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Cougar Exploitation Levels In Utah: Implications For Demographic Structure, Metapopulation Dynamics, And Population Recovery, David C. Stoner
Cougar Exploitation Levels In Utah: Implications For Demographic Structure, Metapopulation Dynamics, And Population Recovery, David C. Stoner
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
Presently, eleven western states and two Canadian provinces utilize sport hunting as the primary mechanism for managing cougar (Puma concolor) populations. However, the impacts of sustained harvest on population dynamics and demographic structure arc not well understood. Additionally, the lack of cost-effective enumeration techniques and strongly conflicting societal values complicate effective management of this species. Given these concerns, the primary goals of this study were (I) to determine the effects of sustained harvest on cougar populations, and (2) estimate the level and extent of cougar harvest statewide.
I monitored cougar populations on Monroe Mountain in south-central Utah, and …