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Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) populations in North America were once estimated at nearly 30 million. However, unrestricted harvest of pronghorn was one of the major factors that led to 25,000 individuals by 1924. Through rigorous management, pronghorn populations rebounded to an estimated 1 million individuals by 1984. Within Texas, USA, by the late 1980s, the pronghorn population had recovered to a new estimated historic high of 17,226 individuals through restoration efforts. However, by 2010, the Texas Trans‐Pecos population declined to approximately 4,700 individuals, and declined even further to only 2,751 in 2012. A main contribution to successful recovery has been large‐scale translocations. Since the early 1920s, >30,000 pronghorn have been translocated in 17 states. As one large restoration project in Texas, translocation of pronghorn from the Texas Panhandle to Marfa and Marathon grasslands in the Trans‐Pecos region occurred in January–February 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017. However, within the available literature on pronghorn translocations, it was difficult to find a scientific paper that provides sufficient detail to guide the translocation process. Our intent is to summarize the effective methodology behind 5 years of pronghorn translocations, inform others to make evidence‐based recommendations and justifiable‐decisions when selecting translocation methodology, and provide insight regarding design and application of our translocation methodology. Based on our translocation experience, we recommend using halperidol as a sedative given to pronghorn at the site of capture and keeping handling times to ≤4 minutes as well as maintaining pronghorn body temperatures below 40° C during processing. Flunixin meglumine should be used when body temperatures exceed 40° C. In addition, we also recommend utilizing larger, more spacious livestock trailers to transport captured pronghorn versus transport boxes or smaller, more enclosed trailers. We also recommend releasing a minimum of 50–100 individuals/release site to minimize stress from group separation and improve long‐term population sustainability. © 2020 The Wildlife Society. Translocations are done as part of restoration efforts for pronghorn due to population declines. We describe and consolidate evidence from our experience to make translocation guidelines for future management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The baited hoop-net is one of the most heavily used sampling tools for monitoring freshwater turtle populations. In the past several years, we have published a series of studies that tested potential biases associated with this sampling method. For this paper, we used a new experiment to directly test the influence of trap-mouth opening size on both captures and escapes. We also summarized the results from previous studies to direct future research on this topic and provide a useful guide for managers and researchers using this sampling device. In our experiment during May 2013 in Texas, USA, we found that traps with larger mouth-openings were more efficient at capturing turtles, while escapes were minimal for both mouth sizes. Thus, at least within the boundaries we tested here, increasing mouth-opening size is an effective way to increase captures without introducing biases caused by differential escape probabilities. © 2014 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are one of the most pervasive invasive species in North America. Wild pigs pose a threat to crops, livestock, and the environment, but also provide recreational hunting opportunities. There are avenues for some stakeholder groups to generate income from wild pigs, however, stakeholders vary in attitudes towards wild pigs and their management. We investigated whether financial loss and income resulting from wild pigs influenced hunter stakeholder attitudes towards their management in Texas. We examined how land use influenced hunting landowner attitudes towards wild pigs. We analyzed 22,176 responses (8,707 landowners, 13,469 nonlandowners) from Texas hunters to the Texas A&M Human Dimensions of Wild Pigs Survey. Attitudes towards wild pigs varied significantly based on landownership status and whether land was used for agricultural practices. In addition, landowners who received income from wild pigs on their land considered government or agency hunting to be a less acceptable method of control than those who did not generate such income. However, effect sizes for all our results were small (η2 ≤ 0.05, Adj. R2 ≤ 0.09, and McFadden's R2 ≤ 0.07) and, across all groups, attitudes towards wild pigs were negative. Few respondents (3.91% of landowners, 0.56% of non‐landowners) reported generating income from wild pigs, and reported losses were approximately 4 times greater than income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on rare or understudied species often benefits from employing multiple survey techniques to ensure highest efficacy in detecting individuals. The plains spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius interrupta) is an uncommon mephitid historically distributed throughout much of Texas, USA. To inform the current distribution of plains spotted skunks in Texas, we integrated occurrence data from natural history collections and field surveys with data from academic, wildlife, and citizen scientist groups, resulting in 286 verified occurrence records from 1892 through 2018. We modeled historic species distribution using 64 records from natural history collections to direct surveying efforts in 13 counties using live traps, camera traps, and track plates. Field surveys and citizen science camera trap surveys resulted in 16 records while crowdsourcing resulted in 23 verified reports detailing 78 unique plains spotted skunk records. Our efforts resulted in a 49% increase in occurrence records from 1892 to 2018 (186–286) and a 1,000% increase in records since 2000 (10–110). Using our methods, researchers and managers can optimize collection of plains spotted skunk occurrence data to better understand the species, produce more robust datasets for future management, and help ensure the best science is used when drafting conservation plans for plains spotted skunks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restoration of eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) is among the greatest conservation achievements in North America. However, restoration efforts in east Texas have had limited success, resulting in a fragmented distribution of turkeys across the landscape. Restoration success is largely dependent on the ability of translocated individuals to quickly select habitat patches on the landscape. Information on habitat selection of translocated wild turkeys is important to identify high quality release locations that should reduce the probability of translocation failure. Our objective was to describe selection of landcover types by translocated female wild turkeys in east Texas. During 2016–2017, we translocated 78 GPS‐tagged wild turkeys to Angelina National Forest in east Texas. We quantified third order selection for females during 3 temporal periods—the exploratory phase (days 1–20), the exploitation phase (days 21–80), and within the annual range. During the exploratory