Transcript Hunting - School of Environmental and Forest Sciences

What is Wildlife Science?
Applied
Ecology
ECOLOGY
Population Growth
Community Organization
Ecosystem Organization
Processes & Interactions
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
Threatened & Endangered species
Reserve Design
Restoration
Habitat
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
Increase or Decrease Populations
Sustainable Harvest
Monitor Population Status
Information Needs for Wildlife
Conservation
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Habitat requirements
Assessment of past and current populations
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Major limiting factors
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Growth or decline?
Ability to survive, reproduce and disperse
How to manage the population(s)?
Habitat protection
 Captive breeding
 Legal protection
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Era of Environmental Management:
1966-present
Examples of Success in Wildlife Conservation
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American Bison
From the surviving 150
individuals, there are
now over 30,000 bison
in many different herds
Era of Environmental Management:
1966-present
Examples of Success in Wildlife
Conservation
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White-tailed (E. U.S.) and mule deer (W.
of Cascades to Dakotas)
Suffered from loss of habitat and
overharvesting
 Habitat restoration and
better protection resulted
in many recovered
populations and even overpopulation in places
Era of Environmental Management:
1966-present
Examples of Success in Wildlife Conservation
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Elk (wapiti)
Suffered from overharvesting and loss of
habitat
Habitat restoration &
better protection have
led to many recovered
populations
Era of Environmental Management:
1966-present
Examples of Success in Wildlife Conservation
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Gray wolf
Persecuted for centuries, ongoing
in some places
Change of attitudes has made
restoration efforts possible (e.g.
Yellowstone NP)
Still controversial species,
especially with respect to ranching
Today:
Human Relationships with Wildlife
Today:
Human Relationships with Wildlife
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Permanent settlements, transportation
dramatically change where wildlife can survive
Humans move around a lot of species to areas
they were never found before
Technological advances – allow us to harvest
more wildlife
Pollution from human activities directly and
indirectly (climate change) influences wildlife
In other words . . .
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Habitat degradation, loss and fragmentation
Biological invasions
Overexploitation
Climate change
Why does it matter?
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Between a quarter and a third of the world's
wildlife has been lost since 1970 (Zoological Society of London)
Wildlife has value for humans
Economic
 Recreational
 Intrinsic
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Human Attitudes Toward Wildlife
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Scientific: curiosity, study, knowledge
Ecological: ecosystem, species interdependence
Naturalistic: wildlife exposure, contact with nature
Humanistic: pets, love for animals
Moralistic: ethical concern for animal welfare
Aesthetic: artistic and display
Utilitarian: practicality, usefulness
Dominionistic: mastery, superiority
Negativistic: avoidance, dislike, indifference, fear
Different Views of Wildlife
Wildlife means different
things to different people:
• Traditional view:
Species that are hunted
or trapped
• In last 25 years:
All species
Historical perspectives: Hunting
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Subsistence hunting - 1.8 million years
Protein
 Bone for implements
 Sinew for cordage
 Fur and feathers for warmth
and ornament
 Rawhide and leather for clothing
and shelter
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Historical perspectives: Hunting
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Early colonists
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Access to land
in New World
Tradition
established
“Birth right”
Percentage of
hunters
declined since
1960s
Hunting vs. No Hunting Controversy
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Hunters
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Non-hunters
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Hunt legal game species by trapping or shooting
Do not hunt or trap, but do not oppose or interrupt
those that do
Anti-hunters
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Do not hunt or trap, but do oppose and try to
disrupt hunting
Animal Rights vs. Wildlife
Conservation Philosophies
Animal Rights
 Humans should cause no pain, suffering or
death to sentient animals
 Animals should be treated with same ethical
standards as humans
 Rights of individual animals of primary
importance; integrity of ecology and
populations, other concerns secondary
Animal Rights vs. Wildlife
Conservation Philosophies
Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic
 “A thing is right if it tends to preserve the
integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic
community. It is wrong when it tends to do
otherwise.” (1949 A Sand County Almanac)
 Hunting is permissible
Hunting terms
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Harvest
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Bag limit
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Max. number of legally taken game animals (daily, possession,
season limits)
Surplus
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Game legally shot and retrieved (“bagged”)
Proportion of population in excess of the number of
