A Comparison of Wolf Depredation Sites in Areas With Migratory and Resident Elk

摘要: As large carnivores recover in many wilderness areas and mixed-use landscapes, wildlife management agencies must seek ways to minimize private property damage while maintaining viable populations. Although much is known about carnivore-livestock conflicts, drivers of these processes the Northern Rocky Mountains are still emerging amid dynamic conditions recovering predator populations (gray wolves [Canis lupus] grizzly bears [Ursus arctos horribilis]), declining elk productivity, re-distribution migratory resident subpopulations. There has been little research date that examines influence fine-scale distribution movements on patterns livestock depredation. In this study, we analyze four years cattle depredation data, two summer fall wolf predation data (n = 4 wolves), three movement (n= 86 elk) assess prey location occurrence depredations cattle. Wolves living face low densities their preferred summer, when depart for higher elevations inside Yellowstone National Park (YNP), area have access abundant year round. both potential interact with several thousand head We used logistic regression compare relative landscape features risk areas. Locations wolf-killed showed differences between area. Depredation sites were associated habitats closer roads high density, dens, streams, open habitat away from forest edge. Our findings indicate knowledge ungulate distributions migration can help understand predict hotspots conflict livestock.