Surveys and Investigations Projects as Required by Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, Missouri. Study No. 79: Development and Evaluation of Mourning Dove Population Models for Optimizing Harvest Management Decisions. Job No. 1

摘要

Quantitative models of the relationship between annual survival and harvest rate of migratory gamebird populations are essential to science-based harvest management strategies. The author uses the best available band recovery and harvest data for mourning doves (Nenaida macroura) to build a set of models based on different assumptions about compensatory harvest mortality. Although these models suffer from lack of contemporary data, they can be used in development of an initial set of population models that synthesize existing demographic data on a management unit scale, and serve as a tool for prioritization of population demographic information needs. Credible harvest management plans for mourning dove populations will require a long term commitment to population monitoring and iterative population analysis.