Can a wildlife management area support wildlife and human recreational opportunities, especially hunting?
Canada geese (Branta canadensis) take to the air over the Delmarva Peninsula. (Credit: Alexego01, … [+]
Canada geese are more cunning than most people think. For example, a new study by a team of researchers at Pennsylvania State University reports that Canada geese, Branta canadensisthey seem to understand when and where the hunters will arrive, and yet they still refuse to leave their favorite haunts, despite the dangers. The findings of this study are consistent with a previous study conducted in Chicago (more here).
“Canada geese — many of which are non-migratory in Pennsylvania — account for about half of the total waterfowl harvest within the state of Pennsylvania,” said senior study author Frances Buderman, an assistant professor of quantitative wildlife ecology. . “However, we know very little about how resident geese respond to hunting pressure in the Middle Creek and Pymatuning Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) and similar areas across the country.”
Pymatuning WMA includes 9,661 acres in the northwest corner of Pennsylvania and Middle Creek WMA includes 6,207 acres in the southeast. Both WMAs are operated and maintained by the Pennsylvania Game Commission specifically to increase game species and create hunting opportunities. These WMAs consist of farmland, forests, lakes, and wetlands that serve to provide habitat for geese that can help mitigate the effects of hunting. The agency also maintains stationary waterfowl hunting blinds, which are allocated to duck and goose hunters using a lottery system.
Because these WMAs are designed to provide two conflicting services—to preserve wildlife habitat and to provide recreation, including hunting opportunities that may spook birds—no one really knows how they perceive them. resident geese situation. This is where Professor Buderman and colleagues come into play.
“We looked at whether hunting pressure in these places is causing geese to leave the WMA,” Professor Buderman said of the study.
To monitor the geese’s movements, Professor Buderman and colleagues trapped a total of 134 female geese and fitted them with GPS collars to track their movements over two hunting seasons. During that time, the researchers collected and analyzed 7.4 million observed locations provided by 134 geese.
The data revealed that resident geese abandoned the location where hunters were active for short periods of time to avoid death, but in general, they maintained their long-term loyalty to the WMAs themselves. This finding surprised the researchers and contradicted findings from similar studies of waterfowl, according to Professor Buderman.
Professor Buderman and colleagues explained in their study (ref) that the geese are probably relying on both a cognitive map of dangers – a “fear landscape” – and an awareness of when danger is present – a “fear program”. — move around their environment and make decisions about trade-offs between refuges, resources and habitats.
Further, the study’s findings suggest that if geese find sufficient cover—pockets of habitat where they can remain hidden from hunters—they are unlikely to abandon a WMA altogether.
“Many aspects of wildlife biology focus simultaneously on two types of objectives: supporting animal populations and supporting human activities, such as maximizing recreational opportunities, which may include hunting,” Professor Buderman explained. “It turns out that WMAs, which are managed by the Game Commission for game species, including Canada geese, are indeed serving their dual purpose—to provide habitat for the species throughout its life cycle and to provide opportunities for hunters.”
“Hunter satisfaction is important to agencies like the Game Commission,” noted Professor Buderman. “Satisfied hunters support wildlife and habitat programs, which ultimately support the conservation of hunted and non-hunted species.”
“In terms of waterfowl hunters nationwide, they are some of the largest contributors through the required purchase of a Federal Duck Stamp,” Professor Buderman said.
According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Federal Duck Stamp program is among the most successful conservation tools ever created to protect habitat for birds and other wildlife. Ninety-eight percent of the purchase price of a duck stamp goes directly to purchase and protect wetlands, help clean water, help control floods, reduce soil erosion and sedimentation, and improve outdoor recreation opportunities. Since 1934, over $1.1 billion has been raised from the sale of Federal Duck Stamps to conserve over 6 million acres of land within the National Wildlife Refuge System. In addition to hunters, bird watchers, conservationists, stamp collectors and others also purchase the Duck Stamp in support of habitat conservation.
Source:
Karen E. Beatty, Nathaniel R. Huck & Frances E. Buderman (2024). Anthropogenic predation risk alters waterfowl habitat selection, Landscape ecology 39:201 | doi:10.1007/s10980-024-01995-w
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