Neutral effects of low-intensity dog training on Northern Bobwhite vital rates

Le résumé fourni par la source

Indirect effects of hunting can lead to changes in population dynamics, which can be caused by trait-mediated effects such as, but not limited to, changes in behavior, reproduction, and physiological responses. Our understanding of the effects of activities associated with hunting such as dog training may incur trait-mediated effects and ultimately indirect effects to wildlife populations are underrepresented. We conducted a two-year study on a high-density wild bobwhite population to identify potential impacts of disturbance caused by spring dog training on survival and reproduction. We recorded 40 total encounters with radio-collared bobwhite, where the lowest seasonal encounter rate was 16.7% of available coveys and the highest was 50%. In 2021, mean survival for the control and treatment groups were 0.41 (95% CrI: 0.33, 0.49) and 0.38 (95% CrI: 0.31, 0.46), respectively. In 2022, mean survival for the control group was 0.45 (95% CrI: 0.38, 0.52) and 0.42 (95% CrI: 0.34, 0.50) for the treatment group. We also found no effect of treatment on fecundity and nest survival was similar for both years for both treatments. The neutral results of our study are likely attributed to low encounter rates. Future studies should focus on public land scenarios where disturbances are more frequent and food resources are likely more limited.

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