Statistical Methods for Determining the Size of Furbearer Populations in Michigan: Raccoon Population Dynamics and Population Size Estimation Using Mark-Recapture in the Rose Lake Area

摘要

Many aspects of wildlife management, such as habitat management and regulation of harvests, are dependent upon some type of population size estimate for the species being managed. In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a modified mark-recapture estimator is used for black bear, in which bears are marked through tetracycline laced baiting and recaptured through harvesting. The accuracy of these population estimates has not been assessed. This study proposed to examine the biases associated with the estimator and to develop an alternative method of estimating black bear population size. To determine the biases, a raccoon (Procyon lotor) population was used as a surrogate species in a field study to examine population dynamics such as reproduction, survival, sex and age structure, and movements.