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Small Game and Furbearers An Illustrated Guide to $1.00 SMALL GAME AND FURBEARERS Small Game and Furbearers by Richard E. McCabe and Lonnie L. Williamson Federal Cartridge Company 900 Ehlen Drive Anoka, MN 55303 © Federal Cartridge Company, 2000 3 Contents SPECIES PAGE Introduction 5 Cottontail Rabbits 7 Jackrabbits 8 Snowshoe Hare 9 Fox Squirrel 10 Gray Squirrel 11 Red Squirrel 12 Ground Squirrels 13 Prairie Dogs 14 Marmots 15 Beaver 16 Muskrat 17 Bob Cat 18 Lynx 19 Gray Wolf 20 Coyote 21 Red Fox 22 Gray Fox 23 Arctic Fox 24 Raccoon 25 Wolverine 26 Badger 27 Marten 28 Fisher 29 River Otter 30 Mink 31 Long-Tail & Short-Tail Weasels 32 Least Weasel 33 Striped Skunk 34 Virginia Opossum 35 Cover Photo: Cottontail Rabbit • Tom J. Ulrich 4 Introduction To a surprising extent, furbearers prompt- fare for explorer spits and settler stewpots. ed and financed European exploration Big game provided the most meat for of North America, whereas small game Native Americans and the newcomers alike. animals were an important food source for However, contrary to popular notion, those the newcomers who pioneered the New animals were not always readily available World. But long before white frontiersmen - small game was much more abundant, eas- probed the continent’s interior in search of ily taken and efficiently prepared for daily trapping grounds and fur trade with Native sustenance. The clearing and plowing of Americans, furbearers and small mammals North America actually boosted many small were important in Indian cultures and econ- mammal populations by increasing habitat omies. Archeological evidence shows that diversity for these animals. both were used extensively for clothing, America’s wildlife continues to be food, spiritualism, trade and ceremony for at important economically as well as recre- least 11,000 years and probably for as long ationally. More than 108 million people in as humans have lived in North America. the U.S. 16 years old and older enjoy some The first transcontinental business, form of wildlife-associated recreation each the North West Company, was opened in year. They spend more than $59 billion Canada as a supply line for furs export- annually on that recreation, and account ed to France. Attempting to colonize for more than 1 million jobs scattered the Americas, other countries, including across the country. And this is exclusive England, the Netherlands and Russia, com- of commercial resource uses, such as the peted for the bountiful fur resources. multi-billion-dollar fisheries and fur mar- In the U.S. and Canada, fur trappers kets. Nearly 20 million Canadians spend and traders roved from beaver pond to bea- about $6 billion annually for wildlife-related ver pond throughout the unchartered conti- activities, and this accounts for more than nent. They were followed by loggers, min- 200,000 jobs. ers, ranchers, farmers, merchants and others. There has been considerable study The exploration history of North America of recreational hunting as an economic essentially was that of the fur trade. resource. A private management firm More than 500,000 people trapped fur- recently estimated that hunting expenditures bearers annually in North America during alone are in excess of $13 billion annually the 1980s, including about 50,000 Native in the U.S. with a total economic impact of Americans who used some of the animals $34 billion. That exceeds annual sales of for subsistence purposes. That decade was such companies as Coca-Cola, Caterpillar the most exploitive of furbearers on record. and RJR-Nabisco. For each 50 hunters in The annual take has been reduced consid- the U.S., enough economic activity report- erably since, due to decreased demand and edly is generated to create one job. Thus, expansion of the ranch fur industry. The hunting sustains 380,000 jobs nationwide, wild fur business and the economic value which is approximately equivalent to the of furbearers have lasted longer in Canada population of the city of Minneapolis. than in the U.S., mostly because Canada’s Hunting expenditures annually in Canada vast northern forests produce higher quality exceed $1.2 billion. fur and there is less mineral deposition in By factoring in the economics of Canada to lure development. Also, roadless non-hunting wildlife recreation, sport-fish- and boggy forests are less accessible to log- ing and commercial uses of fish and wild- gers. life, obviously far more than 1 million jobs Small game mammals, particularly are dependent on how well responsible rabbits, hares and squirrels, were common 5 government agencies (federal and state) to provide for the varying needs of many manage basic fish and wildlife resources. species. Habitat indeed is the key, since all This “business” likely is as big as the entire wildlife require habitat to produce and sus- wood products industry in the U.S., which tain