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2007

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Effi Cacy Of Cpth-Treated Egg Baits For Removing Ravens, Peter S. Coates, Jack O. Spencer, Jr., David J. Delehanty Jan 2007

Effi Cacy Of Cpth-Treated Egg Baits For Removing Ravens, Peter S. Coates, Jack O. Spencer, Jr., David J. Delehanty

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Human-altered landscapes have provided resource subsidies for common ravens (Corvus corax) resulting in a substantial increase in raven abundance and distribution throughout the United States and Canada in the past 25 years. Ravens are effective predators of eggs and young of ground-nesting birds. During 2002–2005, we tested whether chicken egg baits treated with CPTH (3-chloro-p-toluidine hydrochloride) could be used to manage raven numbers in an area where raven depredation was impacting sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) and greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations in Nevada. We performed multiple raven surveys at a treatment site and …

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Use Of Decoy Traps To Protect Blueberries From Juvenile European Starlings, Michael R. Conover, Richard A. Dolbeer Jan 2007

Use Of Decoy Traps To Protect Blueberries From Juvenile European Starlings, Michael R. Conover, Richard A. Dolbeer

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Fruit consumption by large flocks of juvenile European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) is a serious problem for growers of strawberries, grapes, apples, cherries, blueberries, and other small fruit. This study examined if numbers of juvenile European starlings foraging in blueberry orchards could be reduced by catching them in decoy traps and relocating the birds elsewhere. From late July through August of 1989, 620 juvenile starlings were captured in 2 decoy traps at a blueberry orchard in Connecticut. A similar number were caught during the same period in 1990. During these 2 years, numbers of juvenile starlings foraging daily in …

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Ecology And Management Of Feral Hogs, Stephen S. Ditchkoff, Ben C. West Jan 2007

Ecology And Management Of Feral Hogs, Stephen S. Ditchkoff, Ben C. West

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Feral hogs (Sus scrofa) have been present in North America since the arrival of the earliest settlers in the sixteenth century. Colonists originally released hogs because of the animals’ ability to survive on their own and to serve as a ready food supply for settlers. Since that time, hogs have expanded their range and now are present in 40 of the 50 United States and parts of Canada. Their rapid expansion is similar to that of other introduced species, and, as a result, they are generally classified as an invasive exotics, along with hundreds of other plant and …

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America’S First Feral Hog War, Michael R. Conover Jan 2007

America’S First Feral Hog War, Michael R. Conover

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This issue of Human-Wildlife Conflicts focuses on the management of feral hogs (Sus scrofa). As this exotic species has become more numerous and has expanded its range in North America, its adverse impacts on both our nation’s agriculture and environment are becoming more apparent and alarming. How best to manage feral hogs has become one of the most vexing questions for wildlife agencies today, owing to society’s mixed attitudes towards feral hogs (Rollins et al. 2007). Environmentalists and farmers want feral hogs eradicated. Others, especially those who enjoy hunting them, are rooting (pun intended) for the continued expansion …

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A Tribute To Frederick F. Knowlton, William H. Clay Jan 2007

A Tribute To Frederick F. Knowlton, William H. Clay

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Dr. Fredrick F. Knowlton officially retired on March 31, 2007, with well over 45 years of service to the USDA/Wildlife Services. Fred worked at Wildlife Services’ National Wildlife Research Center Field Station in Logan, Utah, for 35 years alone! His work on coyotes and other species has had an extraordinary impact on the science and management of coyotes. Things that we take for granted today about the life history of coyotes were the result of Fred’s tireless ambition to understand these animals and to improve our ability to manage them. One of our agency’s first Ph.D. hires, Fred produced about …

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Distribution And Disease Prevalence Of Feral Hogs In Missouri, R. Edwin Hartin, Mark R. Ryan, Tyler A. Campbell Jan 2007

Distribution And Disease Prevalence Of Feral Hogs In Missouri, R. Edwin Hartin, Mark R. Ryan, Tyler A. Campbell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No attempts have been made to document the distribution of feral hogs (Sus scrofa) in Missouri. Also, antibody prevalence for pseudorabies virus and swine brucellosis have not been reported from Missouri. Our objectives were to characterize the current distribution of feral hogs in Missouri and to determine prevalence and distribution of feral hogs with antibodies against selected important diseases. We collected feral hog sighting data both from the public and Missouri Wildlife Services and Missouri Department of Conservation wildlife biologists. We determined prevalence of antibodies against pseudorabies virus, swine brucellosis, tularemia, and classical swine fever. From 2000 to …

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Hazing Of Canada Geese Is Unlikely To Reduce Nuisance Populations In Urban And Suburban Communities, Robin A. Holevinski, Paul D. Curtis, Richard A. Malecki Jan 2007

Hazing Of Canada Geese Is Unlikely To Reduce Nuisance Populations In Urban And Suburban Communities, Robin A. Holevinski, Paul D. Curtis, Richard A. Malecki

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Growing populations of resident Canada geese (Branta canadensis) have caused increased nuisance problems in urban and suburban communities. Hazing, or persistent harassment, is often recommended as a nonlethal management strategy to alleviate these problems. Does hazing simply cause a local redistribution of birds, or can it solve nuisance problems by pushing geese to rural areas where hunting mortality could reduce the population? To answer this question, we marked 368 adult and 400 juvenile geese with leg bands in 1 urban and 1 suburban community in western New York State during June 2002 and 2003. This sample included 30 …

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In Memory: A Tribute To Glen Stevenson And Joe Harris, Angie Dustin Jan 2007

In Memory: A Tribute To Glen Stevenson And Joe Harris, Angie Dustin

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Joe and Glen you could depend on
Along the river and the breaks
In rough country and wild weather
They’d be the ones you’d take

Pure poetry in motion
As across the hills they’d fly
Excitement in the hunt
And the freedom of the sky

We’ll pick up the radio
And try to call -‘57’
It’s then that it will hit us
As we gaze into the heavens

Whenever we hear the engine
Of a plane in distant sky
We’ll …

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In The News, Fall 2007, Joe N. Caudell Jan 2007

In The News, Fall 2007, Joe N. Caudell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, reported several disturbing trends about the state’s 2006 feral hog hunt. Initially, it was thought that feral hogs existed only in small, isolated pockets within the state, consisting of <30 individuals per pocket. But, during the fall 2006 hunting season, at least 200 hogs were taken from 2 counties. USDA/ APHIS Wildlife Services has been studying the feral hog population and believes that there are at least 3,000 hogs in the state, and it has found evidence that the hogs are breeding in several counties. Wildlife biologists theorize that additional hunting pressure put on the hogs by large hunting parties is causing the hogs to disperse over a larger area than when they are pursued by individual hunters.

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Influence Of Habitat Patch Characteristics On The Success Of Upland Duck Nests, Jaiume M. Jiménez, Michael R. Conover, Raymond D. Deuser, Terry A. Messmer Jan 2007

Influence Of Habitat Patch Characteristics On The Success Of Upland Duck Nests, Jaiume M. Jiménez, Michael R. Conover, Raymond D. Deuser, Terry A. Messmer

Human–Wildlife Interactions

When there is a rich guild of nest predators that use different modalities and techniques to locate hidden nests, we hypothesized that no habitat patch characteristic will consistently predict nest success, because if such a characteristic existed then predators would develop a search image based on it and use that characteristic to increase their hunting efficiency for nests. We tested this prediction in the Prairie Pothole region of North Dakota by characterizing the features of 16 habitat patches that contained >1,800 dabbling duck nests. Nest success was monitored during both the early and late nesting season over 2 years. Nest …

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Feral Hog Research In Western Louisiana: Expanding Populations And Unforeseen Consequences, Michael D. Kaller, James D. Hudson Iii, Eric C. Achberger, William E. Kelso Jan 2007

Feral Hog Research In Western Louisiana: Expanding Populations And Unforeseen Consequences, Michael D. Kaller, James D. Hudson Iii, Eric C. Achberger, William E. Kelso

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Hunter harvest data suggest that feral hog (Sus scrofa) populations in western Louisiana are increasing, and population control in this region is complicated by the mixing of feral and domestic free-ranged hogs. Aggressive management may be warranted as feral and domestic hogs appear to be having unexpected effects on their ecosystem. We present the results of 3 recent investigations of genetic source-tracking to link waterborne bacteria with bacteria from feral hogs. We integrate our most recent findings with data regarding: (1) water quality in a watershed without hog management and (2) aquatic biota of the same watershed. Hog …

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Crop Diversifi Cation Leads To Diverse Bird Problems In Hawaiian Agriculture, Marni E. Koopman, William C. Pitt Jan 2007

Crop Diversifi Cation Leads To Diverse Bird Problems In Hawaiian Agriculture, Marni E. Koopman, William C. Pitt

