Big Game Species Research Articles

Rural Areas and Big Game Hunting in Spain: Analysis of Preferences According to Hunter's Gender and Family Income

Abstract Hunting is one of the main uses associated with land which, in the current context, has a strong economic significance for rural areas. This work generates knowledge that can be useful for designing strategies that favour the economic dynamisation of rural areas, in a context of population loss and scarce economic diversification. In this sense and based on the results of a survey of hunters (N = 1662), the objectives of the work are first to analyse the territorial distribution and abundance of big game species in Spain and secondly, to examine the existence of correlations, between hunters' income, hunters’ gender and preferences for certain big game species. This analysis is based on primary and secondary sources and its characteristics are explained in the methodology section. Univariate and bivariate descriptive statistics were used, specifically the chi-square contingency test, which allows us to determine the relationship of dependence between two variables. We found that female hunters showed greater interest than their male counterparts in hunting big game species, and the same interest was found in hunters with higher income level regardless of their gender. Our results may help to design and develop socio-economic strategies related to supply and demand hunting activities.

Examining dynamic occupancy of gray wolves in Idaho after a decade of managed harvest

AbstractGray wolves (Canis lupus) were reintroduced to Idaho, USA, in 1995–1996. The removal of Endangered Species Act protections in 2011 transferred wolf management to the state where wolves were subsequently classified as a harvested (i.e., hunted, trapped) big game species. We implemented a camera‐based survey across Idaho from 2016–2021 as part of a population monitoring program. We used the resulting camera images in multi‐year, dynamic and single‐season occupancy models to examine potential changes in the asymptotic proportion of area occupied by wolves and assess the effect of cumulative wolf harvest from 2016–2021 on occupancy in the last year of the study, 2021. We also wanted to understand how habitat, prey, humans, harvest, livestock, and prey‐related wolf removals affected wolf occupancy through their effects on colonization and extinction of occupancy cells through time. Statewide wolf occupancy did not change appreciably over the course of our study, with the proportion of survey cells occupied at an estimated high of 0.44 ± 0.03 (SE) in 2018 and a low of 0.39 ± 0.03 in 2020. Wolf colonization (i.e., probability that a cell switched from unoccupied to occupied between years) was positively associated with forest cover, images of humans, and the percent of neighboring cells that were occupied. Cell extinction (i.e., probability of switching from occupied to unoccupied between years) was negatively associated with neighboring cell occupancy. There were non‐linear relationships between wolf harvest, colonization, and extinction. The single‐season occupancy model demonstrated a positive relationship between harvest and occupancy at low to moderate levels of harvest (10–30%), but there was also evidence that high levels of harvest (>30%) reduce occupancy. Our results indicate that although harvest might influence wolf occupancy at local scales, wolf occupancy remained relatively constant across the state and wolves remained well distributed across Idaho during the study.

Women in the Hunt: A More Useful and Sustainable Hunt for Biodiversity?

Recreational hunting can have positive consequences on biodiversity conservation, but in many countries the number of hunters is declining. This downward trend threatens the sustainability of an important human activity that can be used as a tool for wildlife management and biodiversity conservation. On the other hand, in developed countries there is an upward trend in the number of female hunters. In this study, we analyzed women and men’s hunting preferences in Spain, focusing our attention on the game species they were interested in. We found that female hunters were more interested than male hunters in hunting big game species. We discussed potential consequences of our results on the sustainability of hunting and biodiversity conservation.

Animal detection using thermal imaging and a UAV

PurposeThis study aims to test a multirotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) paired with a thermal imaging camera for detecting big game species such as Eurasian elk, red deer, European roe deer and Eurasian wild boar.Design/methodology/approachThe research work was carried out in the Czarna Bialostocka Forest District (Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland). A thermal imaging camera E20Tvx Yuneec with a view angle of 33° × 26.6° and a thermal sensor resolution of 640 × 512 pixels was selected for the research. The Yuneec H520E hexacopter was chosen as the lifting vehicle. The flights for the study were conducted between the autumn of 2021 and the winter of 2022. The UAV was flown at two different altitudes, 120 and 80 m above ground level, which provided a ground sampling distance of 11 and 7 cm, respectively.FindingsThe results so far have shown the potential of commercially available thermal imaging cameras for detecting and identifying big game species, such as Eurasian elk and red deer. Moreover, in the winter season of 2022 on the 7th and 13th of March, it was also possible to determine the sex of red deer distinguishing between males and females. The results of the survey made with the thermal camera were compared to the assessment from the standard method for the determination of the game population in the Czarna Bialostocka sub-district. In the case of red deer, the results of the research carried out during the winter exceed five times the numbers obtained as a result of the traditional inventory. That is most likely due to the gregarious occurrence of this species in the winter season.Originality/valueThe use of thermovision to estimate the population and sex of animals is a relatively new issue, especially in Poland, where the use of thermal imaging is not the official method of research of big game species yet.