phase, females selected shrub‐scrub and open landcover types, as well as linear paths (roads, rights‐of‐way). During the exploitation phase, females selected shrub‐scrub, mixed, and open landcover types, but not linear paths. Overall, wild turkeys translocated into forested landscapes of east Texas selected for early successional and other open landcover types. Prior to translocation attempts in forest‐dominated landscapes, managers should consider ways to increase availability of open landcover types with herbaceous cover for nesting and brood rearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerial surveys are an efficient technique for counting animals over large geographic areas such as rangelands. In southwestern rangelands, aerial surveys are routinely conducted for ungulates, with the implicit understanding that abundance estimates represent an undercount. Distance sampling can correct for visibility bias, but assumes perfect detection on the survey line, a condition often violated in aerial surveys of ungulates. The incorporation of mark‐resight methods into the distance‐sampling framework, termed mark‐recapture distance sampling (MRDS), corrects for both visibility bias and imperfect detection on the survey line. However, the use of MRDS introduces logistical and technical constraints that may not be practical for aerial surveys. We conducted aerial surveys of ungulates on rangelands in south Texas, USA, to evaluate the feasibility and performance of MRDS relative to conventional distance sampling (CDS) and multiple covariate distance sampling (MCDS). We conducted surveys prior to and after leaf‐fall in 2013–2015 to test the hypothesis that distance sampling corrected for changes in visibility bias. We surveyed white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), collared peccary (Pecari tajacu), and feral swine (Sus scrofa) on 4 sites. Each site was surveyed seasonally for 2 years; twice both prior to (Nov) and after leaf‐fall (Feb). Probability of detection on survey lines for each species was high (range = 0.82–0.97) and the average for each species was similar between seasons (0.89 and 0.92 during pre and post leaf‐fall, respectively). The MRDS density estimates often were only ~10% greater than CDS and MCDS estimates; all population estimates had overlapping 95% confidence intervals. Further, CDS and MCDS estimates were similar indicating that measured covariates (seat position, vegetation type, and cluster size) contributed little towards detection probabilities. Despite similar average probability of detection for all species before and after leaf‐fall (0.47 and 0.51, respectively), deer and nilgai population estimates were 22–59% lower during fall surveys than winter surveys. The discrepancy between consistent probability of detections with different population estimates suggests that availability bias, which cannot be addressed with distance sampling, was an issue. Overall, the MRDS technique addressed imperfect detection on the survey line and generated probabilities of detection in the survey area consistent with previous studies done in Texas. However, the extra costs (~US$13,000) and logistical hurdles to preserve observer independence for a small increase in precision of population estimates may not be justifiable. © 2020 The Wildlife Society. Use of mark‐recapture distance sampling (MRDS) during aerial surveys of large mammals on southwestern rangelands resulted in a 10% increase in population estimates compared to conventional distance sampling, but the modest increase in accuracy may not justify the increased cost and effort to preserve observer independence. More problematic, population estimates varied seasonally by 22–59%, which suggests that availability bias, which cannot be estimated with MRDS, was more important than imperfect detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Previously, we reported results from an impact assessment that examined the effects of road construction noise on habitat selection and productivity of an endangered songbird, the golden-cheeked warbler ( Setophaga chrysoparia; warbler hereafter), in rural Texas, USA. We found no evidence that road construction or traffic noise negatively influenced warbler territory density, territory placement, pairing success, or fledging success during 3 years of road construction activities (2007-2009). In addition, warblers exhibited few acute responses to construction noise played at close range (2008-2009). Herein, we expanded on previous results to include an additional year of construction data (2010) and 3 years of post-construction data (2011-2013) because birds may exhibit delayed responses to disturbance. We also examined the potential influence of road construction noise and activity on warbler song characteristics because birds may sing at higher minimum frequencies if loud noise masks their communication signals. Similar to previous findings, we found no evidence that road construction or traffic noise negatively influenced warblers in our rural study area. However, noise levels varied little across experimental and control study sites, with increasing distance from the road, or between the construction and post-construction phases of our study. Warblers may respond negatively to louder noise or other disturbances that accompany construction activities (e.g., vibrations), but our comparisons across study sites, the results of our playback experiment, and data collected during concurrent studies in urban Texas and on military land suggest this is unlikely. © 2017 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT With approximately 100 million shots fired at mourning doves ( Zenaida macroura) annually, it is incumbent on managers to determine whether changes in ammunition will substantially alter harvest metrics or hunter satisfaction. We compared mourning dove harvest metrics for 1 lead (Pb 7½, 32 g) and 2 steel (Fe 7 and Fe 6, 28 g) 12-gauge ammunition types using a double-blind field test in central Texas, USA. There were no differences in the number of attempts, or number of shots fired among ammunition types. Hunters were unable to distinguish the ammunition type being used in the field, and we detected no relationship between ammunition type and level of hunter satisfaction. Field analyses detected no difference in doves bagged per shot, wounded per shot, bagged per hit, or wounded per hit among the 3 ammunition types. Necropsy analyses detected no difference in the proportion of birds with through-body strikes, mean penetration depth of through-body strikes, or mean embedded pellet depth among ammunition types. Ammunition and choke combinations that produced higher pattern densities yielded more hits per shot and produced more total strikes per bird, resulting in a higher percentage of birds with embedded pellets, more embedded pellets per bird, and a higher proportion of birds with broken legs. All 3 ammunition types retained sufficient lethality to harvest mourning doves under typical hunting conditions. Our results demonstrate that when the ammunition type used provides sufficient lethality for pellets to penetrate vital organs, pattern density becomes the primary factor influencing ammunition performance. © 2014 The Authors. The Wildlife Society Bulletin is published by The Wildlife Society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]