallopavo silvestris ) is difficult, with few practical options for wide‐scale population monitoring. As a result, managers often rely on abundance indices derived from hunter harvest. Catch‐per‐unit‐effort (CPUE) is a commonly used metric which standardizes harvest totals and has been shown to track turkey abundance, but its use is predicated on an assumption of spatially and temporally consistent hunter efficiency. From 2015–2018, we surveyed avid turkey hunters in Mississippi to evaluate mechanisms driving harvest efficiency. We questioned each hunter about their demographics and behaviors, collected observations from their hunts, and used 2‐stage hurdle models to relate these variables to individual CPUE. Hunter attributes had variable effects on hunt outcomes. Hunter age had a significant positive effect on the probability of harvesting at least one turkey (an approximate 2% gain in success per year of age) yet was only weakly associated with CPUE of successful hunters. When considering only successful hunters, the percentage of hunts in which a turkey was heard, and the standardized index of total turkey observations were related to CPUE. Additionally, we determined the tendency for hunters to miss a turkey during the hunting season decreased with increasing hunter age. Our results indicate individual characteristics subject to temporal change play a role in determining CPUE and thereby have the potential to mask trends in abundance derived from CPUE data. Moreover, evidence suggested relative hunter efficiency was amplified when turkey encounters were fewer. Collectively, our results urge caution in use of CPUE as a surrogate for abundance estimates. Abstract : Wildlife managers often rely on catch‐per‐unit‐effort (CPUE) as an index to wildlife population abundance. Nonetheless, assumptions underlying CPUE are rarely evaluated. In Mississippi, hunter age had a positive effect on the probability of successfully harvesting a male wild turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo silvestris ). Amongst successful hunters, CPUE was more closely related to metrics indicative of turkey abundance. Our results indicate individual characteristics subject to temporal change may play a role in determining CPUE. We therefore urge caution in its use as a surrogate for abundance estimates.