Temporospatial characteristics of wild boar rooting damage in maize fields

Damage caused by wildlife species in agricultural areas has increased in recent decades in Hungary. This trend is causing significant problems between wildlife managers and farmers. Big game species (wild boar, red deer and fallow deer) damage agricultural crops through their feeding and movement. In maize fields, rooting damage by wild boar after sowing is a major concern. Several factors can influence the occurrence of damage, and we wanted to evaluate these in our study. The study was carried out in Győr-Moson-Sopron county, north-western Hungary, on a 6000 ha hunting area for two years. The forest cover is approximately 20%, and the wild boar harvesting averaged 118 individuals in the two years of the study.. The maize fields were visited periodically after sowing. We measured the maximum distance of the rooting damage from the field edges in every 20 m, and we measured the length of the damaged edges as well. We also surveyed the crop in adjacent fields. We recorded the position of the hunting stands and the number of hunting occasions and hours spent hunting. These were used to determine the spatial and temporal patterns of rooting damage, as well as the effects of hunting pressure and the impact of adjacent areas.

Perceived and experienced constraint negotiation: do first‐time elk hunters know what they are in for?

AbstractOpportunities to hunt big game species such as elk (Cervus canadensis) are often rationed through a lottery permit system when demand for permits exceeds the population's ability to sustain harvest levels. We conducted a survey of elk hunters and would‐be elk hunters in the summer of 2016 to compare elk‐hunting constraints among 3 groups of individuals. Groups consisted of 1) individuals who possessed a landowner hunting permit at some point between 2011 and 2016 (Landowner), 2) individuals who did not possess a landowner permit but did possess a general hunting permit between 2011 and 2016 (General), and 3) individuals who had not possessed a Nebraska elk‐hunting permit of any kind between 2011 and 2016 but had attempted to draw a permit from the lottery system at least once during these years (Lottery). We used latent class regression to classify survey participants based on their responses to 7 questions related to constraints to elk hunting that were either experienced (Landowner and General) or perceived (Lottery) on a 5‐point scale (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree). Probability of latent class membership was estimated for each hunter group. Latent class regression revealed 6 latent classes with Landowner participants most likely to belong to classes who exhibited the least difficulty negotiating all constraints. General and Lottery participants were most likely to fall into classes exhibiting more difficulty negotiating constraints related to interactions with property owners for permissions to hunt on their land. Our findings can assist policy makers and managers with tailoring lottery permit systems, particularly in locations where most of the hunting opportunity is restricted to privately owned land.

Sustainable Hunting as a Tourism Product in Dehesa Areas in Extremadura (Spain)

The dehesa is one of the main agricultural landscapes in the Extremadura region. It is currently undergoing a production crisis caused by changes in the market, including the abandonment of uses linked to its exploitation. This situation could lead to the disappearance of this unique landscape due to its anthropogenic nature. It is therefore necessary to develop alternative activities to improve its productive profitability, which could include sustainable hunting. The hunting literature recognizes the role it plays in environmental, economic, and social sustainability, with hunting tourism being one of the productive activities that generates the most wealth within the sector, where big game hunting is of great importance. In this scenario, the regions of Villuercas-Ibores-Jara and La Siberia have an ideal landscape for the development of this modality due to their physical characteristics. For this reason, this study carried out an analysis of the situation of hunting tourism in these areas through the dissemination of a questionnaire among the managers of rural accommodation in the study area. The responses recorded were processed using statistical techniques that allowed us to extract interesting results such as the importance of hunting as a tourist resource, with a large number of big game species living in these areas, the high presence of hunters in these lodgings during the hunting season, the role that hunting plays in environmental, economic, and social sustainability, and the need to create a specific tourist product that meets the needs of the demand of hunters.

COMPARISON OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE DETECTION METHODS AND PROCEDURES: IMPLICATIONS FOR FREE-RANGING WHITE-TAILED DEER (ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS) SURVEILLANCE AND MANAGEMENT.

Throughout North America, chronic wasting disease (CWD) has emerged as perhaps the greatest threat to wild cervid populations, including white-tailed deer (WTD; Odocoileus virginianus). White-tailed deer are the most sought-after big game species across North America with populations of various subspecies in nearly all Canadian provinces, the contiguous US, and Mexico. Documented CWD cases have dramatically increased across the WTD range since the mid-1990s, including in Minnesota, US. CWD surveillance in free-ranging WTD and other cervid populations mainly depends upon immunodetection methods such as immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes and obex. More recent technologies centered on prion protein amplification methods of detection have shown promise as more sensitive and rapid CWD diagnostic tools. Here, we used blinded samples to test the efficacy of real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) in comparison to ELISA for screening tissues collected in 2019 from WTD in southeastern Minnesota, where CWD has been routinely detected since 2016. Our results support previous findings that RT-QuIC is a more sensitive tool for CWD detection than current antibody-based methods. Additionally, a CWD testing protocol that includes multiple lymphoid tissues (e.g., medial retropharyngeal lymph node, parotid lymph node, and palatine tonsil) per animal can effectively identify a greater number of CWD detections in a WTD population than a single sample type (e.g., medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes). These results show that the variability of CWD pathogenesis, sampling protocol, and testing platform must be considered for the effective detection and management of CWD throughout North America.

Long‐Term Evaluation of Cougar Density and Application of Risk Analysis for Harvest Management

ABSTRACTEstimates of cougar (Puma concolor) density are among the least available of any big game species in North America because of monetary and logistical challenges. Thus, wildlife managers identify cougar density estimates as a high priority need for population estimation, developing harvest guidelines, and evaluating management objectives. Cougar densities range from <1 to almost 7 cougars/100 km2; however, the magnitude of spatial and temporal variation associated with these estimates is difficult to assess because this range of densities could potentially be reported for any given population using different demographic, temporal, durational, and analytical approaches. We used long‐term global positioning system (GPS) data from collared cougars across 5 diverse study areas in Washington, USA, as the basis for calculating multiple annual independent‐aged (≥18 months) cougar densities, using consistent methods, and conducted a meta‐analysis to assist with statewide harvest guidelines. To generate specific harvest guidelines for unobserved populations at the management unit scale, we employed a Bayesian decision‐theoretic approach that minimizes statistical risk of failing to achieve a defined harvest rate. For the 16‐year field effort, we calculated 24 annual densities for independent‐aged cougars. Average annual densities ranged from 1.55 ± 0.44 (SD) cougars/100 km2 (n = 5 years) to 2.79 ± 0.35 cougars/100 km2 (n = 5 years) among the 5 study areas. Explicit delineation of the cougar population demonstrated that contribution to density can vary considerably by sex and age class. Application of a 12–16% harvest rate within the risk analysis framework yielded a potential annual harvest of 249 cougars over 91,000 km2 of cougar habitat in Washington. Given the importance of density for establishing harvest guidelines, and the degree of uncertainty in projecting derived densities to future years and unstudied management units, our approach may lessen the ambiguity of extrapolations and increase the longevity of research results. Our risk analysis can be used for a diverse array of species and management objectives and be incorporated into an adaptive management framework for minimizing management risk. Our recommendations can improve standardization in reporting and interpretation of cougar density comparisons and bring clarity to the sources of variability observed in cougar populations. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.

Grassland versus Shrubland habitat and game management in Mediterranean ecosystems: an application for the Cervus elaphus species

This work compares the net revenues of maintaining grasslands versus shrublands as part of the habitat of the Cervus elaphus big game species in Mediterranean agroforestry ecosystems. For this purpose, data published by the Regional Government of Andalusia (SW Spain) were used to analyze revenues and expenditures under two scenarios: an optimistic one and a pessimistic one. Revenue is generated from both the value of game trophies and the sale of meat. In the grasslands option, expenditure is associated with the need to supply supplemental food since, unlike shrublands, Mediterranean grasslands do not produce forage crops during the summer months. To analyze the expenditure of supplemental feeding, monthly market prices for corn grain in the province of Cordoba (this province covers an area of almost 1.4 million hectares) were obtained for the period 2015–2019. Our results show that, in net revenues terms, substituting shrublands for grasslands is not always the best option under the conditions analyzed.