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Over the last 20 years, Hawaii’s agriculture has shifted from a focus on sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum) and pineapples (Ananas comosus) produced on large farms to a diverse array of products produced on a multitude of smaller farms. This dramatic shift in production, in addition to the introduction of many new avian species, has resulted in a concomitant change in the problems faced by agriculture. We surveyed farmers to determine the extent of bird damage to crops, the species responsible, the crops most v …

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Berryman Institute Addresses Feral Hog Problems, Bruce D. Leopold Jan 2007

Berryman Institute Addresses Feral Hog Problems, Bruce D. Leopold

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Congratulations to Dr. Conover for such a great inaugural issue of our journal!! I have received nothing but very positive accolades about the quality of our first issue. Mike and our managing editor, Phil Parisi, have done a fantastic job!!! This second issue is equally as radical as the first. This issue deals with a subject that is growing in importance throughout the southeastern United States: feral hogs. Being in Mississippi, I am all too familiar with the importance (and negative impact) of this invasive species. Berryman East has consistently funded numerous research projects on this subject. We also have …

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Book Review: The Beast In The Garden: A Modern Parable Of Man And Nature, Nicole Mccoy Jan 2007

Book Review: The Beast In The Garden: A Modern Parable Of Man And Nature, Nicole Mccoy

Human–Wildlife Interactions

When I first read The Beast in the Garden shortly aft er the release of the hardback edition in 2004, I was reminded of the exchange quoted above in the movie, “The Matrix.” Neo (Mr. Anderson) survived. Scott Lancaster, a teenage athlete running in the hills outside of his Colorado high school, died. He probably never heard the mountain lion that stalked and killed him, but after reading David Baron’s book, I believe we should have. Had our ears been attuned to the proper frequency, the mountain lion’s approach would have been as loud as the subway train that spelled …

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Range Size, Habitat Use, And Dial Activity Of Feral Hogs On Reclaimed Surface-Mined Lands In East Texas, Robert C. Mersinger, Nova J. Silvy Jan 2007

Range Size, Habitat Use, And Dial Activity Of Feral Hogs On Reclaimed Surface-Mined Lands In East Texas, Robert C. Mersinger, Nova J. Silvy

Human–Wildlife Interactions

During the last decade, surface lignite mines in eastern Texas have experienced damage by feral hogs (Sus scrofa) to reclaimed areas. Specifically, feral hogs have caused damage to plants used in reclamation. In addition to vegetative losses, erosion control problems and water quality impacts have been noted. Big Brown Lignite Mine in Freestone County, Texas, had tried to control feral hogs through year-long trapping, which proved expensive. We hypothesized that hogs were using reclaimed areas only at night and seasonally. If so, knowledge of travel lanes into the mine and seasonal use would help concentrate trapping efforts and …

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Appreciating Feral Hogs: Extension Education For Diverse Stakeholders In Texas, Dale Rollins, Billy J. Higginbotham, Kenneth A. Cearly, R. Neal Wilkins Jan 2007

Appreciating Feral Hogs: Extension Education For Diverse Stakeholders In Texas, Dale Rollins, Billy J. Higginbotham, Kenneth A. Cearly, R. Neal Wilkins

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Texas harbors the largest population of feral hogs (Sus scrofa) in the United States, with populations estimated at >2 million. Depending on one’s perspective, feral hogs are either a pariah (from the farmer’s standpoint) or a popular sporting animal (from a hunter’s standpoint). As feral hogs increase in range and density, conflicts among stakeholders are sure to increase. Texas Cooperative Extension (TCE) initiated educational programs in 1991 to address concerns regarding the presence and management of feral hogs. Since that time, we have developed various workshops, symposia, and educational materials (e.g., print, videotape, and website) as means of …

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Birth Control Is Not For Everyone: A Response, Allen T. Rutberg Jan 2007

Birth Control Is Not For Everyone: A Response, Allen T. Rutberg

Human–Wildlife Interactions

In her Soap Box critique of wildlife contraception (HWC 2007), Elizabeth Bingham makes 2 basic points (if she will forgive my distillation of a complex set of arguments). She argues, first, that wildlife contraception is too expensive and too slow to act to meet the needs of farmers, ranchers, and other business people who suffer losses from wildlife damage. Second, she argues, inflated expectations for the problem-solving capacity of wildlife contraception are driving more attention and research money into wildlife contraception than a more hard-headed evaluation would warrant.

