Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference 2018

AUTHORS. Austin T. Homkes, Northern Michigan University; Steve K. Windels, Voyageurs National Park; John G. Bruggink, Northern Michigan University; Thomas D. Gable, University of Minnesota

ABSTRACT. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns are important summer prey for wolves (Canis lupus) in southern boreal ecosystems. Fawn parturition is synchronized from late May through early June and wolves must adapt their foraging strategies rapidly to use the abundant new prey source. Although wolves rely heavily on deer fawns during the summer, how wolves hunt fawns is unknown because of the difficulty of observing predation events or finding evidence of wolf-killed fawns. We fitted wolves with GPS collars during spring 2016 and 2017 in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota and visited clusters of GPS locations to identify fawn kill sites. We determined the vegetative cover type and estimated percent cover using cover boards at 56 kill sites and 68 random locations during summers of 2016 and 2017. Discriminant function analysis revealed significant differences between cover characteristics (cover type and percent visibility) at kill sites and random locations (Wilks’ ? =0.820 Chi-square=22.824 df=8, p=0.004). Additionally, the maximum visible distance was significantly less at kill sites than at random locations (5.97±3.3 m SD vs 8.67±3.6 m SD). Generally, these results provide valuable insight into habitat use by white-tailed deer fawns and summer hunting behavior of wolves in a southern boreal ecosystem. Though descriptive in nature, our results also allow us to test the hypothesis that wolves preferentially hunt in cover types where fawns kills are most likely to occur.

AUTHORS. Thomas Gable, University of Minnesota; Steve K. Windels, Voyageurs National Park; Austin T. Homkes, Northern Michigan University; Joseph K. Bump, University of Minnesota

ABSTRACT. Beavers can be important prey for wolves in boreal ecosystems but little is known about wolf-beaver interactions. Wolves actively hunt beavers by bedding down and waiting near beaver habitat features (e.g., feeding trails, dams), however, there is almost no information on how wolves choose where to wait for beavers. Because beavers rely predominantly on olfaction to detect predators, we hypothesized that an effective strategy for a wolf to hunt beavers is to wait in areas where beavers cannot detect wolf scent. From 2015 to 2017 in Voyageurs National Park, we searched clusters of locations from wolves fitted with Global Positioning Systems collars to identify likely hunting attempts of beavers. We determined whether beavers could have detected wolves during hunting attempts based on the wind direction and speed during a hunting attempt, and the direction of the wolf relative to beaver habitat features and water. We identified 137 hunting attempts from 11 wolves. During these attempts, wolves bedded down 2.7 ± 2.6 m (SD) from beaver habitat features and 3.9 ± 4.1 m from water. We estimated wolves were undetected by beavers at more hunting attempts than they were detected at (110 attempts undetected vs. 8 detected; ?2=88.17; p

AUTHORS. Taylor Soto, Dr. Kevyn Juneau - University of Wisconsin-River Falls

ABSTRACT. The ongoing argument over the evolutionary history and genetic composition of Canid populations within North America has become primarily relevant to the conservation and management of coyotes and wolves. Over a century ago, the over-harvesting of wolves led to the hybridization between Eastern wolves and Western coyotes in the Northeastern region of the United States, resulting in the coyote-wolf hybrid, the coywolf. Current research suggests that coywolves are highly adaptable and found across various regions of North America. The focus of this research is to use PCR-RFLPs (restriction fragment length polymorphism) to determine if coywolves are present in Minnesota and Wisconsin. A restriction site and a length difference in the control region of mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA) was used to differentiate wolf and coyote haplotypes; the restriction site is present in wolves but not coyotes. The DNA was extracted using a QIAGEN DNeasy kit, then PCR was run with a primer pair constructed from the coyote and wolf sequences (Wiley et al. 1998). Specimens were gathered from different regions of the two states by collecting buccal, hair and tissue samples from taxidermists, roadkill and rehabilitation centers. During the pilot study we have found that the coyotes collected do not possess wolf ancestry in the mtDNA. Due to the findings of the initial study further research will be done by expanding the project from 10 to over 100 coyote samples. Future research will be focused on using this method so we can determine if hybridized coyotes are present in Minnesota and Wisconsin without directly interfering with wild populations.

AUTHORS. Abigail Fergus, Alma College


ABSTRACT. Ma’iingan (Canis lupus) management plans change with time to match new scientific findings, policy, and cultural needs. The Bad River Band reservation is located in northern Wisconsin on Lake Superior and provides habitat for four Ma’iingan packs. Anishinaabe Indians such as the Bad River Band revere Ma’iingan as a brother and believe that whatever happens to Ma’iingan will also happen to Anishinaabeg. In 2013, the Bad River Band published its first Ma’iingan management plan, which calls for an update every five years. Interviews were conducted with local wolf biologists, non-tribal livestock owners, and tribal members in order to collect political, cultural, and scientific considerations for the plan’s update. Political, cultural, and scientific literature was also reviewed for the formulation of recommendations. I propose changes in order to better insure the legal protection of Ma’iingan. I also address developing issues related to Ma’iingan such as the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease and the review of the Endangered Species Act. These changes will be considered by the Bad River Band wildlife specialist and tribal council for the 2018 management plan. 

