Behneyetal. • PRAIRIE-CHICKEN BREEDING BEHAVIOR 
103 
TABLE 3. Top (A < 10) conditional logit discrete choice models of male Lesser Prairie-Chicken mating success in the 
Texas Southern High Plains during 2008 and 2009 incorporating 19 males and 30 successful copulations. 
Model- 
k 
Deviance 
AIC f 
AA1C, 
W/ 
Idle - MCP 
2 
22.96 
27.41 
0.00 
0.24 
Idle + Ase 
2 
23.10 
27.54 
0.13 
0.22 
Idle - MCP + Mass 
3 
22.06 
28.98 
1.57 
0.11 
Idle + Ase - Mass 
3 
22.34 
29.27 
1.86 
0.09 
Idle - MCP + Pinnae 
3 
22.58 
29.50 
2.10 
0.08 
Idle + Age + Display 
3 
23.01 
29.93 
2.52 
0.07 
Idle + Pinnae 
2 
25.60 
30.04 
2.63 
0.06 
Idle + Mass 
2 
26.35 
30.80 
3.39 
0.04 
Idle + Dist + Mass 
3 
25.15 
32.08 
4.67 
0.02 
Idle - Dist + Pinnae 
3 
25.59 
32.51 
5.11 
0.02 
Idle 
1 
30.64 
32.78 
5.38 
0.02 
Idle - Display 
2 
29.63 
34.08 
6.67 
0.01 
Idle + Dist 
2 
30.58 
35.02 
7.62 
0.01 
' Ule = proportion of time spent idle; Display = proportion of time spent displaying; Dist - distance from territory center to lek center. MCP territory size 
emmum convex polygon); Pinnae and Mass arc morphological measurements; Age = yearling or adult. 
one of Ihe radio-marked males mated (a yearling). 
Lillie information is available on the effects of 
radio transmitters on male grouse reproductive 
performance although Boag (1972) reported 
radio-marked captive Red Grouse (Lagopus 
lagupus scotica) were less active than controls. 
The small sample of radio-marked males in our 
9udy prevented any test of effects. 
Territory occupancy stabilized —13 March in 
-MK. Males captured after 13 March during both 
years of study were reobserved on the lek of 
capture whereas in 2008, many males captured 
Ndore 13 March were not reobserved. In contrast. 
Haukos (1988) reported that, within the same 
area, territories were unstable and he did not 
1 i,se rve any copulation attempts on leks whereas 
"e observed 91. We suspect this inconsistency 
ma . v he due to differences in vegetation on leks 
belvvee n the two studies. Haukos (1988) reported 
fetation on the leks was sparse, if present at all. 
and physical structure was frequently altered by 
'ind. Our study occurred 20 years later and 
accession of vegetation had covered leks with 
Sh °rtgrass and small shrub cover. 
banded numerous males on leks early in the 
-kking season that did not establish territories at 
'• se sites. Unfortunately, we did not radiomark 
*** individuals. Thus, fate of the males that 
^parted their lek of capture and were not 
observed is unknown. Hagen et al. (2005) lound 
•to some yearling (20%) and adult (8%) males 
'Witched leks between years with an average 
^ce traveled of 3.3 and 3.1 km. respectively, 
was well within our search areas but we failed 
lo relocate any of the males at other leks. Haukos 
and Smith (1999) observed similar patterns of male 
movements and satellite lek formation just prior to 
female attendance. Our data, and those of Haukos 
and Smith (1999) and Hagen et al. (2005) suggest 
that estimates of population size from lek counts 
may be biased if these males did not establish 
territories on a lek (Walsh ct al. 2010). Research 
using early season radiomarking to examine early 
season dispersal and inter-lek movements within a 
season could prove valuable for understanding lek 
dynamics and gene flow, and facilitate bettei 
estimates of population size, 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
Funding was provided by the Texas Parks and Vvildlite 
Department. The Department of Natural Resources Man¬ 
agement at Texas Tech University and the USGS Texas 
Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit also contrib¬ 
uted resources. This research would not have been possible 
without the private landowners who graciously allowed us 
to work on their land Wc thank D R. Lucia for assistance 
throughout this research as well as N. E. Pinus, A. J. 
Teague. C G. Frey. R. T. Sadowski. and C J. Kveton lor 
help in the field. Wc also thank D. B Lesmeister for 
assistance with discrete choice models. M I Butler. P. B. 
Wood. C. A. Hagen. R. M. Gibson, and two anonymous 
reviewers provided valuable comments on this manuscript. 
T rade name products are mentioned to provide complete 
descriptions of methods: the author's and their institutions 
neither endorse these products nor intend to discriminate 
against products not mentioned. 
LITERATURE CITED 
ACiRESTl, A. 2002. Categorical data analysis. John Wiley 
and Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey. USA. 
