Journal of Wildlife Management最新文献

Hunter participation in testing harvested white-tailed deer for chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a critical wildlife disease surveillance strategy; however, this strategy has not been evaluated to determine what may promote or discourage hunter participation in testing when involvement is voluntary. We used a binomial logit model to predict the relative influence of harvest location and several psychological constructs on hunters' voluntary participation in testing for CWD in Wisconsin, USA. The presence of CWD in the county of harvest was a significant factor in determining hunter participation in testing. We found hunters' testing behavior was influenced by risk perceptions associated with CWD impacts on the deer population and consumption of venison from areas of the state known to have CWD. Higher risk perceptions associated with CWD impacts to economic values and recreational hunting experiences decreased the likelihood of testing for the disease. Belief in the efficacy of CWD management actions was another significant factor; however, this effect varied with levels of trust in information provided by the managing agency, attention paid to news coverage related to CWD, and risk perceptions associated with economic and recreational impacts. For agencies seeking to increase hunter engagement with CWD management through participation in voluntary testing programs, a key challenge is to demonstrate how testing contributes to effective disease management.

Wildlife–aircraft collisions are becoming increasingly common and pose a serious threat to the global aviation industry. While wildlife strike mitigation is a well-researched area, often focusing on a specific species or taxonomic group, secondary strike risk with scavenger or predatory species is rarely considered within the literature. Dublin Airport is the largest civil airport in the Republic of Ireland, reporting an average of 23.9 (±12.8 SD) strikes with native Irish hares (Lepus timidus hibernicus) annually. We employed motion-activated camera traps to identify the species attracted to simulated hare-strike events and to record the time to initial carcass detection. We used commercially available rat carcasses as a proxy for hare carcasses to assess the secondary strike risk associated with such events. We recorded 542 detections within 24 hours of carcass deployment from 82 trials. Hooded crows (Corvus cornix) were the most frequently detected species, involved in 86% of interactions. Initial carcass detection took an average of 4 hours and 54 minutes for avian species, with birds spending an average of 5 minutes and 29 seconds with a carcass. In comparison, it took mammal species an average of 9 hours and 32 minutes to detect the carcass in the first instance. Mammals remained with the carcass for an average of 2 minutes and 35 seconds. These data indicate that current clean-up practices at Dublin Airport (i.e., immediate clean-up and closing of the runway to facilitate clean-up operations) are adequate for reducing the likelihood of a secondary strike event.

Comprehensive knowledge of habitat requirements is vital to the conservation of species. The dynamic environments inhabited by stream-dwelling taxa are particularly complex and challenging to describe. We investigated habitat selection across multiple spatial scales to identify key habitat characteristics of the flattened musk turtle (Sternotherus depressus), which is a federally threatened species that is poorly studied and imperiled by habitat destruction. From 2013 to 2018, we conducted trapping, visual encounter, and habitat surveys while employing radio telemetry and side scan sonar to explore habitat selection at the population, within home range, and microhabitat levels. Study sites comprised relatively small, second- to fourth-order streams in Alabama, USA. Turtles selected bedrock or rock substrates across multiple scales, while snail prey affected selection only at the within-home-range scale. At the within-home-range scale, turtles selected deeper water. Though inconclusive because 95% confidence intervals overlapped 0, relationships trended toward support for larger streams and more bedrock substrate at the population scale. Results demonstrate that spatial hierarchy of habitat use is relevant to management of riverine turtles. By replicating our habitat survey methods in other streams throughout the flattened musk turtle range, data from this study will aid in identifying areas to focus conservation efforts and provide quantifiable goals for restoration projects. Our research identifies the crucial role of rock and bedrock structures, though these habitat features are threatened by anthropogenic sedimentation.

Population reduction through hunting and nuisance control has been practiced in many parts of the world to prevent an overabundance of ungulates; however, there is limited knowledge regarding the quantitative impact of intensified hunting management and nuisance control on local dynamics within managed populations. This study examined spatial variations in the local dynamics of sika deer (Cervus nippon) along with hunting and nuisance control across 256 mesh units (23 km²/mesh unit) within the Kushiro subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan, from 1994 to 2020 (27 years). Under enhanced management, the population declined twice but only by about 14% from the previous peak each time. Since 2017, however, the population has remained stable without further decline. Local densities ranged from 1 to 120 deer/km² within the area, with higher densities producing higher harvest rates (i.e., density-dependent harvesting). Temporal trends in local densities varied across the mesh units: in some mesh units, sika deer at a high density (≥50 deer/km²) consistently decreased by more than half, whereas in others, medium densities (25–50 deer/km²) increased following temporal fluctuations, and low densities (<25 deer/km²) remained stable throughout the same period. Thus, the extent of human-induced population reduction locally differed and was likely larger at high-density mesh units. Consequently, the impact of intensified management at the prefecture scale varies locally. Therefore, allocating management efforts to high-density mesh units is preferable for more efficient population control across the entire area.

