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This article explores the importance of conservation and habitat development in game management, including the role of food, water, cover, territory, and home range. It also discusses the various management procedures used, such as game refuges and hunting regulations.
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Settlers to the US • Thought that conservation was not necessary • Thought primarily of their own survival
Settlers to the US • Soon found that Americans would begin to initiate programs to manage wild life
Aldo Leopold • Early authority on game management • “art of making land produce sustained annual crops of wild game for recreational use”
Game Management • Science and art of changing characteristics and interactions of habitats, wild animals, and humans to achieve wildlife population goals
Habitat • Food • Water • Cover • Territory • Home range
Food • Wildlife are often classified by the type of food they eat • Herbivores – plant eaters • Carnivores – meat eaters
Food • Insectivores – insect eaters • Frugivores – fruit eaters • Omnivores – eat many types of foods, usually meat and plants
Food • Spermivores – seed eaters • Also classified by the amount of food that they eat
Food • Euryphagous – animal that consumes great varieties of food • Since its choice of food is varied, chance of survival is great
Euryphagous • Opossum eats fruits, berries, corn, worms, frogs, snakes and even mice
Stenophagous • Eats a specialized diet • Usually has less chance to adapt to new food sources it its traditional food supply is not available
Stenophagous • More likely to starve in a food scarce season
Cover • In order for wildlife to survive harsh weather conditions they must find cover – a place that will protect them
Cover • Protection from predators • Ranges from a thicket or a fencerow to water in the case of beavers and muskrats
Water • One of the most important requirements of wildlife • Bodies of most game animals are 60-80% water
Water • Important in blood composition, temperature regulation and nutrient transport
Water • Without an abundant supply of fresh water an area will soon become desolate of wild game
Home Range • Area over which the game travels is called its home range • Area may be as small as an acre or as large as a township
Territory • Area that an animal will defend, often to the death • Animal’s home ranges may over lap but territory never will
Territory • Only exception to territory overlap is during mating season
Management procedures • Most common methods include: • Game refuges • Habitat development and improvement
Common methods • Coordination with other resources • Hunting regulations • Predator control • Artificial stocking
Game Refuges • Set aside land for the protection of wildlife species • Refuges, reserves and wilderness areas
Game Refuges • Provide the basics for survival without the threat of hunters • Early refuges were for private use
Game Refuges • First state reserve was established in 1870 in California
Game Refuges • Areas for nesting birds, migratory waterfowl, pelicans, and large game animals have been established since 1870
Game Refuges • Not the answer to all wildlife problems • Only protect wildlife from hunters, not their natural enemies
Game Refuges • Do not protect the animals once they leave their boundaries • Only part of total game management plan
Habitat development • To increase game populations, habitat must be developed and improved • Common methods • Fencerow plantings
Fencerow Plantings • Provide food and shelter for wildlife • Farmers provide area at the end of rows for wildlife habitat
Woodland Management • Not allowing livestock to graze in woodlands increases game carrying capacity
Coordination w/other resources • Keep in mind that all resources work together
Hunting Regulations • Game was abundant to early colonists • 1646 Rhode Island became first state to establish a closed season on game
Hunting Regulations • Law was specific for white tailed deer, it led the way for other states to follow suit • First bag limit was initiated in 1878 by the state of Iowa
Hunting Regulations • American Bison were plentiful on the plains • Provided food, clothing and shelter to the plains Indians
Bison • When the railroad was being constructed through the west, thousands of bison were slaughtered to feed the workers
Bison • Many more were killed as easterners came to the west and killed bison for their tongues – a delicacy in the East or their hides
Bison • The entire carcass was not utilized, the remains were left to rot • Legislation by Congress tried to head off extinction……
Bison • The bill was vetoed by President Grant • Laws passed later, but Bison were almost extinct
Hunting Regulations • Hunting is controlled on both public and private lands • Game populations depend on many factors
Hunting Regulations • Reproduction rates, climate, disease, habitat, and predators
Hunting Regulations • Bag limits, hunting seasons and closed seasons for a given game species must be changed each year in accordance with the population
Predator Control • Medium sized and large predators can be dangerous to people • Predators can be a threat to domestic livestock and wild game
Predator Control • Predators help to maintain an improved game population by killing weak or diseased animals
Artificial Stocking • Introduction of exotics – species new to the area • Usually done to supply predators for a problem game animal
Artificial Stocking • The rabbit – once introduced in Australia soon became a major pest
Artificial Stocking • Examine the desired population density or an area • Estimate the carrying capacity
Population Density • Number of game animals in a defined area • Can easily become a problem of over population of a game species
Carrying Capacity • Amount of game for which a given area will provide the essentials for life