05.08.2013 Views

Proceedings of the Ninth Mountain Lion Workshop - Carnivore ...

Proceedings of the Ninth Mountain Lion Workshop - Carnivore ...

Proceedings of the Ninth Mountain Lion Workshop - Carnivore ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Implications <strong>of</strong> Sink Populations in Large <strong>Carnivore</strong> Management:<br />

Cougar Demography and Immigration in a Hunted Population.<br />

Hugh S. Robinson, Large <strong>Carnivore</strong> Conservation Laboratory, Department <strong>of</strong> Natural<br />

Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6410,<br />

USA. Hugh.robinson@umontana.edu<br />

Robert B. Wielgus, Large <strong>Carnivore</strong> Conservation Laboratory, Department <strong>of</strong> Natural<br />

Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6410,<br />

USA. wielgus@wsu.edu<br />

Hilary S. Cooley, Large <strong>Carnivore</strong> Conservation Laboratory, Department <strong>of</strong> Natural<br />

Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6410,<br />

USA. hcruicks@wsu.edu<br />

Skye W. Cooley, Cirque Geoscience. Pullman, WA, USA 99163.<br />

ABSTRACT <strong>Carnivore</strong>s are widely hunted for both sport and population control<br />

especially where <strong>the</strong>y conflict with human interests. How carnivore populations respond<br />

to harvest can vary greatly depending on <strong>the</strong>ir social structure, reproductive strategies,<br />

and dispersal patterns. If carnivore management plans (both sport harvest and population<br />

control) do not take into account <strong>the</strong> specific response <strong>of</strong> individual species to harvest,<br />

<strong>the</strong> plans may be detrimental to <strong>the</strong> greater population, or ineffective for local population<br />

control. Hunted cougar populations have shown a great degree <strong>of</strong> resiliency, due to high<br />

immigration and recruitment, and have sustained annual harvest levels <strong>of</strong> 15-30 % <strong>of</strong><br />

resident adults. Although hunting cougars on a broad geographic scale (>2,000 km 2 ) can<br />

reduce cougar densities, hunting <strong>of</strong> small areas (i.e., Game Management Units

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!