It\u27s Fawning Time Again

Late May to mid-July is fawning time in Iowa. Where woodlots or brushy areas aren\u27t available alfalfa fields have become favorite nurseries. Except for hay-harvesting operations, deer find alfalfa fields safe

Incidence of Some Disease Antibodies in Iowa Deer

Serum samples from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Iowa were checked for various disease antibodies from 1959 through 1963. Leptospirosis antibodies were found in 9.5% of 369 sera checked. L. grippotyphosa (3.9%) L. pomona (3.6%) and L. autumnalis (2.8%) were found most frequently. L. ballum, L. hardjo, L. sejroe, and L. autralis were also noted. No evidence of brucellosis was found in 231 sera checked. Evidence for western or California strains of encephalitis was noted. Anaplasmosis was also present. Johne\u27s disease antibodies were not found in a sample of deer from western Iowa

Survival of Pen-Reared Ring-Necked Pheasants Released in Southeastern Iowa

A mass release of 2,465 ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) at a single site in previously unoccupied range in southeastern Iowa in the fall of 1970 was evaluated by studying mortality, dispersal, reproduction, and population levels. The spring cock population near the release site, sampled by crowing-count surveys, remained at the same level from 1971 to 1972. A 60% drop in the estimated hen population in the same area was accompanied by a drop in winter sex ratios from 4.1 hens/cock in 1971 (first winter after release) to 1.5 in 1972. These changes are thought due to the addition of young-of-the-year (71.2%), with an assumed sex ratio of 1:1. Twenty-three percent of the nests found in 1971 were successful. Roadside surveys and field observations in August show that 71.4% of the hens had broods in 1971, and that the average brood of age 6 weeks or older had 7.1 ± 1.1 chicks. A few birds dispersed as far as 21.5 miles immediately after release, but most stayed near the release site. Radially diverging crowing-count surveys revealed an area of concentration of birds within 2 miles of the release site in 1971; concentration expanded to 3 miles in 1972. Observed mortality during the 2 months after the release was not excessive. Weight changes of three groups of pheasants from the time of banding to the time of sampling show that birds collected from the field 1 month after release had gained more weight than birds held in captivity for the same time

Occurrence of Haemoproteus nettionis in Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa L.)

The protozoan Haemoproteus nettionis was found in 77 of 168 wood ducks (Aix sponsa L.) live-trapped on the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge in September, 1963. No parasitemia was found in 68 wood ducks live-trapped in July and August, 1959 at the Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge in north-central Iowa. A description of the parasite from wood ducks on the Upper Mississippi Refuge is presented

White-Tailed Deer Movement at Pilot Knob State Park, Iowa

Range and movement of 12 marked deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were studied at Pilot Knob State Park and surrounding lands from December, 1969, through May, 1972. Winter ranges of all marked deer included timber inside and outside the park and cropland outside the park. Deer generally bedded in timber during daylight and fed or bedded in croplands at night. Mean range of all marked deer was 283 acres. Range size varied from 49 to 1,129 acres. Mean known minimum daily movement (round trip) was 1.2 miles. Daily movement varied from 0.60 to 1.8 miles. Variables, tested by regression analysis for their unique effect on home range size, major axis length and known minimum daily movement, were: period, age, period by age interaction, sex, and age by sex interaction. There were no significant effects on range size or axis length at the 0.05 level. Period, period by age, sex, and age by sex interaction did affect minimum daily movement. There was evidence of immigration, emigration and migration for deer wintering in the park

Occurrence of Waterfowl Along a Proposed lmpoundment, the Saylorville Reservoir

Waterfowl were studied from early fall 1958 through spring 1959 along selected Des Moines River segments that will be affected by the Saylorville reservoir (now under construction). Periodic counts conducted during fall and spring yielded a total of 1,948 waterfowl (18 species) and 4 coots. During fall three species of geese (410) and five species of puddle ducks (302) were seen. Spring counts indicated 1,186 ducks of 14 species, including diving ducks (8%) and mergansers (11%). Four puddle duck species made up 74% of spring duck populations. Waterfowl per mile data were considered more valuable that waterfowl per hour data in developing usage patterns and indices. During fall a total of 169.2 miles were sampled, and waterfowl seen averaged 4.2 per mile. The following spring, along 45.0 river miles, an average of 23.0 waterfowl per mile was seen. Fall waterfowl densities varied greatly, with three peaks of waterfowl usage, but during spring, a single, rapid buildup followed by a decline in numbers occurred. Spring waterfowl- use days per mile (874) were over 10 times those of the previous fall (86.5). During fall 1958 (65 days), waterfowl- use days were calculated as 4,412 for the entire Saylorville project area (51 miles). Spring 1959 (40 days) waterfowl- use days totaled 44,574 for the same area. These data indicate considerably greater usage of the area by waterfowl than had previously been estimated