Ecological consequences of human depopulation of rural areas on wildlife: A unifying perspective

The depopulation of rural areas by humans (or rural exodus) in southern Europe, and the associated abandonment of cropland, had marked ecological consequences on wildlife, which became evident approximately fifteen years ago. Shrub and tree encroachment, and the expansion of forest birds and the formerly persecuted mammalian ungulates and carnivores, were highlighted as the major consequences of the rural exodus in Italy. In this report, we provide a more integrative view, and show that a rural exodus also explains other ecological phenomena that are usually treated independently. After reviewing the ecological consequences of the rural exodus that has been affecting a large part of Spain during the last six decades, we suggest that this set of ecological consequences also includes the movement of shy-selected predators and large, big game species out of their former ecological refuges, as well as increased frequencies of individuals with bolder-behaviours in recovering populations. We develop a tentative conceptual model linking the increasing approach of wildlife to anthropogenic habitats and human depopulation of rural areas. These links are created by the increasing difficulty to survive and reproduce in recovering, high-predation wild areas, due to mesopredator release and the loss of fear to humans, among other factors. We acknowledge that the recovery of formerly persecuted wildlife in depopulated landscapes has been helped by conservation policies, but we suggest that policies alone cannot explain the observed changes. Finally, we propose that the processes we analyse on a national scale could be taking place in Europe on a continental scale as well, and will most likely occur in the future in other regions of the world, with the current growth in economies.

A place to hunt: some observations on access to wildlife resources in the western United States

ABSTRACT Recreational hunting is facing a number of challenges in the twenty-first century. In this essay, I maintain the inability of hunters to find a good quality place to hunt is the most serious impediment to sport hunting in the Western United States, especially for big game species. Securing access to privately owned land can be difficult, while public land generally provides unlimited access. Issues that hunters experience with inaccessible private land as well as public land that is overrun with hunters are highlighted. If hunters are unable to have good hunting opportunities in terms of both land access and wildlife availability, decreased participation is inevitable. Several alternatives are identified that could improve the hunting experience and keep hunters interested in the activity.

The economics of the Sylvo-Cynegetic equilibrium

This work aims at modeling the economics of the sylvo-cynegetic equilibrium in commercial forests, as defined by forestry authorities, with respect to uncertain damages to plantation stands caused by the overabundance of ungulate species. After presenting the stochastic optimal control framework, in which the dynamics of forest resources and the population dynamics of big game species are both considered, we apply the stochastic control to an updated version of the well-known Gordon-Schaefer bioeconomic model. Our results show that the equilibrium can be achieved through the use of a joint control divided between regeneration works and hunting regimes. Furthermore, we find that, in equilibrium, the investment in forestry works ought to be equal to the willingness to undertake the resource stock stabilization in uncertainty. The investment should amount no more than 20% of total costs engaged in a forestry management plan.

Movement Ecology of Spring Wild Turkey Hunters on Public Lands in South Carolina, USA

ABSTRACTWild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo spp., hereafter turkey) are the second most pursued big game species in the United States. Turkey hunting occurs primarily during spring, and on publicly owned lands managers often monitor hunter numbers and harvest as components of managing hunter opportunity and satisfaction. Contemporary research has shown that hunting activity on public lands can influence male turkey behavior; hence, research detailing hunter behaviors is needed to better support informed management. We allocated 1,500 Global Positioning System units to hunters pursuing male turkeys during the spring hunting seasons of 2014–2018 on the Webb Wildlife Management Area Complex in South Carolina, USA. Mean number of unique hunting bouts per hunter per day was 2 (SE = 0.03, range = 1–8), whereas average time spent hunting was 230.1 minutes (SE = 4.6, range = 11.3–872.6)/hunter/day. Hunting effort was focused during the first half of hunting season, with 70.2% of the total time spent hunting occurring during the first 2 weeks of the season (~1–15 Apr). Mean distance a hunter traveled was 2,171 m (SE = 38.1, range = 10–20,685)/hunting bout. Almost 90% of hunting activity occurred between 0500 and 1200, 76% occurred before 1000. Access to roads appeared to be the primary driver of hunter movements, with 40.1% of all hunter locations <25 m from the nearest main or secondary road. On average, hunters were 480 m (SE = 0.5, range = 0–2,132) from main roads that allowed vehicle traffic, but only 123 m (SE = 0.3, range = 0–1,990) from secondary roads allowing only foot traffic. Hunters spent 54.3% of hunting bouts actively hunting and 45.7% stationary. The amount of time spent active decreased as the hunting season progressed. Hunter effort decreased significantly as the hunting season progressed, indicated by a decline in numbers of hunters and total time spent hunting. Understanding how and when turkey hunters move about the landscape is important for effectively managing hunting access and opportunity on public hunting lands. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.

