An Analysis Of Howling Response Parameters Useful For Wolf Pack Censusing
Harrington FH and Mech LD. 1982. An Analysis Of Howling Response Parameters Useful For Wolf Pack Censusing. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 46(3):686-693
Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were studied from April 1972 through April 1974 in the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota by radio-tracking and simulated howling. Based on replies during 217 of 456 howling sessions, the following recommendations were derived for using simulated howling as a census technique: (1) the best times of day are dusk and night; (2) July, August, and September are the best months; (3) precipitation and winds greater than 12 km/hour should be avoided; (4) a sequence of 5 single howls should be used, alternating "flat" and "breaking" howls; (5) trials should be repeated 3 times at about 2-minute intervals with the first trial at lower volume; and (6) the trial series should be repeated on 3 nights as close to each other as possible. Two censuses are described: a saturation census and a sampling census.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Harrington, Fred; Mech, L
- Units
- GLAC , VOYA
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, Gray Wolf(Canis lupus), Monitoring, Population, Research Methods, Vocalizations & Sounds