Review of \u3ci\u3eIn Trace ofTR: A Montana Hunter\u27s Journey\u3c/i\u3e by Dan Aadland

The title of Dan Aadland\u27s latest book, In Trace of TR: A Montana Hunter\u27s Journey, is intriguing. It implies a connection between Theodore Roosevelt (TR) and the author; less clear is what that connection is, based on the title. In his introduction, Aadland states that the connection between him and the twenty-sixth President of the United States was made with similar experiences in ranching, horsemanship, and hunting. The objective of the book is to invite the reader along for a good ride with TR and Dan. And quite a ride it is. The book is divided into three parts. The first part includes three chapters describing the author\u27s hunts of pronghorn, his visit to the Elkhorn Ranch, and his relationships with horses. The second part includes four chapters that describe more hunts with family and friends in mountain ranges in and around Montana where TR also hunted. Aadland also discusses Native Americans, his views of TR\u27s religion, and snippets of the president\u27s conservation philosophy. The first of the final section\u27s two chapters includes recollections of hunting near and around the author\u27s ranch and some discussion of the ills of market hunting. The second emphasizes other aspects of TR\u27s legacy, his ability to interact with the common man, and even the author\u27s opinion of how TR may have chosen to die

Review of \u3ci\u3eIn Trace ofTR: A Montana Hunter\u27s Journey\u3c/i\u3e by Dan Aadland

The title of Dan Aadland\u27s latest book, In Trace of TR: A Montana Hunter\u27s Journey, is intriguing. It implies a connection between Theodore Roosevelt (TR) and the author; less clear is what that connection is, based on the title. In his introduction, Aadland states that the connection between him and the twenty-sixth President of the United States was made with similar experiences in ranching, horsemanship, and hunting. The objective of the book is to invite the reader along for a good ride with TR and Dan. And quite a ride it is. The book is divided into three parts. The first part includes three chapters describing the author\u27s hunts of pronghorn, his visit to the Elkhorn Ranch, and his relationships with horses. The second part includes four chapters that describe more hunts with family and friends in mountain ranges in and around Montana where TR also hunted. Aadland also discusses Native Americans, his views of TR\u27s religion, and snippets of the president\u27s conservation philosophy. The first of the final section\u27s two chapters includes recollections of hunting near and around the author\u27s ranch and some discussion of the ills of market hunting. The second emphasizes other aspects of TR\u27s legacy, his ability to interact with the common man, and even the author\u27s opinion of how TR may have chosen to die

Hunter and Public Opinions of a Columbian Black-Tailed Deer Population in a Pacific Northwest Island Landscape

Management decisions are influenced by public acceptance for wildlife; thus, knowledge of public concerns and management preferences can be an advantage to natural resource decision makers. Wildlife managers with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are concerned that the Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus; deer) population on Whidbey Island, Washington, USA, exceeds social carrying capacity (i.e., a publicly acceptable population). In summer 2014, we designed a self-administered mail questionnaire to assess opinions of residents and a phone survey to assess the opinions of Whidbey Island deer hunters about Columbian black-tailed deer. We hypothesized that residents would support increased hunting when social carrying capacity was exceeded. The resident survey focused on the frequency and type of interactions with deer, the level of acceptability of the population, and their willingness to support increased hunting. Residents perceived the deer population as acceptable for the island, and there was some support for increased hunting. The hunter survey focused on the respondents’ experience hunting deer on the island, including their opinion of the current deer population trend and the desired future deer population trend. Hunters perceived the deer population trend to be increasing somewhat, while their desired population trend was stability. Hunters cited the lack of public and private land open to hunting on Whidbey Island as the biggest barrier and the most common complaint about hunting deer on the island. The results of these surveys suggest the deer population on Whidbey Island (n = 6.2 deer/km2) had not exceeded social carrying capacity. There is support (62% of respondents) for increasing hunting opportunities on the island, but island residents were concerned about public safety. Understanding public views is instrumental for enhanced management. Managers and the public must work together to manage wildlife resources more effectively

Ecology And Management Of Coyotes In Tucson, Arizona

Increasingly, coyotes are becoming common residents of urban areas in the western United States, including Tucson, Arizona. The authors\u27 objectives were to determine the home-range size of coyotes in Tucson, the habitat encompassed by the home ranges of these coyotes compared with the habitat available in Tucson, and the use of habitats within the home range, compared to their availability in the home range. To address these objectives, the authors trapped, radiocollared, and followed 13 coyotes via radiotelemetry in Tucson, Arizona. Seven coyotes were in less-densely populated areas (\u3c 1 house/0.4 ha, called rural) of Tucson; six coyotes were in densely populated areas (\u3e 1 house/0.4 ha, called urban) of Tucson. The authors used RANGES V to determine home-range size and the geographic information system ARC/INFO to analyze habitat use. The home-range size of Tucson coyotes varied from 129 to 3,279 ha (95% MCP). Coyote home ranges in rural areas included a greater proportion of natural habitat and a smaller proportion of residential habitat than was available in the study area. Coyote home ranges in urban areas included a greater proportion of vacant areas and a smaller proportion of natural areas and parks than was available in the study area. Within the home range, coyotes in rural areas preferred (used greater than available) parks and washes, and avoided (used less than available) all other habitats. Within the home range, coyotes in urban areas preferred residential habitat; they avoided commercial areas and vacant areas. Coyotes may have been preferring areas where food and cover was most abundant

