Proceedings of the 23rd Biennial Pronghorn Workshop 2008 May 13 – 16, 2008 Canmore, Alberta PROCEEDINGS of the TWENTY-THIRD BIENNIAL PRONGHORN ANTELOPE WORKSHOP 2008 Edited by Darren Bender Canmore, Alberta, Canada May 13 – 16, 2008 Co-Chairs Dale Eslinger Kim Morton Sanctioned by Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Steering Committee Members Dale Eslinger, Co-chair Kim Morton, Co-chair Alberta Sustainable Resource Alberta Sustainable Resource Development Development Paul Jones, Alberta Conservation Association Mike Grue, Alberta Conservation Association Cormack Gates, University of Calgary Darren Bender, University of Calgary Hosted By Alberta Sustainable Resource Development: Fish and Wildlife Division Alberta Conservation Association University of Calgary Major Sponsors Alberta Conservation Association Alberta Sustainable Resource Development: Fish and Wildlife Division Petro-Canada EnCana Shell Canada Canadian Natural Resource Limited Contributors Alberta Conservation Association Grohmann Knives Ltd. Alberta Fish and Game Association Hardy Maendel Inc. Promotional Products Alberta Fish and Wildlife Division: Prairies Area Lane Archery Alberta Game Warden Association Lethbridge Fish and Game Association Alberta Professional Outfitters Society Lotek Wireless Inc. Alpine Helicopters Ltd. Parks Canada Dr. Gordon Court Predator Camo Fort McLeod Fish and Game Association Table of Contents Section I Workshop Agenda ............................................................................................ 7 Section II Status Report ................................................................................................. 12 Province and State Status Report on Pronghorn Antelope 2008 .................................. 12 Section III Submitted Papers ......................................................................................... 23 Ducks Unlimited Canada: Helping to Enhance Biodiversity on the Canadian Prairies 23 Landowner Knows Best: Local Ecological Knowledge of Pronghorn Antelope Habitat Use in Southern Alberta ................................................................................................ 35 Pronghorn Captive Management: Why, When, and Where ......................................... 45 Winter Habitat Selection by Pronghorn at Multiple Scales in Southern Alberta ......... 57 Potential Factors Affecting Pronghorn Fawn Survival and Predation in Arizona ........ 70 Environmental Conditions as a Precursor of Pronghorn Horn Size throughout their Life ...................................................................................................................................... 91 Comparison Between Pronghorn Age and Horn Size in Southern Alberta .................. 96 Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) Food Habits on a Semidesert Grassland Range in Arizona ........................................................................................................................ 107 Population Productivity and Pronghorn Nutrition During Lactation .......................... 119 Section IV Abstracts ..................................................................................................... 137 Maintaining the Balance: Management for Range Sustainability at Canadian Forces Base Suffield. .............................................................................................................. 137 Role of Population Phenotype in Ensuring Resilient, Abundant Populations of Pronghorn Antelope .................................................................................................... 137 Pronghorn Movements and Site Fidelity in Southwestern North Dakota .................. 138 Identified Pronghorn Migration Corridors on Anderson Mesa, Arizona .................... 139 A Spatial Approach to Classifying Pronghorn Movement Behavior ......................... 140 Recent Changing Vegetation Conditions and Pronghorn Populations Near Elko, Nevada ........................................................................................................................ 140 Alberta's Changing Prairie Landscape: Addressing Cumulative Effects .................... 141 Conservation Challenges for Pronghorn in a Changing Landscape ........................... 142 Pronghorn as a Focal Species for Coordinated Wildlife and Land Management in the Transboundary Region of the Northern Sagebrush Steppe ........................................ 142 Consilience and Ecological Restoration in Banff National Park, Canada .................. 143 Effects of Human Activity and Restoration Actions on Animal Movements ............ 144 Survival Patterns of Newborn Pronghorn Fawns on Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, Oregon, 1996–2007 ....................................................................................... 