Strategies animals use to navigate human-dominated landscapes frequently mimic anti-predator responses employed by prey species. Understanding how large carnivores respond to outdoor recreation is important for conservation, particularly in protected areas with preservation mandates. Visitation to Yellowstone National Park doubled from 1980 to 2015, increasing the need to examine potential changes in behavior of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in relation to human recreation sites (trails, backcountry campsites). We developed integrated step-selection functions to explore how recreation sites influenced the movement rate and selection by male and female grizzly bears. Further, we tested whether time of day (diurnal, crepuscular, nocturnal) and restrictions to human access (i.e., restricted, unrestricted) modified bear responses and then compared behaviors based on proximity to recreation sites. Male grizzly bears used trails to travel during crepuscular and nocturnal hours and exhibited more pronounced behavior in restricted areas compared with unrestricted areas, suggesting recreation in unrestricted areas influenced the behavior of male bears. In contrast, female bears varied their movement rate and selection of trails in restricted areas much more than in unrestricted areas, suggesting females may make security tradeoffs between male bears and people. Both sexes used trails, likely as energetically efficient travel corridors; however, our analyses did not indicate that bears spent time near backcountry campsites. The sex-based differences in selection and movement patterns associated with trails and campsites suggest a single management approach for recreation may not equally benefit all bears. Recreation impacts on wildlife are complex to characterize and predict, but simultaneously modeling movement and selection provides a more comprehensive assessment of strategies animals use to navigate perceived risk.

Knowledge of animal-movement patterns is a crucial component in identifying areas with high potential for human–wildlife conflict and in prioritizing associated management actions. Electrical energy infrastructure is a major source of mortality for animals worldwide, with millions of birds colliding with or being electrocuted by power lines and power-pole infrastructure each year. Movement, habitat use, and the spatial distribution of electrocution risk can vary with age, but studies of younger age classes are often hampered because these groups are difficult to observe and lack well-defined home ranges. To identify movement patterns and high-use areas of bald eagles in Arizona, USA, we analyzed global positioning system (GPS) telemetry data collected from 13 immature bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) across Arizona between 2017 and 2023. We built multi-scale, integrated step-selection functions that evaluated eagle responses to a suite of environmental covariates. We then used these models to simulate eagle movement and predict habitat use within and surrounding Maricopa County, which contains both the Phoenix Metropolitan Area and the plurality of bald eagle breeding areas in Arizona. We provide a use case for how these simulated movements could be used by resource managers to identify high-risk areas for electrocution. Eagles avoided urban areas and selected steeper slopes, more pronounced ridges, and areas with greater water and wetland land cover. Predicted habitat use by bald eagles was greatest near waterbodies and along ridges and steep slopes, and indicated where power infrastructure may pose greater electrocution risk. We show how integrated step-selection analyses and movement path simulation may be used for subadult animals lacking stable home ranges to predict high-use areas and identify locations with greater potential for negative human–wildlife interactions.

Rising global temperatures and changing landscape conditions have led to widespread mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreaks in western North America. Pine beetle management is typically implemented to mitigate economic losses, but its effects on wildlife, particularly ecologically important species like caribou (Rangifer tarandus) and moose (Alces alces), warrant greater attention. We assessed the effects of early-stage pine beetle infestation, timber harvest, and fire on habitat selection by caribou (boreal and central mountain designatable units) and moose in west-central Alberta, Canada. Using global positioning system (GPS) collar data collected 3–5 years after infestation, we developed resource selection functions and functional response models. Caribou exhibited seasonally variable responses, generally avoiding pine beetle-affected areas in winter but selecting them in summer. They also avoided harvested and burned areas, though this avoidance depended on overall disturbance levels within their ranges. Moose displayed sex-specific responses to pine beetle infestations and associated management: females avoided pine beetle-affected areas but selected burned sites year-round, while males showed the opposite pattern. These findings suggest that pine beetle disturbances may negatively affect caribou and female moose winter habitat availability while simultaneously enhancing conditions for male moose. Further research is needed to disentangle the individual and cumulative effects of pine beetle management actions versus general timber harvests and wildfires, as these disturbances may be compounding rather than acting in isolation.

Adult survival is a key driver of population dynamics in long-lived species like geese. To implement effective and sustainable hunting regulations, managers need accurate estimates of survival and knowledge about the impacts of hunter harvest, particularly the extent to which this mortality is compensatory or additive to other sources. Atlantic brant (Branta bernicla hrota) are among the smallest of the North American goose populations and are vulnerable from a conservation perspective because of their limited breeding and wintering ranges, variable and low productivity, and reliance on coastal marine ecosystems. Additionally, the effects of hunter harvest on Atlantic brant survival are not fully known. We conducted both dead recovery only and joint live-dead mark-recapture analyses of Atlantic brant banded on Baffin Island and Southampton Island, Nunavut, Canada, during 2000–2018 to provide contemporary survival estimates and determine the extent to which hunter harvest was compensatory or additive. Survival probabilities of juveniles were lower and more variable ($��\; ��\overline{x}��$ = 0.54 ± 0.13 [SE]; range = 0.33–0.88) than adults ($��\; ��\overline{x}��$ = 0.84 ± 0.06; 0.74–0.95) and were influenced to a greater extent by non-harvest mortality. We found evidence of harvest additivity in adult Atlantic brant. Annual harvest of adult Atlantic brant explained 75% of the annual variability in adult survival probabilities, and the estimated process correlation between adult annual survival and recovery probabilities from a Brownie dead recovery model was negative (ρ = −0.34; SD = 0.32). Compared to other North American goose populations, Atlantic brant have lower harvest potential and less ability to compensate for hunter harvest. To ensure harvest remains sustainable, we suggest that managers should account for minimal harvest compensation in adult brant when selecting hunting regulations (i.e., season length and daily bag limits). Lastly, we encourage the use of joint live-dead models when possible because they provide greater insight into demographic processes and improved precision and accuracy on parameter estimates, particularly for juveniles.