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Avoiding Confl Icts Between Wildlife Professionals And Local Hunters Over Efforts To Eradicate Exotic Game Species, Hans Sin Jan 2007

Avoiding Confl Icts Between Wildlife Professionals And Local Hunters Over Efforts To Eradicate Exotic Game Species, Hans Sin

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wildlife damage management, by its nature, is conducive to a variety of conflicts within society, whether it is the method of management or the management itself. Conflicts within society are common, and people with diverse opinions and values may disagree about how wildlife or natural resources should be managed. Opinions can vary among different interest groups (e.g., backpackers, wildlife viewers, and hunters) that have invested time and money in the resource. Eradication efforts of big game to preserve threatened or endangered plants or wildlife have been a source of controversy among various local hunter groups, especially on island ecosystems, such …

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Eliminating Trapping Escalates Beaver Complaints And Costs To The Public, Robert Southwick Jan 2007

Eliminating Trapping Escalates Beaver Complaints And Costs To The Public, Robert Southwick

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Beaver populations are healthy and well-established across North America aft er being nearly eliminated due to unregulated harvests during the previous 200 years. According to a 2004 survey of state wildlife agencies, a majority of states report beaver populations are stable or slightly increasing. However, the loss of trapping as a management tool can upset the current balance. For example, in Massachusetts, a beaver-trapping ban was passed through a public ballot referendum. With the inability to utilize effective quick-kill traps and live-restraining devices during regulated harvest seasons, beaver populations have increased significantly (Figure 1). Along with that increase in the …

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The Role Of Knowledge In Developing People Skills, Ben C. West Jan 2007

The Role Of Knowledge In Developing People Skills, Ben C. West

Human–Wildlife Interactions

As I noted in the last issue of Human–Wildlife Conflicts, wildlife professionals have historically been lambasted for poorly-developed people skills (West 2007). Moreover, I suggested that full development of any skill relies on knowledge, practice, and feedback. To become a top-notch golfer, for example, one must intellectually understand many things, including rules of the game, layout of golf courses, biomechanics of swinging a golf club, situational advantages and disadvantages or different sized clubs, and many other things. However, to have that knowledge is not enough to be a great golfer; one must also apply that knowledge to the game …

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Are Coyotes Right- Or Left-Handed, And Who Cares?, Michael J. Bodenchuk Jan 2007

Are Coyotes Right- Or Left-Handed, And Who Cares?, Michael J. Bodenchuk

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The sheep killer left the pasture with his belly completely full of lambs. He’d killed and consumed 2 this night, obviously more than he needed for himself. But back at the den 8 hungry pups demanded more and more meat, and this was not his first foray into the pasture.

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Book Review: Living With Coyotes: Managing Predators Humanely Using Food Aversion Conditioning, John A. Shivik Jan 2007

Book Review: Living With Coyotes: Managing Predators Humanely Using Food Aversion Conditioning, John A. Shivik

Human–Wildlife Interactions

I was initially worried after receiving a phone call from a predator advocate who told me that I must see the new book that explained how conditioned food avoidance (CFA) could be used to solve the problem of coyote predation. “New?” I thought, recalling the acrimonious debates over CFA in the journal Appetite and elsewhere in the 1980s. On reading the book, however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Living with coyotes by Stuart Ellins is not an extension of the ongoing diatribes that started so long ago. Instead, the book acknowledges that many of the previous heated debates …

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Drive-By Netting: A Technique For Capturing Grebes And Other Diving Waterfowl, Joe A. Caudell, Michael R. Conover Jan 2007

Drive-By Netting: A Technique For Capturing Grebes And Other Diving Waterfowl, Joe A. Caudell, Michael R. Conover

Human–Wildlife Interactions

We describe a new method (drive-by netting) for capturing grebes (Podiceps spp.) and other birds that dive under water to escape capture. We used a floating gill net to capture 203 eared grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) in 20 days in 1999 on the Great Salt Lake (GSL), 652 eared grebes in 41 days on the GSL in 2000, and 409 grebes in 20 days in 2001. Other species captured during the 2000 and 2001 fi eld seasons included 1 western grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis), 9 ruddy ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis), and 1 Canada goose (Branta …

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Evolution Of The Field Of Wildlife Damage Management In The United States And Future Challenges, James E. Miller Jan 2007

Evolution Of The Field Of Wildlife Damage Management In The United States And Future Challenges, James E. Miller

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Through the early twentieth century, people in rural areas of North America either dealt with problems caused by wildlife by killing the problem species, eliminating its habitat, changing crops or husbandry practices, tolerating the damage, or moving to a new area devoid of such problem animals. However, many of these solutions are impractical today with the increase in human populations, the increased expansion of development into previously rural landscapes, the increased fragmentation of land ownership, and the increasing movement of people into metropolitan areas. Because of current local, state, and federal ordinances and regulations, along with the impacts of animal …

