Sustainable elk harvests in Alberta with increasing predator populations
Large predators often are believed to cause declines in hunter harvests of ungulates due to direct competition for prey with hunters. In Alberta, predators of elk (Cervus elaphus), including grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), cougar (Puma concolor), and wolf (Canis lupus), have increased in recent years....
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9604012/?tool=EBI |
| _version_ | 1811247855961112576 |
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| author | Tyler Trump Kyle Knopff Andrea Morehouse Mark S. Boyce |
| author_facet | Tyler Trump Kyle Knopff Andrea Morehouse Mark S. Boyce |
| author_sort | Tyler Trump |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Large predators often are believed to cause declines in hunter harvests of ungulates due to direct competition for prey with hunters. In Alberta, predators of elk (Cervus elaphus), including grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), cougar (Puma concolor), and wolf (Canis lupus), have increased in recent years. We used trend analysis replicated by Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) to examine regional trends in elk harvest and hunter success. Over a 26-yr period, average harvest of elk increased by 5.46% per year for unrestricted bull and by 6.64% per year for limited-quota seasons. Also, over the same time frame, average hunter success increased by 0.2% per year for unrestricted bull and by 0.3% per year for limited-quota seasons, but no trend was detected in hunter effort (P>0.05). Our results show that increasing large-predator populations do not necessarily reduce hunter harvest of elk, and we only found evidence for this in Alberta’s mountain WMUs where predation on elk calves has reduced recruitment. Furthermore, data indicate that Alberta’s elk harvest management has been sustainable, i.e., hunting has continued while populations of elk have increased throughout most of the province. Wildlife agencies can justify commitments to long-term population monitoring because data allow adaptive management and can inform stakeholders on the status of populations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T15:16:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d1e99b640e344b8fb81e196ac1ca96c1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T15:16:48Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-d1e99b640e344b8fb81e196ac1ca96c12022-12-22T03:27:35ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-011710Sustainable elk harvests in Alberta with increasing predator populationsTyler TrumpKyle KnopffAndrea MorehouseMark S. BoyceLarge predators often are believed to cause declines in hunter harvests of ungulates due to direct competition for prey with hunters. In Alberta, predators of elk (Cervus elaphus), including grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), cougar (Puma concolor), and wolf (Canis lupus), have increased in recent years. We used trend analysis replicated by Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) to examine regional trends in elk harvest and hunter success. Over a 26-yr period, average harvest of elk increased by 5.46% per year for unrestricted bull and by 6.64% per year for limited-quota seasons. Also, over the same time frame, average hunter success increased by 0.2% per year for unrestricted bull and by 0.3% per year for limited-quota seasons, but no trend was detected in hunter effort (P>0.05). Our results show that increasing large-predator populations do not necessarily reduce hunter harvest of elk, and we only found evidence for this in Alberta’s mountain WMUs where predation on elk calves has reduced recruitment. Furthermore, data indicate that Alberta’s elk harvest management has been sustainable, i.e., hunting has continued while populations of elk have increased throughout most of the province. Wildlife agencies can justify commitments to long-term population monitoring because data allow adaptive management and can inform stakeholders on the status of populations.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9604012/?tool=EBI |
| spellingShingle | Tyler Trump Kyle Knopff Andrea Morehouse Mark S. Boyce Sustainable elk harvests in Alberta with increasing predator populations PLoS ONE |
| title | Sustainable elk harvests in Alberta with increasing predator populations |
| title_full | Sustainable elk harvests in Alberta with increasing predator populations |
| title_fullStr | Sustainable elk harvests in Alberta with increasing predator populations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sustainable elk harvests in Alberta with increasing predator populations |
| title_short | Sustainable elk harvests in Alberta with increasing predator populations |
| title_sort | sustainable elk harvests in alberta with increasing predator populations |
| url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9604012/?tool=EBI |
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