Game Management

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Game Management

• Modified by Georgia Agricultural Education Office
• June, 2002

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Settlers to the US

• Thought that conservation was not necessary
• Thought primarily of their own survival

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Settlers to the US

• Soon found that Americans would begin to initiate
  programs to manage wild life

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Aldo Leopold

• Early authority on game management
• art of making land produce sustained annual
  crops of wild game for recreational use

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Game Management

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

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Habitat

• Food
• Water
• Cover
• Territory
• Home range

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Food

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

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Food

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

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Food

• Spermivores seed eaters
• Also classified by the amount of food that they
  eat

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Food

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

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Euryphagous

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

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Stenophagous

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

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Stenophagous

• More likely to starve in a food scarce season

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Cover

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

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Cover

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

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Water

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

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Water

• Important in blood composition, temperature
  regulation and nutrient transport

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Water

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

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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

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Territory

• Area that an animal will defend, often to the
  death
• Animals home ranges may over lap but territory
  never will

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Territory

• Only exception to territory overlap is during
  mating season

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Management procedures

• Most common methods include
• Game refuges
• Habitat development and improvement

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Common methods

• Coordination with other resources
• Hunting regulations
• Predator control
• Artificial stocking

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Game Refuges

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

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Game Refuges

• Provide the basics for survival without the
  threat of hunters
• Early refuges were for private use

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Game Refuges

• First state reserve was established in 1870 in
  California

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Game Refuges

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

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Game Refuges

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

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Game Refuges

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

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Habitat development

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

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Fencerow Plantings

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

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Woodland Management

• Not allowing livestock to graze in woodlands
  increases game carrying capacity

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Coordination w/other resources

• Keep in mind that all resources work together

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Hunting Regulations

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

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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

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Hunting Regulations

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

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Bison

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

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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

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Bison

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

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Bison

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

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Hunting Regulations

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

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Hunting Regulations

• Reproduction rates, climate, disease, habitat,
  and predators

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Hunting Regulations

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

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Predator Control

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

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Predator Control

• Predators help to maintain an improved game
  population by killing weak or diseased animals

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Artificial Stocking

• Introduction of exotics species new to the area
• Usually done to supply predators for a problem
  game animal

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Artificial Stocking

• The rabbit once introduced in Australia soon
  became a major pest

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Artificial Stocking

• Examine the desired population density or an area
• Estimate the carrying capacity

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Population Density

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

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Carrying Capacity

• Amount of game for which a given area will
  provide the essentials for life

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Population Density

• Mismanagement can lead to starvation , unhealthy
  animals and possible disease problems due to weak
  animals with poor resistance

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Management

• Land owners can attract more wildlife to their
  property by improving habitat
• Digging a pond

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Management

• Provide abundant food supply
• Assistance available from US Forest Service,
  USDA, DNR, Soil conservation Service

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Legislation

• Lacey Act 1900 first major law affecting
  wildlife
• Migratory Bird Act 1929 Provided refuges for
  migratory birds

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Legislation

• Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp 1934 means of
  raising funds for migratory refuges.
• Pittman-Robertson Program and Dingell-Johnson Act
  1950

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Pittman etc

• Allow excise tax on guns, ammo, and fishing
  tackle. States match funds collected and
  allocate the total to their fish and game
  departments

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Legislation

• Lea Act of 1948 federal land for waterfowl
  feeding
• Endangered Species Act 1966 protecting rare
  and endangered species