Title: Evaluation of a Simulated Howling Survey for Wolves
Abstract: Wolf (Canis lupus) packs were surveyed using simulated howling survey (Harrington and Mech 1982) in a 1,400-km2 area of northcentral Minnesota with a known density of radio-marked packs. Mean distance that wolf howls could be heard was 2 km (n = 74 trials). Howling at 55 sites indicated the presence of 5 packs and resulted in a density estimate (7.5 packs/1,000 km2) that was imprecise (95% CI = 2.5-16.4/ 1,000 km2) and 1.7x greater than the actual density (4.3/1,000 km2). Because of logistical and statistical constraints, the technique is not practical for surveying large (e.g., stateor province-wide) areas, but simulated howling is useful for locating packs in smaller areas. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 52(1):60-63 Simulated howling (D. H. Pimlott, Midwest Fish and Wildl. Conf. 22, Toronto, Can., 1960) has been used to locate wolves and estimate changes in wolf pack numbers (Theberge and Strickland 1978), but not always with success (Crete and Messier 1987). Harrington and Mech (1982) analyzed factors influencing responses to simulated howling and presented recommendations for the use of simulated howling as a census technique for small (saturation census) and large areas (sampling census). They did not, however, explore logistical constraints, determine the mean radius of audibility from sampling sites, or verify the accuracy or precision of estimates of the number of packs. Our study evaluated the efficacy of simulated howling, using the sampling census design of Harrington and Mech (1982), in surveying a wolf population of known density in northcentral Minnesota. Funding was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Endangered Species, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), Section of Wildlife, and supported by the Forest Wildlife Populations and Research Group, MDNR. We are grateful for the field assistance of D. W. Kuehn, P. L. Coy, and A. C. Larsen, and the statistical advice of R. M. Pace. D. L. Garshelis, D. W. Kuehn, F. H. Harrington, L. D. Mech, R. E. Lake, J. B. Theberge, and 2 anonymous referees reviewed the manuscript and provided helpful suggestions for improvement.
Publication Year: 1988
Publication Date: 1988-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 92
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot