Landscape attributes explain migratory caribou vulnerability to sport hunting

• Published in: The Journal of Wildlife Management
• Main Authors: Dussault, Christian, Côté, Steeve D., Plante, Sabrina
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: Wildlife Society 2017
• Subjects: Game species vulnerability; Human disturbances; Northern Quebec; Rangifer tarandus; Resource selection functions; Sport hunting; Caribou des bois > Effets de l'homme sur; Paysages; Chasse; Habitat (Écologie) > Choix; Caribou des bois > Habitat; Arctic; Canada; Arctique*
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11794/13682; https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21203

Human disturbances are increasing in Arctic regions and have been suggested as one of the main factors explaining caribou (Rangifer tarandus) decline. The cumulative effects of disturbances may negatively affect caribou habitat use, survival, and population dynamics. Thus, there is a need to evaluate the impact of various human disturbances, especially those that cause direct mortality (e.g., sport hunting). We evaluated the relative importance of caribou and hunter habitat selection and landscape characteristics on caribou vulnerability to sport hunting in northern Québec, Canada. We used resource selection functions to describe habitat selection of 223 caribou and 87 hunters. We then characterized >169,000 caribou harvest sites recorded over 17 years according to the relative probability of co-occurrence of caribou and hunters, the relative probability of occurrence of hunters only, or the characteristics of the landscape (e.g., distance to human infrastructures, elevation, land cover type). Landscape characteristics better explained caribou vulnerability to sport hunting than habitat selection of caribou and hunters, or their co-occurrence. Caribou were more vulnerable in proximity to hunting infrastructures (e.g., roads, outfitter camps) than elsewhere, but caribou strongly avoided roads. Caribou were also more vulnerable on frozen lakes than in other land cover types. Lakes were, however, avoided by caribou and not selected by hunters. Harvest was more likely in smoother terrain, even if caribou and hunters did not select for this characteristic. We demonstrated caribou were more vulnerable in areas with good accessibility (near roads) or where caribou were easily detectable (lakes, smoother terrain), which also represents areas that were either avoided or not selected by caribou or hunters. This discrepancy between harvest distribution and behaviors of caribou and hunters suggests that harvest may be an opportunistic event where visibility and accessibility increased chances of success for hunters. ...