Survival Fall Movements, and Habitat use of Hunted and Non-Hunted Ruffed Grouse in Northern Michigan.

摘要

The ruffled grouse (Bonasa umbellus) is pursed by approximately 130,000 hunters per year in Michigan. Hunters and wildlife biologists have many questions about the effects of hunting on grouse and how to better manage forests for this popular bird. This project takes a comprehensive five-year database (1993 - 1998) of fall grouse locations in sites open and closed to hunting and combines it with a habitat quality analysis to describe the characteristics of grouse behavior and survival in northern Michigan. Ruffed grouse were radio-collared during the fall of each year in the Maltby Hills and Pigeon River study sites in Northern Michigan. Survival data were collected from August through May. In the first study season (1993 - 1994), ruffed grouse in the 2 sites closed to hunting had higher survival than did those in the 2 sites open to hunting. In all other years, survival in the sites open to hunting was comparable or higher than survival in the sites closed to hunting.