Fw: Coyotes,Wolves,Cougars..forever!

HERE'S THE LATEST FROM RICK MERIL AND WOLVES,COUGARS, COYOTES FOREVER. --- On Sun, 2/19/12, Wolves, Wolf Facts, Cougars, Cougar Facts, Coyotes, Coyote Facts - Wolves, Cougars, Coyotes Forever <rick.meril@gmail.com> wrote: From: Wolves, Wolf Facts, Cougars, Cougar Facts, Coyotes, Coyote Facts - Wolves, Cougars, Coyotes Forever <rick.meril@gmail.com> Subject: Coyotes,Wolves,Cougars..forever! To: RANDAL_MASSARO@YAHOO.COM Date: Sunday, February 19, 2012, 5:17 PM Coyotes,Wolves,Cougars..forever! More Whitetail deer bucks were taken by hunters in 2010 than in 2009, according to the data from 35 states compiled in the 2012 Whitetail Report by the Quality Deer Management Association........... The 60-page report (pdf) below) lists information on deer taken,, species' range, sex ratio, and other popular management topics in the United States and Canada.......Of course, even though deer are at densities two or more times historicical pre-settlement levels, writer Agnieszka Spieszny insists on putting a negative spotlight on Coyotes and Bears, suggesting that these trophic carnivores are limiting agents of Whitetails........Ms. Spieszny, the evidence does not back up your hypothesis...........Instead, you should be writing about the fact that Wolves and Pumas need to be back on the ground across the USA if in fact we are to have healthy forest regeneration, minimize lymes disease and ultimately to have the fleetest, wildest and healthiest deer herds on our landscape..............Deer without Wolves and Pumas chasing and stalking them are like domesticated cattle,,,,,,,,,,,not the fleet of foot/graceful hoofed browsers that historically graced our woodlands and fields One more shout out and a fine opportunity to watch and listen to Cristina Eisenberg defend her PHD thesis in Wildlife Mgmt to a team of Oregon State Professors this Wednesday Feb 22---streaming live this coming Wednesday 2/22 at 130pm Pacific time............Tune in and watch Cristina "wow em"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Daniel Richards, President of the California fish and Game Commission typifies the problem we face in managing our wildlife at the State level.........As a rule, Game Commisioners are selected by the Govenor of each State...........Most often, the Govenors dole out political favors to people who are favorites of the hunting and livestock communities---the very communities that donate large pools of $$ to support the Govenors bid for election and re-election............This lobbyist payback is a "kryptonite arrow" into the heart of carnivore rewilding and scientifically based predator and prey management................Mr Richards is full dislosure regarding his feelings about Pumas being a protected species in his home State: ""I'm glad it's lega(hunting and killing Pumas)l in Idaho," said Richards....................Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, chairman of the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, said Friday he is considering introducing a resolution in the Legislature to remove Richards. "He's thumbing his nose at California law," Huffman said. "He's mocking it. Frankly, I think he should face the music and step down. He's done something that's a disgrace to his position and to responsible hunters in California."...........California has an enlightened perspective on the hunting of carnivores: Environmental and animal welfare groups that wrote and passed the ballot measure in 1990 banning lion hunting argued that the practice is cruel and unnecessary, because unlike with deer, turkeys and other game, hunters do not eat lions. And they argued it upsets the balance of predators and prey. Hunting groups attempted to overturn the measure in 1996, but voters again chose to keep lion hunting illegal.... More Whitetail deer bucks were taken by hunters in 2010 than in 2009, according to the data from 35 states compiled in the 2012 Whitetail Report by the Quality Deer Management Association........... The 60-page report (pdf) below) lists information on deer taken,, species' range, sex ratio, and other popular management topics in the United States and Canada.......Of course, even though deer are at densities two or more times historicical pre-settlement levels, writer Agnieszka Spieszny insists on putting a negative spotlight on Coyotes and Bears, suggesting that these trophic carnivores are limiting agents of Whitetails........Ms. Spieszny, the evidence does not back up your hypothesis...........Instead, you should be writing about the fact that Wolves and Pumas need to be back on the ground across the USA if in fact we are to have healthy forest regeneration, minimize lymes