breeders required to maintain the population at a desired level
Poaching
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Illegal take or possession of animals
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Closed season, closed area, illegal methods, threatened and
endangered species, age/sex of animal
Hunting areas of Washington
Go Hunt:
http://wdfw.wa.gov/mapping/gohunt/index.html
The premise behind game harvest
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Without harvest
Growth and recruitment of population are balanced
by natural mortality
 Average growth rate of a population at its carrying
capacity (k) = 0
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Harvest
Reduces number of animals in a population
 Increases growth rate (decreased competition)
 Results in “harvestable surplus”
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Annual surplus: without harvest
Births
=
Deaths
Compensatory mortality: with
harvest
Births =
+
Game species of WA
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Big game
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Deer, Elk, Black Bear
Game species of WA
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Predators
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Cougar, Coyote
Game species of WA
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Small Game
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Cottontail, Snowshoe Hare
Furbearers
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Ex. Red Fox, Mink, Beaver, Marten, Badger, Bobcat, Lynx
Game species of WA
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Upland game birds
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Ex. Blue (now Dusky), Ruffed and Spruce Grouse, Ring-necked Pheasant,
Wild Turkey, California and Mountain Quail
Waterfowl
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Ducks, Coots, Snipe, Geese
Examples of hunted species
White-tailed deer
 Population
extremely high
through much of
its range
 Recent declines
due to Chronic
Wasting Disease
(CWD)
Examples of hunted species
Mule deer
 Primary deer species in
Rocky Mountain states
 Populations fluctuate
but most are healthy
Examples of hunted species
Black-tailed deer
 Coastal form of mule deer
 Hybridize with mule deer in North Cascades
 Populations mostly stable but may suffer from
overlap with elk in part of range
Factors important to successful
game management
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Populations stable or slightly increasing
Animals in population are healthy
Harvest and access regulated
Habitat management and conservation
Educate public (Peterson 2004)
What do we actually do to have
successful game management?
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Populations stable or slightly increasing
Animals in population are healthy
Harvest and access regulated
Habitat management and conservation
Educate public (Peterson 2004)
What do we actually do to have
successful game management?
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Populations stable or slightly increasing
Animals in population are healthy
Harvest and access regulated
Habitat management and conservation
Educate public (Peterson 2004)
Chronic Wasting Disease
Signs:
Slobbering
Tremors
Low appetite
Reduced
coordination
What do we actually do to have
successful game management?
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Populations stable or slightly increasing
Animals in population are healthy
Harvest and access regulated
Habitat management and conservation
Educate public (Peterson 2004)
What do we actually do to have
successful game management?
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Populations stable or slightly increasing
Animals in population are healthy
Harvest and access regulated
Habitat management and conservation
Educate public (Peterson 2004)
Examples of hunted species
American Woodcock
 Forest-dwelling shorebird
 Population stable in most of range
“The woodcock is a living refutation of the theory
that the utility of a game bird is to serve as a
“The
is agracefully
living refutation
of the
target,woodcock
or to pose
on a slice
of theory
toast. that
No
the
a gamehunt
birdwoodcock
is to serve as
target, orthan
to
oneutility
wouldofrather
in aOctober
pose
on a slice
No one
would
I, butgracefully
since learning
of of
thetoast.
sky dance
I find
rather
woodcock
October
than I, butIsince
myselfhunt
calling
one orintwo
birds enough.
must be
learning
ofcome
the sky
dancethere
I findbemyself
callingofone or
sure that,
April,
no dearth
two
birdsinenough.
I must
be sure that, come April,
dancers
the sunset
sky.”
there
be nop.dearth
(Leopold,
34) of dancers in the sunset sky.”
(Leopold, p. 34)
Examples of hunted species
How many waterfowl are there?
 Declines in the 1980s
 Recovery 1990s – fall flight 105 million
North American goose population: 6-8 million
Hunting harvests
 10-20 million ducks/year
 1-2 million geese/year
Waterfowl annual cycle
How harvest levels are obtained
Benefits of hunting
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Deepens appreciation and understanding of land
and its wildlife
Hunting organizations contribute millions of
dollars and volunteer time to conservation
causes
Hunting important tool for wildlife management
to prevent negative aspects of overpopulated
species
Hunting recap
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Hunting is traditional
Can take the place of natural predation in some
places
Hunting is regulated
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In recent history of N. America, no game species has
become threatened or endangered because of
overharvesting
More Information on Hunting
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:
http://www.fws.gov/hunting
• Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife:
http://wdfw.wa.gov