144 Blood Chemistry, Mineral, and Whole Blood Parameters for Newborn Pronghorn Fawns on Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, Oregon, 1996–2007 ............... 145 Pronghorn and Habitat Management for Fifty Years on the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge: A Review and Assessment ............................................................ 145 Section V Business Meeting.......................................................................................... 147 Business Meeting Minutes .......................................................................................... 147 Awards ........................................................................................................................ 152 Summary of Pronghorn Workshops Held to Date ...................................................... 155 2008 Workshop Attendees .......................................................................................... 156 Section I Workshop Agenda Tuesday, May 13 6:00 – 9:00 PM Registration 7:00 – 9:00 PM Social (sponsored by Lotek Wireless Inc) Wednesday May 14 7:00 – 8:00 AM Breakfast Buffet: sponsored by Alberta Sustainable Resource Development: Fish and Wildlife Division 7:00 – 8:00 AM Registration 8:00 – 8:20 AM Welcome to the 23rd Biennial Pronghorn Workshop Kim Morton – Alberta Fish and Wildlife 8:20 – 8:45 AM Welcome to Alberta Jim Allen – Alberta Sustainable Resource Development Todd Zimmerling – Alberta Conservation Association Cormack Gates – University of Calgary 8:45 – 9:00 AM Opening Remarks Dr. Morley Barrett Pronghorn Antelope Management (Session Host: Joel Nicholson) 9:00 – 9:25 AM Ducks Unlimited Canada: Helping Enhance Biodiversity on the Canadian Prairies. Morley Barrett*and David Kay. 9:25 – 9:50 AM Maintaining the Balance: Management for Range Sustainability at Canadian Forces Base Suffield. Delaney Boyd*. 9:50 – 10:15 AM Coffee Break: sponsored by Shell Canada 10:15 – 10:40 AM Landowner Knows Best: Local Ecological Knowledge of Pronghorn Antelope Habitat Use in Southern Alberta. Paul Jones*, Mike Grue and Julie Landry-DeBoer. 10:40 – 11:05 AM Province and State Status Report on Pronghorn Antelope – 2008. Kim Morton, Paul Jones and John Taggart*. 11:05 – 11:30 AM Pronghorn Captive Management: Why, When, and Where. Kim Brinkley* and Jorge Cancino. 11:30 – 1:30 PM Lunch and Business Meeting: lunch sponsored by the Alberta Conservation Association Migration of Pronghorn Antelope (Session Host: Robert Anderson) 1:30 – 1:55 PM Role of Population Phenotype in Ensuring Resilient, Abundant Populations of Pronghorn Antelope. Michael J. Suitor*, C. Cormack Gates, Paul Jones, Kyran Kunkel, Mike Grue and Julie Landry-DeBoer. 1:55 – 2:20 PM Pronghorn Movements and Site Fidelity in Southwestern North Dakota. Jesse L. Kolar*, Joshua J. Millspaugh and Bruce A. Stillings. 2:20 – 2:45 PM Identified Pronghorn Migration Corridors on Anderson Mesa, Arizona. Richard A. Ockenfels*, C. Richard Miller, Scott C. Sprague and Sue R. Boe. 2:45 – 3:10 PM A Spatial Approach to Classifying Pronghorn Movement Behaviour. Paul Knaga* and Darren Bender. 3:10 – 3:30 PM Coffee Break: sponsored by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. Habitat Selection (Session Host: Mike Suitor) 3:30 – 3:55 PM Winter Habitat Selection by Pronghorn Antelope at Multiple Scales in Southern Alberta. Paul F. Jones*, Mike Grue, Julie Landry-DeBoer, Mike Suitor, Cormack Gates, Dale Eslinger and Kim Morton. 3:55 – 4:20 PM Recent Changing Vegetation Conditions and Pronghorn Populations Near Elko, Nevada. Jim Yoakam*, Ken Gray and Merlin McColm. 4:20 – 4:30 PM End of Session and Workshop Announcements Thursday May 15 7:00 – 8:30 AM Breakfast Buffet: sponsored by Alberta Sustainable Resource Development: Fish and Wildlife Division 7:00 – 8:30 AM Registration Pronghorn Antelope Conservation in the 21st Century: Continued Existence on a Changing Landscape (Session Host Cormack Gates) 8:00 – 8:45 AM Alberta's Changing Prairie Landscape: Addressing Cumulative Effects. Ian Dyson*. 8:45 – 9:30 AM Conservation Challenges for Pronghorn in a Changing Landscape. Jim Yoakum*. 9:30 – 10:15 AM Pronghorn as a Focal Species for Coordinated Wildlife and Land Management in the Transboundary Region of the Northern Sagebrush Steppe. Cormack Gates*, Dale Eslinger, Pat Gunderson and Sean Burke. 10:15 – 10:45 AM Panel Discussion (Moderator: Cormack Gates) 10:45 – 11:00 AM Coffee Break: sponsored by EnCana Field Trip to Banff National Park: Bag lunch provided by Alberta Conservation Association 11:00-11:30 AM Consilience and Ecological Restoration in Banff National Park, Canada. Clifford A. White* and Jesse Whittington. 11:30-12:00 PM Effects of Human Activity and Restoration Actions on Animal Movements. Jesse Whittington*, Marco Musiani,