What role have hunters played in saving wildlife?
Hunters play a very large part in the science of wildlife management. Their involvement will take many forms including helping to harvest the surplus. But even more than that, what they see in the field and the information they provide to wildlife managers is extremely important.
As a hunter you can participate in game management and help sustain populations by:
- Responding to questionnaires
- Checking in at hunter check stations
You may be asked to provide samples from your animal such as teeth, lower jawbones, wings, and/or tail feathers. These parts are often used to accurately age the animal, determine its sex and its health.
Have you ever wondered why restrictions are placed on certain hunting seasons or species? Why was an antlerless deer season introduced? Why some wildlife management zones have a "bucks only" season for white-tailed deer?
The answers to these questions are fairly simple. If wildlife managers want the population to increase, you will often be able to harvest adult males only. This allows all the females to produce young animals. The population should increase.
If the population is too high, you might be able to harvest one or more "antlerless" deer. This type of season reduces the number of females and the number of young born. The population should decrease.