Stable Isotope Analysis Of Summer Wolf Diet In Northwestern Montana

When distinct ?13C and ?15N values of potential prey are known, stable isotope analysis (SIA) of wolf (Canis lupus) hair can be used to estimate diet variability at the individual, pack, and regional levels. Our objectives were to estimate intra-population diet variability, and determine proportions of prey consumed by wolves. We collected guard hairs of 45 wolves from 12 packs in northwestern Montana and temporally matched scats from 4 of the same packs, summer 2008 and 2009. We used hierarchical Bayesian stable isotope mixing models to determine diet and scales of diet variation from ?13C and ?15N values of wolves, deer (Odocoileus spp.), elk (Cervus canadensis), moose (Alces alces), and other prey. We calculated percent biomass of prey consumed from scats, and used bootstrapped scat data, and Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation data from stable isotopes to estimate confidence intervals of difference between results from each technique for the 4 packs with matched samples. Differences among packs explained most variability in diet based on stable isotopes, and moose was the most common prey item for 11 of 12 packs. From scat data, deer was the most common prey item for 3 of 4 packs, and estimates of moose consumed were significantly different from SIA estimates for the same 3 packs. The proportion of moose in wolf diet may have been overestimated by SIA because wolf-specific fractionation values were not available. Stable isotope analysis has the potential to efficiently provide useful management information, but experimentally derived fractionation values for wolves would likely improve the accuracy of estimates in future studies

Human Influences on Elk Movement Rates and Resource Selection in the Wildland-Urban Interface.

Elk (Cervus elaphus) are known to select for refuge from hunting by humans (elk hunting). In many areas in the western U.S., elk hunting is completely excluded in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) as a result of land ownership change and subdivision, thus providing refugia for elk. Many of these WUI elk populations are increasing rapidly, and pose a significant credibility challenge to wildlife managers. The North Hills Elk Herd, in Missoula, Montana, has been growing at ~11 percent since the early 1980s, and the herd now numbers over 300 animals. Landownership is a complex matrix of public and private lands that range from partial to complete exclusion of hunting, thus elk hunting pressure is low and provides multiple refugia. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks used elk hunting in this setting to reduce population growth, crop depredation, and habituation. Little is known about the efficacy of elk hunting on elk movement rates and habitat selection. We used First-Passage Time (FPT) and Resource Selection Functions (RSF) analysis based on nine GPS collared adult female elk during three hunting seasons with increasing hunting pressure (2007-2009) to test relationships between elk movement rates and resource selection in the WUI. Elk FPT decreased annually, if they were accessible, and differed by hunting mode and season. Elk selected for intermediate distances from homes, trails, and weakly avoided access. These data have been used to modify hunting season structure, acquire conservation easements, and develop lasting partnerships in a complex matrix of ownerships

Predicting the Spatial Distribution of Human-Black Bear Interactions Across an Urban Area

Human (Homo sapiens)-black bear (Ursus americanus) interactions are increasing throughout North America. Information that assists managers in developing methods to reduce conflicts is lacking. We used human-bear incident data, i.e., phone complaints and conflicts, collected in Missoula, Montana, by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks from 2003-2008 to describe the attractants and human impacts of incidents, and develop a model that predicts the spatial probability of incidents. We combined the locations of black bear sightings (n = 307), other incidents, e.g., bear seen feeding on garbage (n = 549), and sites where proactive management actions were carried out (n = 108), and compared them to 5000 random locations using logistic regression. Based on literature, we used distance to forested patches, distance to water, and housing density as variables in our model. Garbage (38%), fruit trees (10%), and bird feeders (7%) were the most common attractants at incident sites, and some incidents resulted in threats to human safety (9%) and property damage (7%). All variables were significant in the predictive model, and the model performed well at discriminating the relative spatial probability of incidents (rs = 0.782; P < 0.01). The probability of incidents increased when residents lived close to forested patches, close to water, and in intermediate housing densities (~ 6.6 houses/ha). Our results suggest that spatial patterns in human-black bear interactions are predictable and these patterns can be used to understand the potential for conflict in developing areas and to identify areas where preventative management is necessary

Modeling Proactive Decisions to Manage Pneumonia Epizootics in Bighorn Sheep

Pneumonia epizootics in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) are a major challenge for wildlife agencies due to the complexity of the disease, long-term impacts, and lack of tools to manage risk. We developed a decision model to facilitate proactive management of pneumonia epizootics in bighorn sheep in Montana. Our decision model integrates a risk model to predict probability of pneumonia epizootics based on identified risk factors. It uses a structured decision making (SDM) approach to analyze potential decisions based on predictions from the risk model, herd-specific management objectives, and predicted consequences and trade-offs. We demonstrated our model’s use with an analysis of representative herds and analyzed the recommended decisions to understand them clearly. We learned that proactive management for each herd was expected to outperform in meeting multiple, competing management objectives compared to ongoing status quo management. Based on sensitivity analyses, we also learned that the recommended decisions were relatively robust with limited sensitivity to variations in model inputs and uncertainties; we expect this to be the case in future analyses as well. Our decision model addressed the challenges of uncertainty, risk tolerance, and the multi-objective nature of management of bighorn sheep while providing a consistent, transparent, and deliberative approach for making decisions for each herd. It is a unique tool for managing pneumonia epizootics using an accessible framework for biologists and managers. Our work also provides a case study for developing similar SDM-based decision models, particularly for other wildlife diseases, to address challenges of making complex decisions