Preserving the Hunt
In the School of Renewable Natural resources, we provide an opportunity for our wildlife students to learn to hunt. This is an important part of their education.
Our students gain an appreciation for the role of hunters in wildlife and habitat conservation, and this makes them better prepared for careers in wildlife management.
- The videos below will give you a glimpse of the program.
- Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ3WQlOpQYk
- Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naOjb2jkouM
- Episode 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3jrvxzTriI
See the LSU story: Hunting for the Next Generation of Conservation Stewards
Supporting Excellence!
Renew Your SRNR/FWF Alumni Association Memebership for 2020 Now
and Stay Connected!
Download and send it in! LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources / Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries Alumni Association 2020 Membership Renewal Form (PDF)
Discover Day 2020
Congratulations to RNR undergraduate student, Katie Davis (NREM), a 1st Place winner overall with her slideshow presentation titled: "Population structure and genetic variation in Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima) using a next-generation sequencing approach." Katie also recieved a monetary award as the top-scoring student for Discover Day 2020 for the College of Agriculture!
The LSU Discover Day undergraduate symposium provides a forum for undergraduate students from any major to share their research and creative works. This year, 100 intrepid undergraduate students braved the frontier of remotely presenting their research online!
COVID-19 could negatively affect Eastern wild turkey populations
(05/04/20) BATON ROUGE, La. — COVID-19 has had a profound effect on people for the past three months in terms of loss of life and economic costs. But it also may be playing a role in the potential decline of the Eastern wild turkey population.
[Left] Mike Wheeler, right, a doctoral student in the LSU AgCenter School of Renewable Natural Resources, draws blood from a captured Eastern wild turkey as part of a research project. Eastern wild turkey populations have been in a decline for at least the past decade, and more birds are being harvested this year. COVID-19 restrictions have led to a noticeably higher hunter effort pursuing wild turkeys because of limits being placed on other activities. Photo by Bret Collier/LSU AgCenter
Bret Collier, an associate professor in the LSU AgCenter School of Renewable Natural Resources, is one of the nation’s leading researchers regarding wild turkeys. He and Michael Chamberlain, a professor at the University of Georgia, are examining preliminary data on harvesting wild turkeys across the southeastern United States during the pandemic.
Both Collier and Chamberlain are concerned that an increasing number of hunters and their efforts are leading to a much higher number of mature birds being harvested than in a typical year.
“Right now, we are seeing an increase in harvest on public lands and an increase in hunter days afield,” Collier said. “Wild turkey harvest in Louisiana was 15% higher by the third week of the 2020 season relative to the 2019 season.”
Chamberlain is finding even higher rates in Georgia. The number of hunters using wildlife management areas there is up 47%. Harvest was up 26% statewide during the first 23 days of the season, including 43% higher on public lands.
Higher numbers of harvested birds are also being found in North Carolina and Tennessee. Mississippi’s harvest rates are similar to previous years, but the state has seen an increase in hunter days afield.
According to Collier, turkey harvest is a function of hunter effort — more hunters in the woods means more harvested birds.
Even if hunters do not harvest a gobbler, the increasing number of hunters can interfere with the breeding process.
“Wild turkeys are the only gamebird in the contiguous United States hunted specifically before and during the breeding season and when females are incubating nests,” Collier said. “More hunters means an increased likelihood of disturbing a hen on the nest. Research shows hens disturbed early in the incubation process are more likely to abandon the nest.”
Eastern wild turkey populations have been in decline for the past decade. Part of this decline can be attributed to reductions in reproductive output. Hens select which males they will breed with, and if that male is removed, she will not just breed with the next available male. Instead, she undergoes another evaluation process of the available males, thus delaying the breeding cycle.
Research indicates later breeding results in egg clutches of smaller size and increased infertility of the eggs. Also, with a higher incidence of the removal of gobblers, males with superior traits are not passing these desirable characteristics to young poults.
“Another problem with a higher concentration of hunters being in the woods is that it increases the chances of more unsafe interactions while hunting,” Collier said.
While Eastern wild turkey numbers may suffer, COVID-19 may benefit other subspecies of wild turkeys, such as the Rio Grande, Merriam’s and Gould’s. While local hunters will likely increase the pressure on these subspecies, the number of nonresidents who pursue them each year will be reduced.
For example, Texas has seen nonresident wild turkey license sales decline approximately 79% by the end of April. Widespread travel restrictions, requirements to self-quarantine after travel among states and government mandates to shelter-in-place have reduced hunting trips. Residents from Louisiana faced travel restrictions placed on them by the states of Texas and Florida.
>Collier has been working with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries since 2014 focusing on research related to wild turkeys. Collier and LDWF are monitoring this year’s harvest closely to determine if it has an effect on both the reproduction rates and the population size of the Eastern wild turkey in the state.
RNR Student is the 2020 Outstanding Senior for the LSU College of Agriculture
Elizabeth Sicard has been selected as this year’s Gerald & Norma Dill COA Alumni Outstanding Senior. The Outstanding Senior Award recognizes seniors who have demonstrated a commitment to academic success and have a clear career goal in a profession related to Agriculture.
Elizabeth will graduate with at least a 3.95GPA with a BS in Natural Resource Ecology and Management with minors in Geology and Oceanography. She was honored with President’s Honor Roll (4) and Dean’s List (2) during all eligible semesters. During winter 2019-2020, she was selected for a prestigious undergraduate research experience at the McMurdo Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) station in Antarctica (see WBRZ story). During summer 2018-2019, she was selected for an Experiential Professional Learning Opportunities in Research and Education (EXPLORE) internship. These accomplishments are even more noteworthy considering that she was in Tiger Band and Bengal Brass and service to the community in BREC’s Green Force and Christ the King Service Team. Congratulations to Elizabeth for this well-deserved honor!
"Cocktails and Conservation"
The National Wild Turkey Federation sponsored "Cocktails and Conservation-Spring Seclusion Edition: Predators Research." The live-recorded video featured RNR faculty Dr. Bret Collier, and adjunct faculty Dr. Michael Chamerlain with Jason Lupardus, Wildlife Biologist for NWTF.
The National Wild Turkey Federation is an international non-profit organization whose mission is 'the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage.' It currently has more than 250,000 members in the United States, Canada, Mexico and 14 other countries.
The video is available at this URL - Cocktails and Conservation
Research Matters
Spring 2020
The Spring 2020 edition of Research Matters is now available for download. See what is happening with our students and faculty in the many diverse and interesting teaching, research, and extension projects that are ongoing. RNR also welcomes Dr. Kristin DeMarco to the Faculty as an instructor, specializing in coastal wetland ecology.
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