AUTHORS. Dana J. Morin, Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Southern Illinois University; Damon B. Lesmeister, Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service; Clayton K. Nielsen, Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Southern Illinois University; Eric M. Schauber*, Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Southern Illinois University


ABSTRACT. Harvest rates and bowhunter survey data for several Midwestern states suggest both red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) populations have declined, and a recent assessment of mesocarnivore occupancy across southern Illinois suggested gray fox range was contracting. Indices of coyote (Canis latrans) abundance increased concurrently and competition resulting in intraguild killing and spatial displacement to human-associated habitats have been proposed as agents of gray fox population decline. In addition, we previously demonstrated a strong elevation in both red fox and gray fox occupancy near human-developed areas if coyotes were present. One complication previously unaccounted for in assessing dynamics between coyotes and foxes is the presence of free-ranging domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), commonly associated with anthropogenic habitats. Thus, as gray foxes shift to areas adjacent to anthropogenic habitat to avoid coyotes, they may instead contend with domestic dogs. We utilized an extensive camera-trap data set collected over three years at 1,181 stations across 16 counties in southern Illinois to evaluate factors influencing species occupancy and interactions between domestic dogs, coyotes, gray foxes and red foxes. Naïve dog occupancy was 0.53 and estimated dog occupancy decreased with distance from structures and municipalities but increased with distance from roads. We found no evidence for species interactions between domestic dogs and coyotes, weak support for a negative interaction between dogs and red foxes, and strong evidence of a negative interaction between dogs and gray foxes. Thus, interacting competitive pressures from coyotes in forest habitats, red foxes in anthropogenic habitats, and the presence of free-ranging dogs along anthropogenic habitat edge, could result in dramatic cumulative impacts to gray fox populations across the region and contribute to the recent decline.

AUTHORS. Steven Gurney, Jennifer B. Smith, David M. Williams - Boone and Crockett Quantitative Wildlife Center, Michigan State University; Dwayne R. Etter, Michigan Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT. Studying cryptic or elusive wildlife can be difficult, especially when species occur at low densities or inhabit densely vegetated habitats. Non-invasive hair sampling techniques are often used to estimate population size and characteristics of such species. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources uses genetic analysis of collected hair samples to estimate abundance and density of black bears (Ursus americanus) in the northern Lower Peninsula. However, low detection rates of black bears at hair-snares may limit our ability to accurately and precisely estimate density. Our goal was to explore possible factors driving low bear detection by examining the behavioral ecology of bears from trail camera data. We deployed corral style hair-snares and trail cameras at 40 sites across the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Using video data from the trail cameras, we developed an ethogram based on frequently occurring behaviors and quantified time budgets. We reviewed and quantified 1,161 occurrences of behavior for a total of 12,007 seconds of behavioral data. We found that the number of samples collected during a sampling occasion was positively correlated with the number of bear visits. There was a significant difference between the frequencies of visit locations (outside of snare, crossing wire, inside of snare) between snares with low amounts of samples (=11) and snares with high amounts (=18). Additionally, we did not find any difference in how bears cross the wires between occasions that produced low numbers of samples and high. We found no significant difference among bear behavior frequencies and study area, bait combination, or number of samples. By explicitly profiling bear behavior at snare sites, our results suggest homogeneity in bear behavior at barbed-wire corral hair traps. Our findings can be used by management to help improve snare design and ultimately increase detection probabilities.

AUTHORS. Jordan Petchenik, Robert H. Holsman, Lauren Bradshaw, David MacFarland - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT. We conducted a survey to inform the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ bear management program on the public’s preferred management response to various black bear - human interactions. Wisconsin’s black bear (Ursus americanus) population has increased five-fold since the early 1980s. In conjunction with bear population growth, their range has expanded from the less-populated forested northern counties into the central and western (and more populated) counties. A consequence of the range expansion and growth in numbers has been an increase in black bear – human interactions; nuisance complaints and agriculture damage has risen.We measured the public’s support or opposition towards five management actions in response to three different black bear - human interaction scenarios. Results are based on data generated from a questionnaire mailed to 5,700 residents within primary bear range and data generated from an online panel of 600 residents of the eastern non-bear range. Our results indicate that perceived abundance of bears in the respondents’ home county, willingness to live near bears and preference for bear population size were all correlated with where respondents grew up (urban or rural setting), affiliation with agriculture and experience with bear damage. The public consistently preferred a trap-and-relocate response over four other actions ranging from doing nothing to killing the bear, regardless of the type of conflict described in the scenarios. Results generally support the status quo with respect to the agency’s handling of bear nuisance complaints.

