Northern bobwhites have relatively low survival rates across their geographic distribution. Predation is a primary cause of the high mortality in bobwhites, and the amount of brush available may have a local impact on bobwhite survival by providing escape cover and protection. Even though many researchers have attempted to determine the woody cover requirements for bobwhites, few have attempted to study how woody cover may influence bobwhite survival. The objective of this research is to determine if bobwhite seasonal survival (Mar-Aug) is correlated with the amount of woody cover used at both the individual location, home-range, and pasture scales. Data were collected during 2014-2015 on 5 private ranches in Goliad, Zavala, Real, and La Salle Counties. We will also use data from a long-term research project conducted in Brooks County. Radio-marked bobwhites were relocated three times per week to monitor survival and woody cover use. We measured woody cover at bobwhite locations and at paired, random points using the line intercept method. Points taken from bobwhites were uploaded into Arc GIS to determine woody cover within home-ranges and within the pastures that contained those points. We used regression analysis to determine if a relationship existed between woody cover use and seasonal survival for each of these scales.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.