Proceedings of the Seventh Mountain Lion Workshop

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162 ASSESSING GPS RADIOTELEMETRY RELIABILITY IN COUGAR HABITAT TRISH GRISWOLD JAMES BRIGGS GARY KOEHLER STUDENTS AT CLE ELUM-ROSLYN SCHOOL DISTRICT, Cle Elum, Washington Abstract: Studies evaluating the effectiveness of GPS radiotelemetry have shown that the positional accuracy and rate of GPS fixes declines with increased forest canopy coverage (D’Eon, Serrouya, Smith, and Kochanny, 2002. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 30(2):430-439). Since GPS collars are being used to mark and monitor cougars (Puma concolor; Koehler and Nelson, 7 th Mountain Lion Workshop), students, faculty, and volunteers at the Cle Elum-Roslyn Middle School, Washington, tested GPS location accuracy as part of Project CAT (Cougars and Teaching). We fitted domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) with the same GPS collars used to mark cougars and locational accuracy was measured in areas of known cougar habitat. GPS fixes were recorded and compared with UTM coordinates obtained from hand-held GPS receivers and 7.5minute topographic maps. Environmental factors, vegetation types, and physiographic parameters were recorded. It was felt that the dogs would closely approximate cougar movement patterns and give an index of reliability of GPS fixes for free-ranging cougars. While previous studies have addressed the reliability of GPS collar fixes, none have tested reliability of data collected in the rapidly suburbanizing ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and Douglas fir (Pseudosuga menziesii) forests of the eastern Cascade Mountains. This project gives the middle school students an opportunity to participate in the school-wide educational effort of cougar ecology. Students proposed and tested hypotheses and analyzed the data. PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTH MOUNTAIN LION WORKSHOP
USING GPS COLLARS TO DETERMINE COUGAR KILL RATES, ESTIMATE HOME RANGES, AND EXAMINE COUGAR-COUGAR INTERACTIONS POLLY C. BUOTTE, Research Assistant and GIS Specialist, Wildlife Conservation Society, 2023 Stadium Dr. Suite 1A, Bozeman, MT 59030, USA, email: polly_thornton@hotmail.com TONI K. RUTH, Associate Conservation Scientist, Wildlife Conservation Society, 2023 Stadium Dr. Suite 1A, Bozeman, MT 59030, USA, email: truth@montanadsl.net Abstract: Single-species approaches to large carnivore conservation limits our understanding of carnivore assemblages and interactions at a community level and obtaining data on wide ranging, secretive species such as cougars and wolves can be particularly challenging. Beginning in 2001, we collaborated with the Yellowstone Wolf Project and Interagency Grizzly Bear Team in applying GPS technology to examine patterns of resource use among cougars, wolves, and grizzly bears. In this paper, we address three topics relative to future analysis of GPS data on all three carnivores: 1) the efficacy of finding cougar-killed elk and deer carcasses through GPS locations, 2) differences in home range estimation from GPS versus VHF locations with implications to analysis of species overlap; and 3) interaction between two cougars with implications to addressing spatial-temporal interactions between cougars, wolves, and bears. We deployed store-on-board GPS collars (GPS Generation II, Telonics, Inc.) on two adult male cougars (M137 and M127) during the winter of 2001. Male M137’s collar acquired 612 GPS locations between Feb 11 and June 13, with a successful fix rate of 59.9%. Male M127’s collar acquired 370 GPS locations between Feb 27 and May 1, with a successful fix rate of 73.4%. Each collar was programmed to attempt a GPS fix every third hour, or eight times per day. We identified clusters of locations by calculating distance moved between consecutive GPS locations and by selecting groups of locations within 200 meters of each other. Identified clusters were located and searched in the field utilizing a hand-held GPS. For cougar M127, we additionally documented kill rate via intensive daily ground-based VHF telemetry sampling between March 5 and April 10. Both ground and GPS methods yielded four kills during that time span. To examine differences in identification of home ranges we calculated home ranges using fixed kernel analysis. Male M137’s GPS data included a disjunct area of approximately 15 km 2 that was not identified from VHF locations. Preliminary analysis of interaction indicated two times when both cougars were at the same location, after which the subordinate male M127 moved away from the dominant male M137. During winter 2003, we deployed 5 Televilt Simplex GPS collars on cougars. The collars allow for remote downloads of data and are programmed to acquire locations simultaneous to locations of GPS collared wolves. Our goals during the next two years are to: 1) develop correction factors for both ground-based and GPS collected kill rates and, in collaboration with the Yellowstone Wolf Project and the Interagency Grizzly Bear Team to, 2) quantify spatial-temporal interactions between cougars, wolves and bears via subsequent moves analyses and utilize these data to develop a predictive model of carnivore movement and landscape use. PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTH MOUNTAIN LION WORKSHOP 163
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PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTH MOUNTAIN
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface..........
