Summaries of Wildlife Research Findings 2014
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Summaries of Wildlife Research Findings 2014 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Populations and Research Unit SUMMARIES OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH FINDINGS 2014 Edited by: Lou Cornicelli Michelle Carstensen Marrett D. Grund Michael A. Larson Jeffrey S. Lawrence Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Populations and Research Unit 500 Lafayette Road, Box 20 St. Paul, MN 55155-4020 (651) 259-5202 ©October 2015 State of Minnesota, Department of Natural Resources For more information contact: DNR Information Center 500 Lafayette Road St. Paul, MN 55155-4040 (651) 296-6157 (Metro Area) 1 888 MINNDNR (1-888-646-6367) TTY (651) 296-5484 (Metro Area) 1 800 657-3929 http://www.mndnr.gov This volume contains interim results of wildlife research projects. Some of the data and interpretations may change as a result of additional findings or future, more comprehensive analysis of the data. Authors should be contacted regarding use of any of their data. Printed in accordance with Minn. Stat. Sec. 84.03 Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is available to all individuals regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, age, sexual orientation, membership or activity in a local commission, or disability. Discrimination inquiries should be sent to MN DNR, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155-4031; or the Equal Opportunity Office, Department of the Interior, Washington, DC 20240. Printed on recycled paper containing a minimum of 30% post-consumer waste and soy-based ink. TABLE OF CONTENTS Farmland Wildlife Research Group Evaluation of Localized Deer Management for Reducing Agricultural Damage Caused by White- Tailed Deer in Minnesota Gino J. D’Angelo ……….……………….…………………………………………………….…1 Pilot Study to Assess Harvest Mortality Rates of Gray and Fox Squirrels on Public Land in Minnesota Rachel Curtis and Nicole Davros ……..…………………………………………………….…8 An evaluation of nesting and brood-rearing habitat selection and survival rates of ring-necked pheasants in relation to vegetation structure and composition Nicole Davros and Rachel Curtis……..……………………………………….…………….18 Quantitative Assessment of Bullet Fragments in Viscera of Sheep Carcasses as Surrogates for White-Tailed Deer Luis Cruz-Martinez, Marrett D. Grund, and Patrick T. Redig…….…………………….…29 Valuating Competing Preferences of Hunters and Landowners for Management of Deer Populations Gino J. D’Angelo and Marrett D. Grund……………………..…….…………………….…30 Forest Wildlife Research Group Identifying Barriers to Movement and the Effectiveness of Corridors for Connecting Core Areas: Landscape Genetics of Prairie Grouse in Fragmented Landscapes Charlotte Roy, Eric Nelson, and Andrew Gregory..….……………………..………………31 Monitoring Spruce Grouse in Minnesota: A Pilot Study (2014-2015) Charlotte Roy, John Giudice, and Chris Scharenbroich….…………………………..……38 Ecology and Population Dynamics of Black Bears in Minnesota David L. Garshelis and Brian J. Dirks………………………………………………………..54 Reproductive Ecology of Fishers and American Martens in Minnesota John Erb, Pam Coy, and Barry Sampson……………….…………………………….…….71 Survival and Causes of Mortality for Fishers and Martens in Minnesota John Erb, Pam Coy, and Barry Sampson……………………………………………………83 An Alternate Method to Determine Moose Calving and Cause-Specific Mortality of Calves in Northeastern Minnesota William J. Severud, Glenn D. DelGiudice, Tyler R. Obermoller, Roberta J. Ryan, Bradley D. Smith………………………………………………………………………………..93 Blood Profiles And Associated Birth Characteristics Of Free-Ranging Moose (Alces americanus) Neonates in a Declining Population in Northeastern Minnesota, 2013 Glenn D. DelGiudice and William J. Severud……………………………………………...109 Assessing Winter Nutritional Restriction of Moose and its Relation to Population Dynamics in Northeastern Minnesota, Winters 2013-2015………………………………………………………123 Glenn D. DelGiudice and William J. Severud, Monitoring Movement Behavior Enhances Recognition and Understanding of Capture-Induced Abandonment of Moose Neonates…………………………………………………………………..137 Glenn D. DelGiudice, William J. Severud, Tyler R. Obermoller, Robert G. Wright, Thomas A. Enright, and Veronique St-Louis Using GPS Collars to Determine Parturition and Cause-Specific Mortality of Moose Calves……………………………………………………………………………..……….……..…….138 William J. Severud, Glenn D. DelGiudice, Tyler R. Obermoller, Thomas A. Enright, Robert G. Wright, and James D. Forester Potential Vertical Transmission of Winter Ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) From Moose (Alces americanus) Dams to neonates……………………………………………….