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Game Management

Game Management. Settlers to the US. Thought that conservation was not necessary Thought primarily of their own survival. Settlers to the US. Soon found that Americans would begin to initiate programs to manage wild life. Aldo Leopold. Early authority on game management

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Game Management

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  1. Game Management

  2. Settlers to the US • Thought that conservation was not necessary • Thought primarily of their own survival

  3. Settlers to the US • Soon found that Americans would begin to initiate programs to manage wild life

  4. Aldo Leopold • Early authority on game management • “art of making land produce sustained annual crops of wild game for recreational use”

  5. Game Management • Science and art of changing characteristics and interactions of habitats, wild animals, and humans to achieve wildlife population goals

  6. Habitat • Food • Water • Cover • Territory • Home range

  7. Food • Wildlife are often classified by the type of food they eat • Herbivores – plant eaters • Carnivores – meat eaters

  8. Food • Insectivores – insect eaters • Frugivores – fruit eaters • Omnivores – eat many types of foods, usually meat and plants

  9. Food • Spermivores – seed eaters • Also classified by the amount of food that they eat

  10. Food • Euryphagous – animal that consumes great varieties of food • Since its choice of food is varied, chance of survival is great

  11. Euryphagous • Opossum eats fruits, berries, corn, worms, frogs, snakes and even mice

  12. Stenophagous • Eats a specialized diet • Usually has less chance to adapt to new food sources it its traditional food supply is not available

  13. Stenophagous • More likely to starve in a food scarce season

  14. Cover • In order for wildlife to survive harsh weather conditions they must find cover – a place that will protect them

  15. Cover • Protection from predators • Ranges from a thicket or a fencerow to water in the case of beavers and muskrats

  16. Water • One of the most important requirements of wildlife • Bodies of most game animals are 60-80% water

  17. Water • Important in blood composition, temperature regulation and nutrient transport

  18. Water • Without an abundant supply of fresh water an area will soon become desolate of wild game

  19. Home Range • Area over which the game travels is called its home range • Area may be as small as an acre or as large as a township

  20. Territory • Area that an animal will defend, often to the death • Animal’s home ranges may over lap but territory never will

  21. Territory • Only exception to territory overlap is during mating season

  22. Management procedures • Most common methods include: • Game refuges • Habitat development and improvement

  23. Common methods • Coordination with other resources • Hunting regulations • Predator control • Artificial stocking

  24. Game Refuges • Set aside land for the protection of wildlife species • Refuges, reserves and wilderness areas

  25. Game Refuges • Provide the basics for survival without the threat of hunters • Early refuges were for private use

  26. Game Refuges • First state reserve was established in 1870 in California

  27. Game Refuges • Areas for nesting birds, migratory waterfowl, pelicans, and large game animals have been established since 1870

  28. Game Refuges • Not the answer to all wildlife problems • Only protect wildlife from hunters, not their natural enemies

  29. Game Refuges • Do not protect the animals once they leave their boundaries • Only part of total game management plan

  30. Habitat development • To increase game populations, habitat must be developed and improved • Common methods • Fencerow plantings

  31. Fencerow Plantings • Provide food and shelter for wildlife • Farmers provide area at the end of rows for wildlife habitat

  32. Woodland Management • Not allowing livestock to graze in woodlands increases game carrying capacity

  33. Coordination w/other resources • Keep in mind that all resources work together

  34. Hunting Regulations • Game was abundant to early colonists • 1646 Rhode Island became first state to establish a closed season on game

  35. Hunting Regulations • Law was specific for white tailed deer, it led the way for other states to follow suit • First bag limit was initiated in 1878 by the state of Iowa

  36. Hunting Regulations • American Bison were plentiful on the plains • Provided food, clothing and shelter to the plains Indians

  37. Bison • When the railroad was being constructed through the west, thousands of bison were slaughtered to feed the workers

  38. Bison • Many more were killed as easterners came to the west and killed bison for their tongues – a delicacy in the East or their hides

  39. Bison • The entire carcass was not utilized, the remains were left to rot • Legislation by Congress tried to head off extinction……

  40. Bison • The bill was vetoed by President Grant • Laws passed later, but Bison were almost extinct

  41. Hunting Regulations • Hunting is controlled on both public and private lands • Game populations depend on many factors

  42. Hunting Regulations • Reproduction rates, climate, disease, habitat, and predators

  43. Hunting Regulations • Bag limits, hunting seasons and closed seasons for a given game species must be changed each year in accordance with the population

  44. Predator Control • Medium sized and large predators can be dangerous to people • Predators can be a threat to domestic livestock and wild game

  45. Predator Control • Predators help to maintain an improved game population by killing weak or diseased animals

  46. Artificial Stocking • Introduction of exotics – species new to the area • Usually done to supply predators for a problem game animal

  47. Artificial Stocking • The rabbit – once introduced in Australia soon became a major pest

  48. Artificial Stocking • Examine the desired population density or an area • Estimate the carrying capacity

  49. Population Density • Number of game animals in a defined area • Can easily become a problem of over population of a game species

  50. Carrying Capacity • Amount of game for which a given area will provide the essentials for life

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