| Objective |
To evaluate the feasibility of increasing the Parsnip mountain caribou herd by reducing wolf predation through a reduction in area moose numbers. Second, to significantly increase caribou numbers, adult survival, and calf recruitment in the Parsnip mountain caribou herd relative to previous population parameters and a control population. Third, to assist with the recovery of threatened caribou populations in the Southern Mountains National Ecological Area (SMNEA); the Recovery Plan objective for the SMNEA is to increase caribou numbers in the Hart and Cariboo Mountains to >2,000 caribou. |
| Methods |
Moose (~20), caribou (~20) and wolves (~6) will be radio-collared with VHF and GPS collars and monitored by fixed-wing aircraft. Moose density surveys and caribou population surveys will be conducted by helicopter in the Parsnip (treatment) and Wolverine (control) areas. In the hopes of increasing the number of moose harvested, moose hunting permits were increased and the hunting season was expanded starting in fall 2006. Hunter success will be monitored through hunter sampling surveys and interviews. Body condition measurements will be collected from hunter-killed moose, and reproductive tracts will be analysed to indicate productivity rates prior to and during moose-reduction efforts. |
