Prey availability and accessibility drive hunter movement

Lyndsie S Wszola,Erica F Stuber,Jeffrey J Lusk,Joseph J Fontaine,Christopher J Chizinski

doi:10.2981/wlb.00526

Lyndsie S Wszola, Erica F Stuber + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.2981/wlb.00526

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Abstract

A growing body of evidence suggests that hunter effort varies temporally and spatially, affecting game populations in unexpected ways. We set out to identify sources of variation in the spatial distribution of hunter effort by ring-necked pheasant Phasianus colchicus hunters during two time periods representing different spatial decisions: where to access a hunting location at the start of a hunt and where to hunt within it for the duration of the hunt. Pheasant hunters used direct and indirect information about the availability and accessibility of pheasants to make spatial decisions throughout their hunts, but the sources of information used at the beginning of hunts differed from those used for the duration of hunts. Hunter access point effort at the start of hunts was positively associated with proximity to public access signs and declined near marked safety zones around occupied structures and livestock, indicating that hunters responded to the spatial distribution and information content of public access infrastructure. Hunter effort within fields for the duration of hunts was positively related to predicted pheasant habitat use and negatively associated with correlates of physical exertion and increasing distance from field edges. Our findings indicate that hunters in the field are making spatial decisions in response to information about public land access, their own physical state, and perceived opportunity to encounter pheasants. Our results further suggest managers may be able to optimize public lands for wildlife habitat and recreational value without imposing new regulations by managing the information provided to hunters.

Highlights

BioOne Complete is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses
Our findings indicate that hunters in the field are making spatial decisions in response to information about public land access, their own physical state, and perceived opportunity to encounter pheasants
Wildlife managers use regulations to control the effects of hunting on wildlife populations (Sinclair et al 2006, Dirzo et al 2014), but a growing body of evidence suggests that variation in hunter behavior within regulatory boundaries may profoundly affect ecological and even evolutionary dynamics of wildlife populations (Allendorf et al 2008, Darimont et al 2009)

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Introduction

BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Complete website, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/terms-of-use. Wildlife managers use regulations to control the effects of hunting on wildlife populations (Sinclair et al 2006, Dirzo et al 2014), but a growing body of evidence suggests that variation in hunter behavior within regulatory boundaries may profoundly affect ecological and even evolutionary dynamics of wildlife populations (Allendorf et al 2008, Darimont et al 2009). Wildlife managers cognizant of the selective effects of hunting (Pigeon et al 2016) are increasingly managing game populations to mitigate harvest-induced selection (e.g. quality deer management, Turner et al 2016), but hunting can influence game animal physiology and behavior even when hunters are not consciously seeking to harvest a desirable phenotype

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