Factors influencing survival of female eastern wild turkeys in northeastern South Dakota

Population growth can be sensitive to changes in survival rates for many avian species. Understanding sources of mortality, and how to mitigate negative effects on survival, can give managers insight into factors contributing to population change. Harvest trends of eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) in northeastern South Dakota suggest a decline in abundance. We investigated factors influencing survival of wild turkeys to identify potential factors contributing to the decline. We monitored 122 female wild turkeys using VHF radio transmitters from February 2017 to April 2019. Annual survival was 0.52 (95% CI = 0.33–0.64) for juvenile and 0.49 (95% CI = 0.23–0.63) for adult females, respectively. Daily survival probability was significantly lower during the spring (log‐odds ratio [LOR] = −0.9; 95% CI = −1.5–−0.2) and while a juvenile female was incubating (LOR = −0.67; 95% CI = −1.23–−0.09) but not while an adult female was incubating (LOR = −0.35; 95% CI = −0.92–0.24)...., , , # Factors Influencing Survival of Female Eastern Wild Turkeys in Northeastern South Dakota: Open Source Data

## **Metadata for The Hen (Female) Survival Analysis Prior Distribution Calculation**

Files needed to calculate Hen Survival Analysis Prior Distributions:

* beta.txt – JAGS model code for survival probability estimation
* gaussian.txt – JAGS model code for age-class specific survival probability estimation
* Prior_Distribution.RMD – R Markdown file used to run prior distribution calculation 
* Prior_Estimates.xlsx – Excel Workbook (2 sheets) containing published estimates of hen annual survival from studies of turkeys in the Midwest used to calculate prior distributions for the hen survival analysis

Description of variables within “Prior_Estimates.xlsx”

* Sheet = Combined
* Estimate – published annual hen survival estimates where hen age was pooled
* Source – the published study each estimate originated from
* Sheet = Age
* Adult – published annual survival estimates f...