Designed to replace the highly regarded, but long-out-of-print/out-of-date, classic, Big Game of North America, this book provides authoritative, state-of-the-art, single-source coverage of the full range of North American big game (large mammal) species from an ecological perspective. Each of the 30 chapters is written by the authority on the particular species or topic covered. KEY TOPICS: Taxonomy and the Conservation of Biodiversity. Hybridization in Large Mammals. Human Values Toward Large Mammals. Population Parameters and Their Estimation. Modeling Population Dynamics. Nutritional Ecology. Carrying Capacity. A Dynamic View of Population Regulation. Behavioral Ecology. Harvest Management Goals. Human Dimensions and Conflict Resolution. Genetic Applications for Large Mammals. Big Game Ranching. Big Game Management on Tribal Lands. History of Management of Large Mammals in North America. Wolf. Puma. Jaguar. Black Bear. Brown (Grizzly) and Polar Bear. Collared Peccary. Bison. Mountain Goat. Dall's and Stone's Sheep. Bighorn Sheep. Muskox. Pronghorn. Moose. White-Tailed Deer. Mule and Black-Tailed Deer. Caribou. North American Elk. Exotics. MARKET: For Ecologists, Wildlife Managers, and anyone interested in all aspects of big game and habitat use by large mammals.

General format for each chapter, which covers one mammalian species or species complex, contains distribution, description, physiology, reproduction, ecology, food habits, habitat, behaviour, mortality, age determination, management, economic status, current research and management needs and literature citations.

An ideal refresher guide packed with useful references, this thorough survey covers all fundamental topics and principles of wildlife management and includes pertinent discussions on top issues affecting the field today. Discusses such basic components as the history and evolution of wildlife management, conservation ideas, population dynamics, decimation and welfare factors, census terminology, the goals of management to employment opportunities in the field, current and future issues, and much more. Suggests numerous outside reference sources for additional enrichment on an array of rudimentary and contemporary issues. For professionals in the fields of agriculture, wildlife management, and conservation biology.

Contributions by authors about each of the big game mammals including exotics. Includes chapters on early management, big game values, nutrition, population behaviour, predators, and other aspects of management.

This book is an authoritative work on the ecology of some of America’s most iconic large mammals in a natural environment - and of the interplay between climate, landscape, and animals in the interior of the world’s first and most famous national park.Central Yellowstone includes the range of one of the largest migratory populations of bison in North America as well as a unique elk herd that remains in the park year round. These populations live in a varied landscape with seasonal and often extreme patterns of climate and food abundance. The reintroduction of wolves into the park a decade ago resulted in scientific and public controversy about the effect of large predators on their prey, a debate closely examined in the book. Introductory chapters describe the geography, geology and vegetation of the ecosystem. The elk and bison are then introduced and their population ecology described both pre- and post– wolf introduction, enabling valuable insights into the demographic and behavioral consequences for their ungulate prey. Subsequent chapters describe the wildlife-human interactions and show how scientific research can inform the debate and policy issues surrounding winter recreation in Yellowstone. The book closes with a discussion of how this ecological knowledge can be used to educate the public, both about Yellowstone itself and about science, ecology and the environment in general. Yellowstone National Park exemplifies some of the currently most hotly debated and high-profile ecological, wildlife management, and environmental policy issues and this book will have broad appeal not only to academic ecologists, but also to natural resource students, managers, biologists, policy makers, administrators and the general public. Unrivalled descriptions of ecological processes in a world famous ecosystem, based on information from 16 years of painstaking field work and collaborations among 66 scientists and technical experts and 15 graduate studies Detailed studies of two charismatic North American herbivore species – elk and bison Description of the restoration of wolves into central Yellowstone and their ecological interactions with their elk and bison prey Illustrated with numerous evocative colour photographs and stunning maps

This review addresses the current management of larger mammalian carnivores to increase, maintain, or reduce their numbers, while taking into account the population of certain ungulate prey and their relation to predators, social pressures and attitudes of the public towards predators, and the effects of sport hunting and trapping on carnivore population dynamics. This review considers brown bears "(Ursus arctos," black bears "(U. americanus)," coyotes "(Canis latrans)," wolves "(Canis lupus, C. lycaon)," and mountain lions "(Felis concolor." The appendix presents the results of a statistical analysis of trends discussed in this report.

The foremost experts on the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation come together to discuss its role in the rescue, recovery, and future of our wildlife resources. At the end of the nineteenth century, North America suffered a catastrophic loss of wildlife driven by unbridled resource extraction, market hunting, and unrelenting subsistence killing. This crisis led powerful political forces in the United States and Canada to collaborate in the hopes of reversing the process, not merely halting the extinctions but returning wildlife to abundance. While there was great understanding of how to manage wildlife in Europe, where wildlife management was an old, mature profession, Continental methods depended on social values often unacceptable to North Americans. Even Canada, a loyal colony of England, abandoned wildlife management as practiced in the mother country and joined forces with like-minded Americans to develop a revolutionary system of wildlife conservation. In time, and surviving the close scrutiny and hard ongoing debate of open, democratic societies, this series of conservation practices became known as the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. In this book, editors Shane P. Mahoney and Valerius Geist, both leading authorities on the North American Model, bring together their expert colleagues to provide a comprehensive overview of the origins, achievements, and shortcomings of this highly successful conservation approach. This volume • reviews the emergence of conservation in late nineteenth–early twentieth century North America • provides detailed explorations of the Model's institutions, principles, laws, and policies • places the Model within ecological, cultural, and socioeconomic contexts • describes the many economic, social, and cultural benefits of wildlife restoration and management • addresses the Model's challenges and limitations while pointing to emerging opportunities for increasing inclusivity and optimizing implementation Studying the North American experience offers insight into how institutionalizing policies and laws while incentivizing citizen engagement can result in a resilient framework for conservation. Written for wildlife professionals, researchers, and students, this book explores the factors that helped fashion an enduring conservation system, one that has not only rescued, recovered, and sustainably utilized wildlife for over a century, but that has also advanced a significant economic driver and a greater scientific understanding of wildlife ecology. Contributors: Leonard A. Brennan, Rosie Cooney, James L. Cummins, Kathryn Frens, Valerius Geist, James R. Heffelfinger, David G. Hewitt, Paul R. Krausman, Shane P. Mahoney, John F. Organ, James Peek, William Porter, John Sandlos, James A. Schaefer