We studied the survival and reproduction of a newly introduced population of Eastern Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) during 1999 and 2000 to determine the adaptability of this subspecies to a minimally wooded (<10%) region located north of their recorded historic distribution in South Dakota. During 1999 and 2000, the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks (SDGFP) released 111 female and 25 male turkeys from Iowa and Kentucky onto a study area in northeastern South Dakota. We used radio telemetry to monitor survival and reproduction of the females for 2 years after their initial release. Annual survival for 71 females averaged 67%. Seasonal survival was lowest in fall and highest in winter. Mortality agents included avian and mammalian predators, haying equipment, automobiles, and unknown causes. Nesting rate for the 2 years averaged 93%, and renesting rate of turkeys with failed 1st-nest attempts averaged 45%. Nest success for all nests was 50%, and 62% of females attempting to nest each year were successful in at least 1 attempt. Predation was the primary cause of nest failure during both years. Overall, 72% of brooding females successfully raised ≥1 poult to 4 weeks post-hatch while individual poult survival to 4 weeks posthatch averaged 36%. Despite <10% woodland cover, Eastern Wild Turkeys appeared to thrive in a glacial escarpment topography north of their historic range in the northern plains.

Nests of radiotransmittered wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) that are destroyed or abandoned prior to incubation are particularly difficult to locate. As a result researchers often report only incubated nests or estimate numbers of nests attempted by localization of movement or other behavioral changes without quantification. We used radiotelemetry to obtain movement data on female wild turkeys during the nesting season (1 Apr‐30 Jun) in South Dakota. We collected prelaying (1 April until 14 days before the female initiated incubation) and laying (<14 days before incubation) movement distances from 160 adult female wild turkeys [75 eastern (M. g. silvestris), 19 Rio Grande (M. g. intermedia), and 66 Merriam's (M. g. merriami) wild turkeys]. Our objectives were to quantify the relationship between movement behavior and nesting attempts to allow more accurate determination of initiation of nesting for calculation of nest rates, nesting success, and renesting rates. Daily movements of females decreased abruptly when they transitioned from prelaying to laying behaviors. Movements of females that were less than 364.9 m for eastern turkeys, 115.0 m for Rio Grande turkeys, and 331.0 m for Merriam's turkeys were indicative of nest initiation. Changes in movements of females can identify nesting wild turkeys and can be used post hoc to identify nests that were abandoned or destroyed prior to incubation if sufficient locations are collected. Following our analysis, we estimated that females had an additional 46 nests (eastern = 15, Rio Grande = 7, and Merriam's = 24), which we used in estimating reproduction parameters. Quantitative comparisons of movements between prelaying and laying confirmed a behavioral change of localized movements concurrent with nest initiation in wild turkey females.