Seasonal and Regional Differences in Economic Benefits of Turkey Hunting

ABSTRACTWild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris; hereafter, turkey) hunting is a popular outdoor recreation activity in many states, including Tennessee, USA. Despite its cultural and social significance, economic benefits associated with turkey hunting are largely unknown. Past economic studies either focused on other big game species or provided generic value for big game, and do not offer benefit estimates specific to turkey. We estimated a demand model for turkey hunting trips in Tennessee and quantified per‐trip and statewide aggregate value of turkey hunting. We compared the net economic value of turkey hunting trips between hunting seasons (autumn and spring) and wildlife management regions that differ in many aspects including turkey population, hunting regulations, etc. Per person per trip value of turkey hunting ranged between US$34 and US$90 depending on the modeling assumption regarding hunters’ opportunity cost of time. Moreover, estimated value differed among regions and between hunting seasons, with the value of a turkey‐hunting trip in the spring season being twice that of the autumn season. Many states in southern United States, including Tennessee, have recently experienced declines in turkey populations and are in need of economic justifications for investment in research and management. Our results are useful to wildlife agencies in characterizing economic benefits of turkey hunting and evaluating the welfare implications of regulations (e.g., closure, reduction in season length) restricting or expanding hunting opportunities. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.

Impact of conservation and hunting on big game species: comparison of the genetic diversity of the red deer population groups from a national park and neighboring hunting areas in northern Poland

The conservation of biodiversity and rational use of biological resources should be conducted with a view to population genetics. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare the genetic diversity of highly distributed red deer groups from Słowiński National Park (NP) and hunting areas (HA) in northern Poland using 10 dinucleotide microsatellites. In 254 animals, 112 alleles were observed with a high allelic number (NA = 7–15). The NP and HA groups showed high mean heterozygosity (Ho = 0.548 ± 0.063–0.613 ± 0.061) compared to other deer populations in Europe, although a slight decrease in heterozygosity and an increase in inbreeding was identified in NP, compared to HA. A high level of intra-group and a low level of inter-group genetic differentiation was found, which was supported by a high level of gene flow between NP and HA. Structure analysis revealed two genetic clusters (NP and HA) within the population. The HA cluster was distinguished by numerous private alleles, although the NP cluster was distinguished by a high frequency of two private alleles. These study results show that unhunted conservation areas may affect red deer density without increasing genetic diversity whereas hunting does not seem to have a negative impact on deer genetic diversity. This study affirms the anthropogenic impact on the red deer groups in both NP and HA. Ongoing monitoring of the red deer population with an effective sampling strategy is recommended.

Wild boar management (Sus scrofa L.) in the Republic of Serbia

Wild Boar is an autochthonous big game species important for the domestic hunting sector. In the past decades this species is increasing in number across Europe, which influences the extent of crop damages and intensity of the human-wildlife conflict. In this study Wild Boar hunting management was analyzed both at the national and regional level. For that purpose data from management plans of 272 hunting grounds were used. Beside the management plans, this study includes a survey of 377 hunters. The results indicate that Wild Boar population abundance is increasing in the Republic of Serbia, partially because the planned and realized shooting are not harmonized. There are differences in hunting management between the regions of Vojvodina and Central Serbia. The survey has shown that among domestic hunters Wild Boar is a popular game species, especially due to the attractive way of hunting.

