Lecture 15: Range Wildlife Management

What has caused the increased interest in wildlife populations?

-rapidly changing society

-greater affluency and higher population

-increased demand for recreation on public lands

What has caused ranchers to pay more attention to this increased interest?

-low economic returns from livestock

-public willingness to pay for hunting

-some ranches now generate more income from hunting than from livestock

Key Game Species that have made Significant Recoveries in the US

-mule deer

-white-tailed deer

-pronghorn

-elk

-moose

-bighorn sheep

-mountain goats

-wild turkey

-white-winged dove

-pheasant

-specific game birds

-specific water fowl

-what has created the recovery=habitat improvement, controlled hunting, predator control, introductions into unoccupied habitats, improved grazing management

Federal Aid

-wildlife restoration act

-also known as the pittman-robertson act

-federal 10% tax on ammunition and firearms used for sport hunting distributed to the states for wildlife restoration

Key species that have significantly declined

-sage grouse

-prairie chickens

-willow flycatcher

-golden cheeked warbler

-prairie dogs

-desert tortoise

-cause of decline=certain range management practices, grazing, habitat loss, introduced predators

Basic Components of Wildlife Habitat

-availability of food, water, and cover

Habitat

-the natural abode of a plant or animal, including all biotic, climatic, and edaphic factors affecting life

-range management and livestock grazing practices can promote habitat diversity or destroy it, depending on application

Edge Effect

-interface or blending of two different habitat types

-wildlife are attracted to edge

-wildlife require several types of vegetation to meet their needs

-blending of cover plants and feed source plants

-edge can refer to brush and grass for deer or large bunchgrass and open ground forbs

-livestock can diversify wildlife habitat by opening up dense vegetation stands and changing plant populations through selective grazing=positive effects of grazing are most likely to occur on humid rangelands (>20” precip/year), insufficient grazing results in tallgrasses shading out forbs and other species

Effects of Grazing on Wildlife

-direct impacts=remove and/or trample vegetation/food source, different types of livestock affect areas differently due to plant preference and pattern of consumption, severe defoliation caused lower plant diversity and therefore lower wildlife in an area

-indirect impacts=change in plant populations-depending on preference of livestock present, livestock and wildlife prefer young forbs

Social Interactions Between Livestock and Wildlife

-intermingling of livestock and wildlife

-social interaction varies=white-tail, mule deer, moose, and elk tend to have some aversion to livestock (appears to be of minor importance if stock at a light or moderate rate)

-white-tail prefer pastures grazed by cattle over those grazed by sheep

-pronghorn have no aversion to feeding with cattle or sheep

-avoidance of pastures used by livestock=elk and deer prefer areas unoccupied by livestock, bighorn sheep appear to be relatively intolerant of livestock (will abandon areas occupied by livestock, moose have also been reported to abandon areas occupied by livestock)

-no definite aversion to livestock by nongame mammals or birds

Impacts of Mixing Species

-disease

-several diseases of domestic livestock also occur in wild ungulates

-interrelationships of disease between domestic livestock and wildlife are not well understood

-primary effect is nutritional stress that results in susceptibility of disease in wildlife when areas are overgrazed by livestock

Livestock Management Factors

-fencing, brush control, water development, predator control, and fertilization often have much greater impact on wildlife than livestock

-fencing=of limited impact on most large game species (except pronghorn and sheep), can create edge effect and habitat variety (beneficial for many bird species)

-grazing can be a useful tool for enhancing wildlife habitat=alters composition of plant community, increases productivity of selected species, increases the nutritive quality of the forage, increases the diversity of the habitat by altering its structure

-frequency, intensity, and timing of grazing for maximum wildlife benefit may be different than what would be best for maximum livestock production

-burning or mowing may give better results when the primary goal is wildlife habitat improvement

Brush Control and Wildlife

-wildlife need quality and quantity in a habitat=monocultures of any type are undesirable, opening dense brush improves habitat, deer prefer small open areas (5-40 acres), pronghorns can do well with open areas up to 1000 acres

-fire, mechanical means, or herbicides can be used to open dense stands of brush