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Long Time Coming, Michael R. Conover Jan 2007

Long Time Coming, Michael R. Conover

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Welcome to this inaugural issue of Human– Wildlife Conflicts. Much has changed during my lifetime. I can remember when there were no deer on my family’s farm in Illinois. I can remember in 1979 seeing Canada geese feeding in a golf course in New Haven, Connecticut, and thinking they were a lost family of geese from the Arctic. I can remember going to a wildlife conference and seeing a presentation in the program, titled “Turkey problems in Wisconsin,” and wondering if the turkeys they were referring to had wings or wore overalls. I can remember the editor of The …

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Perceptions Of Wildlife Damage And Species Conservation: Lessons Learned From The Utah Prairie Dog, R. Dwayne Elmore, Terry A. Messmer, Mark W. Brunson Jan 2007

Perceptions Of Wildlife Damage And Species Conservation: Lessons Learned From The Utah Prairie Dog, R. Dwayne Elmore, Terry A. Messmer, Mark W. Brunson

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens), a federally listed threatened species, causes damage to agricultural operations, yet little incentive exists for private landowners to conserve them. Therefore, we surveyed Utah residents to identify stakeholder attitudes regarding prairie dog management. We assessed how perceptions of wildlife damage affect respondent attitudes regarding conservation among agricultural producers, rural residents, and urban residents. Higher levels of perceived wildlife damage were reported for agriculture respondents …

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Public Opinion, The Leopold Report, And The Reform Of Federal Predator Control Policy, James W. Feldman Jan 2007

Public Opinion, The Leopold Report, And The Reform Of Federal Predator Control Policy, James W. Feldman

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This paper explores the role of public opinion in a landmark shift in the federal predator control program. In 1963, the Leopold Committee recommended extensive reform in the federal predator control program, predicting that growing public support for the environmental movement would force such a move if the government did not initiate a change. In the years following the publication of the Leopold Report, the U.S. Division of Wildlife Services reformed its predator control program and tried to improve its public image. Meanwhile, both environmentalists and ranchers fought …

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Land-Use Pattern, Urbanization, And Deer–Vehicle Collisions In Alabama, Anwar Hussain, James B. Armstrong, David B. Brown, John Hogland Jan 2007

Land-Use Pattern, Urbanization, And Deer–Vehicle Collisions In Alabama, Anwar Hussain, James B. Armstrong, David B. Brown, John Hogland

Human–Wildlife Interactions

With the rise in deer–vehicle collisions across the United States, the associated costs also have risen. Increasingly, however, researchers are learning that these collisions are not a random phenomena but follow a systematic pattern. Building on this insight, we explored the role of county characteristics in influencing the pattern and incidence of white-tailed deer- (Odocoileus virginianus) related auto collisions. Using county level data from 1994 to 2003 in Alabama, we tested several data models with the above mentioned factors …

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The Director’S Desk, Bruce D. Leopold Jan 2007

The Director’S Desk, Bruce D. Leopold

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Well, this is truly a momentous occasion for the Berryman Institute: publication of the inaugural issue of its scientific journal, Human– Wildlife Conflicts (HWC). This issue has been long in the making (over 2 years), but well worth the wait!!!!!! Oh my oh my oh my!! Wildlife-damage management, and more generally, human–wildlife conflict resolution, continues to grow in prominence, and the Berryman Institute is ready and able to work with all of its state, federal, and private partners to address these issues through sound empirical research and outstanding outreach programs. HWC is designed to place wildlife damage management in the …

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Use Of Snares To Live-Capture Beavers, Lance B. Mcnew, Jr., Clayton K. Nielson, Craig K. Bloomquist Jan 2007

Use Of Snares To Live-Capture Beavers, Lance B. Mcnew, Jr., Clayton K. Nielson, Craig K. Bloomquist

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wildlife managers, researchers, and nuisance-control operators often require a nonlethal means of capturing beavers (Castor canadensis). Historically, live-capture has relied on enclosure-type traps such as Bailey or Hancock traps. We describe the live-capture of 231 beavers using snares in southern Illinois from 2002 to 2005. Capture success averaged 5.4 beavers/100 trap-nights. Capture success did not differ between sexes (P = 0.57) or age-classes (P = 0.68). We captured most beavers in haul-out slide sets, surface run sets, or channel sets. Recaptures accounted for 28% (n = 65) of all captures. Mortality rate using snares was 10% and decreased …

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