Reducing the refuge effect: using private‐land hunting to mitigate issues with hunter access

Abstract

Hunting pressure alters the spatial ecology of many ungulate species. During hunting periods, game species often select areas that have reduced hunter accessibility by increasing use of forest cover, remaining farther from roads, or moving to private land as a means of refuge. Our objectives were to determine if elk (Cervus canadensis) in central Utah, USA, shifted distribution towards areas of refuge (private land) in response to hunting and whether allocating hunting permits to refuge areas could reduce selection of refugia by elk. We captured 445 elk between January 2015 and March 2017 on the Wasatch Front in central Utah and fitted each individual with a global positioning system collar. We used logistic regression models and Bayesian change point analyses to determine differences in daily use of public land in response to the addition of private-land hunting. We detected shifts in elk distribution at the beginning of the archery hunting season and during the rifle season, suggesting elk selected for private land as refuge from hunters. At the conclusion of the hunting season, we detected a shift back to public land. The addition of private-land hunting increased use of public land by elk during the rifle season (from 29% in 2015 to 41% in 2016).Our results show that the distribution of elk across a matrix of public and private land can be influenced by manipulating hunting pressure. Hunter access, the ability of hunters to access target game species, can be a concern in areas with private-land refuges.This can be particularly problematic when management strategies rely on hunter harvest to maintain population objectives;

Female Deer Movements Relative to Firearms Hunting in Northern Georgia, USA

“…Other studies with greater levels of hunting pressure have documented deer responding to hunters on the landscape by decreasing their diurnal movements and increasing their nocturnal activity [5,11,44,45]. The usage of public land (i.e., WMAs) versus privately owned land by deer in our study also did not differ among the periods, contrary to a few other studies with greater hunter densities that found elk shifted onto private land refuge areas at the onset of public land hunts [46,47]. The duration of hunts is also an important consideration.…”

Autumn resource selection by female elk in a recently burned landscape in western Montana

“…Thus, wildfires may present elk with a tradeoff in autumn between meeting physiological demands and minimizing risk of mortality, given recent wildfires generally increase nutritional resources yet reduce the availability of cover, dependent upon fire severity. Wildfires that burn on public lands could result in increased elk use of public lands during autumn because of the improved nutritional resources or could result in elk moving to sites with more security, including areas that limit hunter pressure (e.g., refuges or private lands; Proffitt et al 2016, Sergeyev et al 2022). One of the primary challenges of state wildlife agencies in the Intermountain West is managing elk populations that are increasingly using private lands (Haggerty and Travis 2006).…”