Predators are animals that survive by killing and eating other animals. Because the idea of killing as a way of life is distasteful to the general public – and because predators do, on occasion, kill domestic livestock – people have severely persecuted predators. Often called vermin or varmits, predators have been subjects of control programs. Lets…
Tag: biologist
Wildlife & Range Management
Rangelands occupy about 47% of the world’s land area. They characteristically are unsuited for cultivation, but produce forage for livestock and wildlife. In the US, rangelands occupy about one-third of the country – much of it public land in the 17 states west of the Mississippi River. Management of Range Vegetation Range vegetation is managed…
Wildlife & Farming
Historically farmers were wildlife’s best friend – small farms created large amounts of edge and, often when left, waste grain in the fields benefitted wildlife in winter. Unfortunately, farming today employs many practices that are not beneficial to wildlife. Clean-Farming, or the small farm, with its many fields, fence rows, and ditches (all sources of…
Wildlife & Wetlands
Historically, the U.S. has had an abundance and diversity of wetlands. However, the wetlands that exist now may represent only 50% of those seen by pioneers as they advanced across the continent some 200 years ago. The loss of wetlands in this country is of extreme concern to wildlife managers because of the value the…
Wildlife & Fire
The use of fire in wildlife management is a controversial area of research. Resource managers are attempting to counter the “Smoky the Bear” image and show that fire can be a valuable wildlife management tool. So how does fire influence your management area? Wildlife habitat can be positively or negatively impacted by fire. How fire…
Wildlife & Snow
Wildlife, especially northern wildlife, exhibit a number of adaptations to snow: pelage changes, hibernation, migration and physical adaptations, among a few. Today we’ll discuss how wildlife cope with some of the harshest weather they’ll face all year. Snow becomes denser and harder as time goes by (the snow ages). This aging and hardening process is…
Life Tables & Survivorship Curves
Knowing how your animals will fare over time is an important part of being a wildlife manager. Not all animals live long lives, and sometimes thats by design. Having a long term plan for “long-lived” species such as deer, would be more beneficial than the same type of plan for a spawning cycle of fish…
Poaching
Illegal, uncontrolled harvest of wildlife is known as poaching and it threatens the survival of wild animal populations. Today we’ll discuss poaching and its negative impacts on your wildlife. Unfortunately, poaching is more common than you may think. A lot of times you will find evidence like pictured below: this is a male deer who has…
Trophy Deer Management & QDM
To expand upon our last post of the role of harvesting wildlife, one of the ways that wildlife managers can manipulate hunting to influence wildlife populations is Trophy Deer Management and Quality Deer Management (QDM). These obviously relate specifically to deer populations, but these large herbivores are one of your biggest revenue streams and need…
Wildlife & Harvest: Part II
In a continuation of our last post, where does hunting (or harvest) fit in? When properly managed and regulated, harvest (be it hunting, trapping, or fishing) can be used to take the place of some forms of natural mortality. Harvest should be a replacing form of mortality, it should replace some of the mortality which…
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