Nest Site Selection and Nest Survival of Eastern Wild Turkeys in a Pyric Landscape

We studied nest site selection and nest survival of hens in a pine-dominated forest.  We found that hens in this population had a much longer nesting season, higher nesting, and higher renesting rates than many other populations. Hens nested in areas with more ground cover, while also closer to roads and farther from habitat edges. Hens mostly nested in stands burned 2 years prior, but nests in stands burned more than 3 years prior had lower survival.  Our findings suggest that burning on a 3-year fire return interval is compatible with management for wild turkeys in southern pine-dominated forests.