disease and ultimately to have the fleetest, wildest and healthiest deer herds on our landscape..............Deer without Wolves and Pumas chasing and stalking them are like domesticated cattle,,,,,,,,,,,not the fleet of foot/graceful hoofed browsers that historically graced our woodlands and fields Posted: 18 Feb 2012 10:48 PM PST Key Statistics from the 2012 QDMA Whitetail Deer Report by Agnieszka Spieszny outdoorhub.com  More bucks were harvested in 2010 than in 2009, according to the data from 35 states compiled in the 2012 Whitetail Report by the Quality Deer Management Association. The 60-page report (pdf) lists information on harvests, species' range, sex ratio, and other popular management topics in the United States and Canada. In this article, I've compiled a short list of highlights of whitetail deer statistics below.     Antlered Buck Harvest Buck harvest for all the regions of the United States in 2010 was 2,776,867. Canada's total harvest for 6 providences (Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan) was 116,147. The top five states for the 2010 antlered buck harvest were Texas with 357,378 bucks, Michigan – 212,341, Georgia – 155,255, Wisconsin – 148,378 and Alabama – 129,000. The top five states for 2010 buck harvest per square mile were Texas at 5.8 bucks per square mile, South Carolina – 4.8, Wisconsin – 4.4, Indiana – 4.3 and Georgia – 4.1. Buck Harvest Age Structure Western states did not report their harvested buck age data, therefore they are excluded from the findings. The top six states with the lowest yearling-buck harvest rates are Kansas at 9 percent of all harvested bucks being yearlings, Arkansas – 10 percent, Louisiana – 17, Missouri – 17, and Rhode Island and Texas which both averaged 22 percent yearling bucks. The top five states with the highest harvest of 3½-year-old and older bucks were Arkansas with a 68 percent of bucks that were taken were 3½ or older, Louisiana – 65 percent, Texas – 59 percent, Kansas – 56 percent and Oklahoma with 51 percent. Antlerless Harvest Antlerless harvest totaled 3,347,150 in the United States. In six Canadian provinces (Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan) the total harvest amount was 80,587. The top five states for antlerless harvest in 2010 were Texas with 330,698, Georgia with 308,747, Alabama with 208,000, Michigan 205,509 and Pennsylvania with 193,310. Deer Predators Coyotes have the most significant impact on fawn survival and recruitment rate. Every state and part of Canada allows coyote hunting within set perimeters except for the state of Delaware, which does not allow coyote hunting.(California also does not have a sanctioned hunt--blogger Rick) coyotes and bears will take fawns in the Spring & Summer but "prey swamping(mass births) and odorless fawns in most cases allow for a healthy fawn recruitment to take place....... Historically, deer survived the simultaneous suite of carnivores wolves/pumas/bears/coyotes/ that shared home turf with them       In response to coyote predation, the following states have increased opportunity or changed their management model in the last five years: South Carolina, Maine, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, South Dakota and Manitoba in Canada             Fawn Recruitment Rates The top five states for fawn recruitment in 2010 were Iowa at a ratio of 1 fawn to 30 adult doe, Wisconsin at 1:7, South Dakota at 0:95, South Carolina at 0:88 and Ohio at 0:81. Hemorrhagic Disease Outbreak The most significant viral disease affecting whitetails annually is hemorrhagic disease (HD). The outbreak of HD in the summer of 2011 was the not as bad as the 2007 outbreak that was the worst in 50 years, but it did affect deer in at least 18 states. Thirteen states confirmed HD by the time of this report. Suspected and confirmed states with hemorrhagic disease in 2011 include Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama and Louisiana. The Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study is conducting research into the disease and will release their full report on the 2011 outbreak in November 2012. Hunting License Sales Hunting license sales have increased. About 4.9 percent of the United States population purchases a hunting license in any given year. From 2008 to 2009 each region of the United States saw more licenses purchased. The U.S. total for license sales in 2009 was 14,973,528. License sales increased every year from 2006 to 2009 in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, and North Carolina. The states where license sales decreased for two to three periods were California, New Mexico, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. Hunting Numbers Increase With More Women Hunting At one point in time, the report admits that hunting numbers have steadily declined between 1979 and 2009, but speculates that the hunting industry may have made it across that hurdle. With more and more women hunting each year, hunting numbers have seen an uptick. QDMA credits the National Shooting Sports Foundation for their data that women hunters increased by 653,000 from 2002 to 2009, totaling 3,204,000 women hunters. Visit http://coyotes-wolves-cougars.blogspot.com

One more shout out and a fine opportunity to watch and listen to Cristina Eisenberg defend her PHD thesis in Wildlife Mgmt to a team of Oregon State Professors this Wednesday Feb 22---streaming live this coming Wednesday 2/22 at 130pm Pacific time............Tune in and watch Cristina "wow em"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Posted: 18 Feb 2012 10:49 PM PST Hello all, My school has arranged to have my doctoral defense live streamed. Those of you unable to attend who have time and interest will be able to watch. All you need is high-speed Internet access. Here is the link to my defense, which will be live-streamed on Feb. 22, 2012, 1:30 PST via OSU Live: http://live.oregonstate.edu/ Thank you all for your good wishes and encouragement. Cristina Eisenberg PhD Candidate Boone & Crockett Fellow High Lonesome Ranch Research Director Oregon State University College of Forestry (406)270-5153 The Wolf's Tooth Published in 2010 by Island Press http://www.wolfstooth.com http://fes.forestry.oregonstate.edu/grad-students/eisenberg-cristina Visit http://coyotes-wolves-cougars.blogspot.com

Daniel Richards, President of the California fish and Game Commission typifies the problem we face in managing our wildlife at the State level.........As a rule, Game Commisioners are selected by the Govenor of each State...........Most often, the Govenors dole out political favors to people who are favorites of the hunting and livestock communities---the very communities that donate large pools of $$ to support the Govenors bid for election and re-election............This lobbyist payback is a "kryptonite arrow" into the heart of carnivore rewilding and scientifically based predator and prey management................Mr Richards is full dislosure regarding his feelings about Pumas being a protected species in his home State: ""I'm glad it's lega(hunting and killing Pumas)l in Idaho," said Richards....................Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, chairman of the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, said Friday he is considering introducing a resolution in the Legislature to remove Richards. "He's thumbing his nose at California law," Huffman said. "He's mocking it. Frankly, I think he should face the music and step down. He's done something that's a disgrace to his position and to responsible hunters in California."...........California has an enlightened perspective on the hunting of carnivores: Environmental and animal welfare groups that wrote and passed the ballot measure in 1990 banning lion hunting argued that the practice is cruel and unnecessary, because unlike with deer, turkeys and other game, hunters do not eat lions. And they argued it upsets the balance of predators and prey. Hunting groups attempted to overturn the measure in 1996, but voters again chose to keep lion hunting illegal.... Posted: 18 Feb 2012 11:01 PM PST California wildlife official in hot water over mountain lion hunt Paul Rogers mercurynews.com One of California's top wildlife officials found himself in the political line of fire Friday, after a photo surfaced showing him holding a dead mountain lion he killed in what appeared to be a recent big game hunt. Daniel W. Richards, president of the California Fish and Game Commission, shot the lion in Northern Idaho. The photo was posted on the website of Western Outdoor News, a hunting and fishing publication. Mountain lion hunting has been illegal in California since 1990, when voters passed Proposition 117. Within hours of the photo appearing, callers deluged the state Fish and Game Commission office, and the Humane Society of the United States urged Richards to step down. "It's not illegal. But he's thumbed his nose at the people of California," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society. "He's supposed to be representing the interests of all California citizens. It seems like such a tone-deaf action. What part of 'no' doesn't he understand?" Richards did not respond to requests for an interview. But on the Western Outdoor News website, Richards, 59, is quoted as saying that he shot the lion with a Winchester Centennial .45 carbine on Flying B Ranch. The 5,000-acre property