viable populations. employs 1.4 million people, and is among Habitat is simply a particular mix of the top 10 manufacturing employers in 46 food, water, cover (shelter) and space that states. According to the U.S. Commerce a species needs to thrive. And each spe- Department, outdoor recreation is among cies has habitat needs different from other the top three industries in 39 of the 50 species, although many different species states. may occupy the same general area. Water Today, nearly 8 million people in the requirements for desert jackrabbits obvi- U.S. alone actually hunt small game each ously differ greatly from those of a beaver. year. This recreation has an economic What might be year-around food and cover impact of more than $1.5 billion annually. for the vegetarian (herbivorous), stay-at- Additional millions of citizens enjoy small home prairie dog would be of little use to a game mammals and furbearers in non-con- meat eating (carnivorous), wide-roving wol- sumptive ways, such as viewing and pho- verine. Yet it is the wildlife manager’s duty tography. to provide as best as practical the needs All of these animals are beneficial of all these diverse animal populations in because they prey on insects and rodents accordance with society’s wishes. that sometimes are the bane of farmers, This booklet does not feature all fur- ranchers and others. What damage they do bearers or small game, just those that are to human enterprise is, for the most part, most common or economically important. offset by their own pest-control lifestyles. There are numerous other species and Maintaining viable populations of subspecies of very interesting creatures in small game and furbearers is important these categories that contribute to North far beyond the economic and recreational America’s diverse wildlife resource. values they have. Their existence assures Among furbearers, for example, the kit fox us that the ecological processes and and swift fox are delightful animals, but life-support systems vital to human survival they are rare in some of their range and and well being are functioning. And the occur only in relatively small areas of the habitats necessary to ensure sustainable uti- western U.S. Thus, not everyone may see lization of these species provide the space them and they are not sought by trappers to for myriad other animals and activities that the extent of the gray and red foxes. improve our quality of life. Also, there are close kin of the raccoon Assurance that small game and fur- not covered because they are too uncommon bearers will survive for other generations and occupy restricted ranges. The ringtail to enjoy depends on compatible human and coati are limited to Mexico and a south- influences on the environment and enlight- western and western portion of the U.S. ened management efforts through private, They are not considered significant as a fur state and federal programs. All wildlife is resource, but serve an important role in the affected in one way or another by people. habitats they occupy. But people can build as well as destroy. Of In essence, all wildlife species and all animals, humans are the only ones able subspecies are important in nature. And to manipulate knowingly the abundance and they all, in some fashion, enrich the quality distribution of other species. This is done of our lives. through the craft and science called wildlife management, which arranges landscapes 6 Cottontail Rabbits Silvilagus spp. Tom J. Ulrich ight species of cottontail blanket the quickness and attentiveness to escape United States and portions of Canada from many dangerous encounters. This Eand Mexico. They thrive in a variety of rabbit’s classic “prey eye” placement on habitat types, from coastal marsh to des- the sides of the head permits them to look ert. They are a staple for many predators, back almost as well as forward. Their including sportsmen who hunt the cotton- relatively long, erect ears are excellent tail more than any other game mammal. sound detectors. Cottontails are her- They range in size from the very small bivorous, and they eat a wide variety of pygmy rabbit, which is about 10 to 12 grasses, legumes and woody plants. The inches long, to the marsh rabbit which is woody plants, such as apple, sumac and twice that size. Cottontails are noted for red maple, are consumed mostly during their high reproductive rate. They have the winter, when other plant types are a long breeding season in some areas – dormant. Cottontails prefer early succes- nine months in Georgia and year-round in sional stages of vegetation (thick grass Texas, for example. And they have mul- and brush, as opposed to trees) as nesting tiple litters annually (sometimes seven or and escape cover, and their numbers eight) with a mean of are governed primarily by 3.1 to 5.6 young per how much of that habitat is litter.
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