Hunting | Boreal At Memorial

Hunting

History

Hunting has been man's way of obtaining food since the dawn of the human race. With the development of technology, agriculture, and domestication, the motives for hunting have changed. Instead of hunting primarily as a means of getting food, it is now also for recreation, furs, and in some cases pest and population control. There are many species that are hunted in the Boreal forest for all types of reasons. They range from ungulates like moose and caribou, which are hunted mostly for meat, to animals like bears, lynx, fox, mink, and beaver for furs.

Photo Credit: Joshua Randell (2012)

Beavers

The beaver is a classic example of over-hunting. When North America was first settled, the biggest economical system was the fur trade. The most important fur for trading was beaver. Because of it's wealth and poor management, beavers were nearly hunted to extinction. Because of improved management, beaver populations have rebounded. Even today, in order to obtain a beaver trap line in Newfoundland it must be inherited from a person who already possesses one. This ensures the harvesting rate is below the reproductive rate to ensure stable populations.

Hunting in NL

Species currently at risk because of, or contributed by hunting include primarily the Newfoundland martin and caribou. Pine martin were once trapped for their furs and are often accidentally snared by hare hunters. Now, trapping martin is illegal, and hare snares must now be made of brass wire to allow for breakage if a martin is accidentally caught. Caribou populations have also mysteriously dropped over the last few decades, especially in Newfoundland and Labrador. There are ongoing studies to determine why the population has dropped, but hunting is included as a possibility. Because of such low numbers, Caribou hunting permits have been reduced substantially.

Photo Credit: The Ottawa Citizen http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/Stittsville+beaver+defenders+brace+fight/7188433/story.html

Hunting has probably the most direct effect on animal populations as it involves the killing and removal of individuals from a population. Hunting management is critical to conservation, as harvesting a species faster than it can reproduce results in a quick decline in population numbers.

References:

Courtois, R. (2007). Modeling the impact of moose and wolf management on persistence of woodland caribou. Alces, 43, 13-27.

Moreau, G. (2012). Multi-level functional responses for wildlife conservation: The case of threatened caribou in managed boreal forests. The Journal of Applied Ecology, 49(3), 611-620.