……………………..139 William J. Severud and Glenn D. DelGiudice Wildlife Health Program Surveillance for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Minnesota’s Wild Waterfowl in 2015 Chris Jennelle, Michelle Carstensen, Erik Hildebrand, and Lou Cornicelli………........140 Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance in Minnesota’s Southeastern Wild Deer Herd Erik Hildebrand, Michelle Carstensen, Lou Cornicelli, David C. Pauly, and Margaret H. Dexter……………………………………………..……………………………155 Determining Cause- Specific Mortality of Adult Moose in Northeast Minnesota Michelle Carstensen, Erik C. Hildebrand, Dawn Plattner, Margaret Dexter, Christopher Jennelle, and Robert G. Wright……………………………………………….161 Health Assessment for Free-ranging Elk in Northwest Minnesota, from 2004 - 2014 Michelle Carstensen, Erik Hildebrand, and Lou Cornicelli………………………………..172 Seroprevalence, Isolation, First Genetic Characterization of Toxoplasma Gondii, and Congenital Transmission in Wild Moose from Minnesota, USA Shiv K. Verma, Michelle Carstensen, Rafael Calero-Bernal, Seth Moore, Tiantian Jiang, Chunlei Su, Jitender P. Dubey…………………………………………....184 Habitat Functional Response Mitigates Reduced Foraging Opportunity: Implications for Animal Fitness and Space Use……………………………………………………………..……….185 Garrett M. Street, John Fieberg, Arthur R. Rodgers, Michelle Carstensen, Ron Moen, Seth A. Moore, Steve K. Windels, and James D. Forester Descriptive Epidemiology and Whole Genome Sequencing Analysis for an Outbreak of Bovine Tuberculosis in Beef Cattle and White-Tailed Deer in Northwestern Minnesota Linda Glaser, Michelle Carstensen, Sherry Shaw, Suelee Robbe-Austerman, Arno Wunschmann, Dan Grear, Tod Stuber…………………………………………………......186 Mosquitoes in Moose Country: Potential Arbovirus Vectors in Northern Minnesota A.C. Kinsley, R.D. Moon, K. Johnson, M. Carstensen, D. Neitzel, and M.E. Craft…………………………………………………………………………………187 Wetland Wildlife Research Group Shallow Lakes in Minnesota: Can we Predict the Good, the Bad, and the Vulnerable? Kelsey Vitense, John Fieberg, Nicole Hansel-Welch, Mark A. Hanson, Brian R. Herwig, and Kyle D. Zimmer………………………………………………………188 Evaluating the Success of the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan: Challenges and Lessons Learned Using Waterfowl as a Case Study James B. Berdeen…………………………………………………………………………..193 Publications ……………………………………………………………………………….232 Farmland Wildlife Populations and Research Group 35365 800th Avenue Madelia, Minnesota 56062-9744 (507) 642-8478 Ext. 221 EVALUATION OF LOCALIZED DEER MANAGEMENT FOR REDUCING AGRICULTURAL DAMAGE CAUSED BY WHITE-TAILED DEER IN MINNESOTA Gino D’Angelo SUMMARY OF FINDINGS Minimizing damage caused by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is an important consideration for managing deer densities in Minnesota. I am conducting an ongoing study, which began in April 2014 in southeast Minnesota to assess the effectiveness of localized management of deer (i.e., targeted removal of deer in a limited area) to reduce damage to agricultural crops. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of localized management for reducing fine-scale deer abundance and to examine whether damage caused by deer to agricultural crops is reduced on properties where deer densities are lowered. One field season of the study was completed during 2014 in southeast Minnesota. Baited infrared camera surveys were used to estimate deer abundance on focal properties, and spotlight surveys were used to estimate deer abundance in the local area surrounding focal properties. Yields of corn in fenced and unfenced plots were evaluated to estimate the impacts of browsing by deer. Corn yield loss was seemingly low on most properties, and there was no difference in corn damage between properties where localized management was utilized versus normal sport-hunting. Corn damage could not be explained solely by deer abundance at the property level or deer abundance in the area surrounding focal properties. However, extra deer harvest opportunities were utilized when requested. Deer management was >2 times as intensive on properties where integrated management was used versus normal sport-hunting. A second field season is being conducted in 2015. The results of this study will provide a basis for improving the framework for future application of localized management in agricultural regions. INTRODUCTION Damage caused by white-tailed deer can be severe in the United States with >$100 million lost annually by agricultural producers (Conover 1997). Results from previous studies have demonstrated only through anecdotal evidence that population reduction of deer can reduce damage to agriculture (McShea et al. 1993, Frost et al. 1997, Conover 2001). In some situations, localized management has effectively reduced the abundance of deer to maintain lowered deer densities over time (McNulty