The assessment of wildlife damage estimation methods in maize with simulation in GIS environment

Wildlife damage to agriculture causes significant economic losses worldwide. The amount of compensation payment is often determined by field damage evaluation, but there is little statistically sound information on the applied sampling and calculation methods of such losses. In this study, we tested the accuracy and bias of V-Track Method (VTM), W-Track Method (WTM), Double Diagonal Method (DDM), and Grid Arrangement Method (GAM) in GIS environment. Besides the accuracies and biases, the effects of the rate and spatial distribution of the damage (and the interaction of these factors) on the sampling results were examined. Simulations were conducted with four different spatial damage patterns [random, aggregated in patches (DAinP), furthermore aggregated in one and two field edges (DAinE-1, DAinE-2) to simulate the effect of an adjacent forest on the damage caused by big game species] and three levels of damage (10%, 20%, 30%). According to our results, the GAM provided the majority (58.3%) of best results for each statistical parameter (28/48), while gave the worst result three times. The WTM resulted in the highest number (17/48) of worst values and 8/48 best results. The DDM gave 14/48 poorest values, while provided 7/48 best results. The VTM resulted in 14/48 worst values, while provided the best result five times. The rate and spatial distribution of the damage, as well as the interaction of these factors, had a significant effect on the Percentage Relative Bias of the VTM, WTM and DDM estimations, while the GAM sampling was significantly affected only by the damage distribution.

Analysis of game damage estimation methods in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) thruogh GIS simulations

Wildlife damage to agriculture causes significant economic loss worldwide annually. Game managers or hunters are responsible for the financial compensation of the crop damage caused by game species in several countries, including Hungary. Accredited experts estimate the level of the damage; however, currently, there are no standardised methods that would be obligatory to apply. In order to obtain information on the accuracy and bias of the different sampling methods, we designed GIS simulations in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum), which covers a significant proportion of the arable land not only in Hungary, but also globally.
 We tested two sampling methods with three sampling plot arrangements in a GIS environment. Our questions were the following: (1) How accurate and biased are the examined samplings? (2) Does the rate or the spatial distribution of the damage (or the interaction of these factors) affect the results of the investigated methods?
 We created 15 wheat field models with 1:2 side ratio, 12 cm row width and the area of 3 ha. We simulated 5 damage rates (10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 90%) and 3 spatial damage patterns [random, aggregated in 1 and 2 field edges], of which the latter two follow the actual pattern of crop damage caused by big game species. V, W and X sampling tracks were allocated on each field model, and then they were sampled with square shaped, 1 m2 quadrats and 1 m long row sections (with 5 repetitions). The sample size was 20 and 25 plots, respectively (determined by the original description of the methods). At the sample plots, the total number of plants and the number of damaged plants were counted.
 According to our results, the statistical parameters of the different samplings were similar; the difference between the best and the poorest values was low. The rate and spatial distribution of the damage, as well as their interaction, had a significant effect on the estimation of each quadrat sampling, while the row sections were significantly affected only by the damage distribution (V and W tracks) or the damage rate (X track).
 According to our findings however, the difference between the labour-intensity of the two approaches can be decisive. With the sample sizes in our study, remarkably lower number of plants had to be examined along the row sections, than in the quadrats. This suggests that the experts can obtain similar quality results with less effort, if they choose the row section sampling over the quadrats.

Product Yield and Fatty Acid Content of North Dakota Mule Deer, Elk, and Moose

The objective of this study was to determine and document proportion of edible lean from harvested big game species (mule deer, elk, and moose), analyze nutritive value of longissimus muscle (LM) tissue, and discuss the implications of shot damage on loss of edible lean. Twenty-nine mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus; MUL), 22 moose (Alces alces), and 21 elk (Cervus canadensis) were harvested from the field and processed at the North Dakota State University Meat Science Laboratory. Fatty acid analysis was conducted for each species. Field harvested animal yield data were collected and compared across species to include edible lean availability and tissue loss (trimming) associated with bullet damage (shot loss). Larger species had heavier whole body (WB), field dressed (FD), carcass (CARC), and lean (LN) yield, whereas the smaller species (MUL) had the highest FD expressed as a percentage of WB (77.19%). Shot loss expressed as a percentage of total lean tissue was greatest for elk (16.59%, P = 0.02), then MUL (13.24%), and moose (12.32%). The most edible lean (332.53 kg) was obtained from moose whereas MUL tended to yield more lean as a percentage of WB (42.07%, P = 0.06). Moose had the least crude fat on a DM basis, the least total kcals/100 g of loin sample, and least total cholesterol (mg/100 g of loin sample). Mule deer and elk exhibited a greater percentage of oleic acid (24.1 and 29.7%, respectively, expressed as a percentage of LM crude fat content) than moose (14.5%, P < 0.01). Mule deer had the highest stearic acid content (24.7%) compared to elk (12.83%) and moose (21.62%). This research found that elk and MUL have more desirable MUFA and SFA of total fat content than moose which possess the highest lean yield percentage.