in Northern Idaho charges $6,800 per person for a 7-day lion hunt. "I'm glad it's legal in Idaho," said Richards, who is a life member of the National Rifle Association. A San Bernardino County Republican appointed  to the five-member commission by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008, Richards has been its most outspoken advocate for expanding hunting, often clashing with environmental and animal welfare groups. As president, Richards can set the commission's agenda on a range of issues including endangered species protections, ocean fishing rules and all types of hunting regulations from rabbits to black bears. If he were to bring the dead mountain lion back to California from Idaho, he would be in violation of state law. Proposition 117 banned the possession of mountain lion parts or trophies killed after 1990. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill creating a narrow exemption for museums to display lions killed under permits from the state Fish and Game Department. The governor cannot remove any member of the Fish and Game Commission. However, the state Legislature can, with a simple majority vote. Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, chairman of the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, said Friday he is considering introducing a resolution in the Legislature to remove Richards. "He's thumbing his nose at California law," Huffman said. "He's mocking it. Frankly, I think he should face the music and step down. He's done something that's a disgrace to his position and to responsible hunters in California." Environmental and animal welfare groups that wrote and passed the ballot measure in 1990 banning lion hunting argued that the practice is cruel and unnecessary, because unlike with deer, turkeys and other game, hunters do not eat lions. And they argued it upsets the balance of predators and prey. Hunting groups attempted to overturn the measure in 1996, but voters again chose to keep lion hunting illegal Richards' term expires next January. He was voted president earlier this month in an odd 2-0 vote in which two commissioners who disagree with his views, Mike Sutton and Jack Baylis, abstained, while the former president, Jim Kellogg, whose term as president expired, supported him. One commissioner, Richard Rogers, was absent due to an Achilles tendon injury. Rogers said Friday he is likely to support another vote to choose a new president at a commission meeting in the next month or two. If Richards is removed, the current vice president, Michael Sutton, a biologist who works for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, would become president. Meanwhile, Richards is facing more political fallout.In 2010, his former business partner was indicted, along with three other men, on charges of bribery, conflict of interest, tax fraud, tax evasion, perjury and forgery. San Bernardino County prosecutors said the indicted men worked to corrupt public officials in connection with a $102 million settlement in a land development deal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Effects of Hunting on Cougar Population Ecology Hilary Cooley, H.S. Robinson, B.T. Maletzke, G.M. Koehler, R.B. Wielgus & others This project was part of Hilary Cooley’s, Hugh Robinson’s,and Ben Maletzke’s Ph.D. programs. We compared a heavily-hunted (Kettle Falls WA) and a very lightly hunted population (Cle Elum WA) to test for differences in population demography. We examined male mortality, male immigration, female maternity, cub survival, female survival, and population growth rates to test the “closed population, increased reproduction” or “open population, decreased reproduction” hypotheses of population regulation in large carnivore populations. (See hunting of grizzlies in Completed Projects).  High mortality of resident adult males resulted in increasing numbers of potentially infanticidal immigrant males, decreasing numbers of juveniles and females, but no net change in total cougar numbers. Low mortality resulted in high emigration of younger animals, stable numbers of juveniles, females, and males, and no net change in total cougar numbers. Hunting did not reduce total numbers or densities of cougars, as commonly thought, because of male immigration. Lack of hunting did not increase total numbers or densities of cougars, as commonly thought, because of emigration. Hunting caused a shift in the sex and age structure towards younger males and a female population decline. Our results support the open population, decreased reproduction hypothesis of cougar population regulation. . Visit http://coyotes-wolves-cougars.blogspot.com

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