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COUGAR PREDATION ON PREY IN YELLOWS
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PREFACE vii PREFACE The Wyoming Gam
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ix IN MEMORY
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2 STATUS OF MOUNTAIN LION POPULATIO
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4 STATUS OF MOUNTAIN LION POPULATIO
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CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN LION STATUS REP
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8 CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN LION STATUS R
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10 CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN LION STATUS
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12 CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN LION STATUS
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COLORADO MOUNTAIN LION STATUS REPOR
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16 COLORADO MOUNTAIN LION STATUS RE
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FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVAT
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20 FLORIDA STATUS REPORT · Lotz an
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26 IDAHO MOUNTAIN LION STATUS REPOR
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28 IDAHO MOUNTAIN LION STATUS REPOR
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30 MONTANA MOUNTAIN LION STATUS REP
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32 NEVADA MOUNTAIN LION STATUS REPO
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40 NEW MEXICO MOUNTAIN LION STATUS
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42 NEW MEXICO MOUNTAIN LION STATUS
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44 SOUTH DAKOTA MOUNTAIN LION STATU
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50 TEXAS MOUNTAIN LION STATUS REPOR
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52 UTAH MOUNTAIN LION STATUS REPORT
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PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTH MOUNTAIN
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WASHINGTON COUGAR STATUS REPORT RIC
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62 WASHINGTON COUGAR STATUS REPORT
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WYOMING MOUNTAIN LION STATUS REPORT
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66 WYOMING MOUNTAIN LION STATUS REP
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72 CRYPTIC COUGARS · Tischendorf F
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74 CRYPTIC COUGARS · Tischendorf C
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76 CRYPTIC COUGARS · Tischendorf A
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78 CRYPTIC COUGARS · Tischendorf f
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80 CRYPTIC COUGARS · Tischendorf b
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82 CRYPTIC COUGARS · Tischendorf N
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84 CRYPTIC COUGARS · Tischendorf C
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86 CRYPTIC COUGARS · Tischendorf m
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88 IMPROVING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF M
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90 REDUCING PUMA ATTACKS · Fitzhug
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100 REDUCING PUMA ATTACKS · Fitzhu
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102 REDUCING PUMA ATTACKS · Fitzhu
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104 A CONCEPTUAL MODEL AND APPRAISA
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106 MOUNTAIN LION MOVEMENTS AND PER
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108 PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF FLORIDA
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110 ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND EVO
Page 122 and 123: 112 MOUNTAIN LION BED, CACHE AND KI
Page 130 and 131: 120 EFFECT OF ROADS ON HABITAT USE
Page 132 and 133: 122 COUGAR ECOLOGY AND COUGAR-WOLF
Page 134 and 135: 124 ARE PUMAS OPPORTUNISTIC SCAVENG
Page 136 and 137: 126 COUGAR PREDATION ON PREY IN YEL
Page 138 and 139: 128 COUGAR TOTAL PREDATION RESPONSE
Page 140 and 141: 130 CHARACTERISTICS OF COUGAR HARVE
Page 146 and 147: 136 DEFINING AND DELINEATING DE FAC
Page 148 and 149: 138 MANAGEMENT OF COUGARS (PUMA CON
Page 150 and 151: 140 PROJECT CAT (COUGARS AND TEACHI
Page 152 and 153: 142 ESTIMATING COUGAR ABUNDANCE USI
Page 154 and 155: 144 PRESENCE AND MOVEMENTS OF LACTA
Page 156 and 157: 146 RECONCILING SCIENCE AND POLITIC
Page 158 and 159: 148 PUMA MANAGEMENT IN WESTERN NORT
Page 160 and 161: 150 MOUNTAIN LIONS AND BIGHORN SHEE
Page 162 and 163: 152 DISPERSAL IN MALE PUMAS · Laun
Page 174 and 175: 164 FUNCTIONAL RESPONSE OF COUGARS
Page 176 and 177: 166 DEPREDATION TRENDS IN CALIFORNI
Page 178 and 179: 168 PUMA ACTIVITY AND MOVEMENTS IN
Page 180 and 181: 170 MOUNTAIN LION SURVEY TECHNIQUES
Page 182 and 183: 172 CRITICAL COUGAR CROSSING AND BA
Page 184 and 185: 174 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS Chris Beld
Page 186 and 187: 176 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS Steve Fitz
Page 188 and 189: 178 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS Mollie Hog
Page 190 and 191: 180 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS Cheryl Le
Page 192 and 193: 182 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS Ryan Nelso
Page 194 and 195: 184 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS Harley Sha
Page 196: 186 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS Patricia W
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Proceedings of the Seventh Mountain Lion Workshop

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