AUTHORS. Catherine C. Dennison, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Maximilian L. Allen, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and University of Wisconsin; Nicholas Forman, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Nathan M. Roberts, Ph.D., Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT. Bobcats (lynx rufus) are an important carnivore in Wisconsin, providing ecological benefits as well as sustainable consumptive use opportunities for hunters and trappers. However, there are still key uncertainties regarding the status and habits of bobcats within the state. From October 2014 through January 2017 we fit bobcats in Northern Wisconsin with GPS collars programmed to record two to six locations per day. We monitored 51 bobcats (26 male, 25 female) for an average of 170 days. We calculated home ranges with kernel density estimation using plug-in bandwidths. Average adult 95% home range size was 42.98 km2 (n = 32). The average male home range (55.82 km2, n = 17) was larger than the average female home range (28.44 km2, n = 15). The home ranges of 22 bobcats overlapped with the home range of at least one other active bobcat during monitoring. One adult female bobcat’s home range overlapped with that of 5 other bobcats. We observed 20 total occurrences of home range overlap. Habitat use was compared to availability to determine habitat preferences. Bobcats in Northern Wisconsin selected for wetland habitat, while avoiding upland deciduous forests, grasslands, and agriculture habitat types. A better understanding of bobcat space and habitat use in Northern Wisconsin will aid managers in refining population estimates, and continuing to sustainably manage bobcats.

AUTHORS. Edward D. Davis, Western Illinois University; Tim C. Swearingen, Western Illinois University; Christopher N. Jacques, Western Illinois University; Robert W. Klaver, US Geological Survey; Chuck R. Anderson, Colorado Parks and Wildlife; Jonathan A. Jenks, South Dakota State University; Christopher S. DePerno, North Carolina State University; Robert D. Bluett, Illinois Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT. A variety of increasingly sophisticated methods are available for estimating population density from capture-recapture studies. Among these, spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models provide a rigorous analytical technique for inference that extends standard closed population models to include a spatially explicit model by accounting for the distribution of individuals in space. Spatial capture-recapture models rely on spatial information readily available with camera data and use distance between traps and animal activity centers to model spatially explicit (i.e., camera trap) encounter probabilities and have been used in population density estimation for a range of carnivores. We used Bayesian analyses to evaluate the utility of SCR models for estimating density of bobcats in an agriculturally dominated landscape of west-central Illinois. We defined the continuous state space by overlaying the trap array on a square region extending 5 to 20 km beyond camera traps in each cardinal direction. We deployed 50 camera stations over a 77-day period from 1 February–18 April 2017. We captured 23 uniquely identifiable bobcats 115 times and recaptured these same individuals 92 times. Our analysis revealed a slight effect on the posterior distribution of density for the 5-km continuous state-space model, though posterior summary statistics for the 10-km, 15-km, and 20-km continuous state-space models were similar. Densities ranged from 1.44–1.57 bobcats per 100 km2 with a 95% posterior interval of 1.07 to 1.90. Variation in the state-space extending beyond trap arrays affect bobcat density estimates and should be sufficiently large to minimize encountering individuals with activity centers (i.e., home ranges) beyond the state-space boundary. Increased size of home ranges of bobcats across Midwestern landscapes may necessitate the use of relatively coarser survey grids in SCR models to account for frequent movements to and from the state space or whose core areas are positioned beyond camera survey unit boundaries.

AUTHORS. Heather Foster, Madeline Abbatacola, Scott Hyngstrom - Wisconsin Center for Wildlife, University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point; Christiaan Winterbach, Tau Consultants

ABSTRACT. For effective conservation management, population densities of large carnivores are needed. Along with this, a baseline monitoring system needs to be in place as a reference and control to compare fluctuations in a population. Large carnivore densities are extremely important for understanding the interspecies relationships in specific areas. Not only are the animals living on the landscape affected by the presence of large carnivores but the human populations as well. Living in areas occupied by large carnivores presents unique challenges which local people can benefit from the knowledge of which species and their populations are present. Better agricultural techniques, public safety precautions, and an ecotourism industry can be established. The continuous need for large carnivore management leads us to use the noninvasive techniques of distance sampling and spoor counts of large carnivores, to acquire the population density estimates. We chose to use noninvasive spoor counts because it was inexpensive and capable of repetition. In the Mababe region of northern Botswana two transects were run each day with a professional, local tracker. The spoor found was examined to determine the identity and later recorded using the data management application, Cyber Tracker. This was downloaded into ArcGIS and Excel for analysis. While we only have two years of previous data, this study will serve as an integral step in creating a baseline monitoring system for large carnivore densities.