Survival, Reproductive Success, and Spread of Introduced Rio Grande Turkeys in Northeast Iowa

Thirty-nine Rio Grande wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia) from Texas were introduced in the Yellow River State Forest, Allamakee County, Iowa, in the winter of 1960-61. The population was studied in three northeastern Iowa counties from June, 1966, through September, 1967; concentrated field studies were centered in and near the Paint Creek Unit of the forest. Adult turkeys appeared to tolerate the northeastern Iowa climate well, but poults may not be so tolerant. Although reproduction has occurred each year since the introduction, poult survival seemingly has been sporadic, possibly because of differences in weather conditions during the rearing seasons. Records indicate production was favorable for 1961, 1965, and 1967 compared with 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1966 when it seemed to be less so. The turkey population appeared to be rather stable by the end of the study but probably never has exceeded 100. Nevertheless, each year there has been a progressive extension of the turkeys\u27 known range. Sighting records have shown that the main inhabited turkey range was composed of 71 square miles in 1961, 100 in 1962, 108 in 1963, 139 in 1964, 149 in 1965, 316 in 1966, and 343 in 1966-67. Verified sightings have been made across the Mississippi River in Wisconsin and up to 41 miles from the release area in Iowa

Some Blood Parasite and Disease Antibody Findings in Wild Rio Grande Turkeys Stocked in Iowa

Thirty-nine wild Rio Grande turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia), live-trapped near Sonora, Texas, were tested for various blood parasites and disease antibodies before being released in the Yellow River State Forest in Allamakee County, Iowa, in the fall and winter of 1960-61. Haemoproteus meleagridis was found in 79% of the 39 turkeys· Salmonella pullorum in 15%; and chicken embryo lethal orphan virus (CELO) antibodies in 1 of 9 birds tested for evidence of that disease. Ornithosis was found in one pooled sample of serum that involved 4 birds but it was absent in 15 birds. No evidence was detected for Salmonella typhimurium, Leucocytozoon, Trypanosoma, Plasmodium, Mycoplasma, Newcastle disease virus or western equine viral encephalmoyelitis

Winter Movement and Home Range of White-Tailed Deer at Pilot Knob State Park, Iowa

Home ranges of nine radio-equipped white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were determined during the winters of 1969-70 through 1971-72. For does and female fawns, the winter ranges varied from 145 to 307 acres, the major (longest) axes from 1.00 to 1.19 miles, and minimum daily movement from 0.78 to 1.00 mile. Home range sizes of adult does were more consistent than those of female fawns or bucks, varying from 198 to 215 acres. Their major (longest) axes ranged from 1.00 to 1.12 miles and minimum daily movement varied from 0.78 to 0.88 mile. Bucks exhibited the greatest variation in movement, with home ranges varying from 49 to 504 acres, major axes from 0.62 to 1.90 miles, and minimum daily movement, from 0.50 to 1.25 miles. Most major axes of movement led from the southeastern comer of the park, where deer bedded during daylight hours, to the croplands north of the western half of the park, where deer fed during nocturnal hours. The park provides one of few large stands of timber in a 4-county area. This timber serves as permanent cover and is used by deer for bedding during daylight. The park also serves as a refuge for deer which are highly vulnerable to hunting in the intensively farmed regions of Iowa

Cottontails With Horns

Published information on papillomas, commonly called horns, on cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus) in Iowa dates back to 1907. Specimens of horned rabbits are on record from Woodbury, Pottawattamie, Cherokee, Franklin, and Boone counties. Those from the last two counties were necropsied at Iowa State University in 1958 and 1959-60, respectively. Information from conservation officers and biologists shows sight records for a number of years past for at least 16 additional counties. The malady seems to be limited almost entirely to the western half of the state