Changes in hunting season regulations (1870s-2019) reduce harvest exposure on greater and Gunnison sage-grouse.

ABSTRACT: Hunter harvest is a potential factor contributing to population declines of sage-grouse (Centrocercus spp.). As a result, wildlife agencies throughout western North America have set increasingly more conservative harvest regulations over the past 25 years to reduce or eliminate hunter success and concomitant numbers of harvested greater (C. urophasianus) and Gunnison (C. minimus) sage-grouse. Sage-grouse hunting has varied widely over time and space, which has made a comprehensive summary of hunting management challenging. We compiled data on harvest regulations among 11 western U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces from 1870-2019 to create a timeline representative of hunting regulations. We compared annual harvest boundaries and area-weighted average hunting regulations, 1995-2018, relati

SUBMITTER: Dinkins JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8491912 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature