Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) use a polygynous mating system whereby males engage in multiple courtship behaviors, including vocalizations (gobbling) to attract females and compete with other males for breeding opportunities. Males must balance the risk of courtship behaviors with the reproductive potential of each courtship behavior. Male turkeys are primarily hunted during the reproductive period, so the associated risk of courtship behaviors is increased. Many state agencies attempt to set hunting season frameworks that maximize hunter satisfaction by allowing hunting when gobbling activity is greatest and most females are theoretically incubating nests, but the relationship between gobbling activity and nesting phenology is unclear. We used autonomous recording units and global positioning system transmitters to monitor gobbling activity by male turkeys and reproductive behaviors of female turkeys in the Piedmont region of Georgia, USA. We used 13,177 gobbles, behavioral data from 82 females during the reproductive season, and daily estimates of harvest of males by hunters to examine relationships between daily gobbling activity, cumulative removal of males, and reproductive behaviors (laying, incubating) of females during 2017–2018. We observed a weak negative relationship between daily gobbling activity and gobbling activity the following day. As the reproductive season progressed, gobbling activity decreased. As the proportion of females engaged in laying or incubating behaviors increased, expected daily gobbling activity increased. Conversely, we observed that hunting and removal of males had a negative effect on daily gobbling activity, and this effect was disproportionately greater than the positive effect of female reproductive behaviors. Our findings suggest that hunting and removal of males are important determinants of gobbling activity, and that corresponding reductions in gobbling activity may have mediating effects on the mating system of wild turkeys. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

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Roosting is an important component of wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo; turkey) ecology as roosts provide security from predators and inclement weather. Males call (gobble) from roosts during the reproductive season, and roost locations are important for maximizing access to females and transmission of calls across the landscape, while also minimizing predation risk. Spring hunting of male turkeys occurs during the reproductive season, and hunting activity influences male behaviors and calling. Because roost sites are important for wild turkey ecology, we evaluated roost site selection and fidelity of male turkeys relative to land cover types, vegetative characteristics, and the presence of hunting activity during 2017–2018 in Georgia, USA. Prior to onset of hunting, males selected roosts nearest to hardwood and pine (Pinus spp.) forests. Roost site fidelity was low and distances between roosts were large. After onset of hunting, males selected pine forests less and exhibited greater plasticity in roost selection while fidelity remained minimal, suggesting that males may have altered selection to mitigate risk from hunting while maintaining the strategy of moving about their ranges and roosting at different sites on consecutive nights. Future research should examine potential effects of hunting‐induced shifts in resource selection on other aspects of male turkey behavior and ecology. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

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