PWD BK W7000-893 Proceedings.CDR - Mountain Lion Foundation

sixth Mountain Lion w o r k s h o p 73
PREDATION RATES OF FEMALE MOUNTAIN LIONS
IN NORTHEAST OREGON
M. CATHY NOWAK*, Cat Tracks Wildlife Consulting, P.O. Box 195, Union, OR 97883-0195.
GARY W. WITMER, USDA National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 La Porte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO
80521-2154.
Abstract: Wildlife managers are increasingly
expected to balance populations of mountain lions
(Puma concolor) and their prey, often with little
data about their interactions. We investigated the
foraging ecology of mountain lions in the
Catherine Creek Wildlife Management Unit in
northeast Oregon from June 1996 through June
1998. We present predation rate data from this
investigation. We located individual lions by
ground radio telem-etry each day during 25-day
predation sequences and subsequently searched
those sites for kills. Kill date was estimated based on
location data, degree of consumption, and general
condition of the kill when located. Interkill interval
was calculated and recorded as the number of
days between consecutive ungulate kills made by a
single lion. We documented 75 ungulate kills and
40 interkill intervals from 5 adult female mountain
lions. The mean annual interkill interval was
7.7 days with a shorter interval in summer-fall than
winter-spring.
PREY SELECTION OF FEMALE MOUNTAIN LIONS
IN NORTHEAST OREGON
M. CATHY NOWAK*, Cat Tracks Wildlife Consulting, P.O. Box 195, Union, OR 97883-0195.
GARY W. WITMER, USDA National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 La Porte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO
80521-2154.
Abstract: Wildlife managers are increasingly
expected to balance populations of mountain lions
(Puma concolor) and their prey, often with little
data about their interactions. We investigated the
foraging ecology of mountain lions in the
Catherine Creek Wildlife Management Unit in
northeast Oregon from June 1996 through June
1998. We present prey selection data from this
investigation. We located individual lions by
ground radio telemetry each day during 25-day
predation sequences and subsequently searched
those sites for kills. Species, sex, and relative age of
the prey were recorded and an incisor collected for
aging of animals older than 1 year. We documented
75 ungulate kills from 5 adult female
mountain lions. Of the documented kills, 65% were
mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus); 35% were elk
(Cervus elaphus). Mountain lions selected for
fawns and older adult females from among the
mule deer and calves from among the elk.
Mountain lion use of ungulate species, age, and sex
classes did not differ seasonally.