A Terrestrial Furbearer Estimator Based on Probability Sampling
Becker EF. 1991. A Terrestrial Furbearer Estimator Based on Probability Sampling. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 55(4):730-737
I used probability sampling results to develop a new method of estimating furbearer abundance based on observing animal tracks in the snow. This method requires that good snow conditions be present during the course of the study and that all animal tracks intersected during the sampling process are observed. Good snow conditions are defined to be fresh snow of sufficient depth so that presnowstorm and postsnowstorm animal tracks can be distinguished. Two general sampling designs are presented: the first assumes that animal tracks can be observed and followed to both the animal's location at the end of the snowstorm and to its present location; the second assumes that the number of different animals encountered along a set of transects can be determined and that it is possible to get movement data from a random sample of radio-collared animals. Using the first technique, I estimated 9.69 ▒ 1.97 (SE) wolverines (Gulo gulo) for a 1,871-km▓ area of southcentral Alaska. Using the second sampling design, I estimated 15.09 ▒ 4.34 lynxes (Felis lynx) for a 285-km▓area of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Becker, Earl
- Units
- CAKN , DENA , WRST
- Keywords
- Chugach Mountains, Copper River Basin, Felis lynx, Gulo gulo, Klutina Lake, Klutina River, Martes, Methods, Picea mariana, Statistics