Accurate population estimates provide the foundation for managing feral horses (Equus caballus ferus) across the western United States. Certain feral horse populations are protected by the Wild and Free‐Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or the United States Forest Service on designated herd management areas (HMAs) or wild horse territories, respectively

Genetic tools that identify species from trace DNA samples could supplement traditional survey methods to clarify distributional limits of rare species. For species with legal habitat protection, elevational limits of distributions are used to determine where management actions may affect endangered species. The endangered Sierra Nevada yellow‐legged frog (Rana sierrae) generally is found down to 1

Declining participation in hunting, especially among young adult hunters, affects the ability of state and federal agencies to achieve goals for wildlife management and decreases revenue for conservation. For wildlife agencies hoping to engage diverse audiences in hunter recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) efforts, university settings provide unique advantages: they contain millions of young

Sensitivity of bats to land use change depends on their foraging ecology, which varies among species based on ecomorphological traits. Additionally, because prey availability, vegetative clutter, and temperature change throughout the year, some species may display seasonal shifts in their nocturnal habitat use. In the Coastal Plain of South Carolina, USA, the northern long‐eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis)

North Carolina, USA, is the southernmost extent of the American black duck's (Anas rubripes) breeding range; however, little is known about their nesting ecology in this region. We located and monitored 140 nesting black ducks over 2 years (2017–2018) to quantify preferred nesting habitat and assess nesting productivity within coastal North Carolina. We located nests in brackish marshes (75%) and man‐made

Many shorebirds rely on small numbers of staging sites during long annual migrations. Numerous shorebird species are declining and understanding the importance of these staging sites is important for successful conservation. We surveyed endangered rufa red knots (Calidris canutus rufa) staging in James Bay, Ontario, Canada, during southbound migration in 2017 and 2018. We used mark‐resight data and

North America's protected lands harbor biodiversity and provide habitats where species threatened by a variety of stressors in other environments can thrive. Yet disease, climate change, and other threats are not limited by land management boundaries and can interact with conditions within protected landscapes to affect sensitive populations. We examined the population dynamics of a boreal toad (Anaxyrus

The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is a burrowing tortoise endemic to the sandy uplands of the southeastern United States Coastal Plain, and its range spans from eastern Louisiana to southwestern South Carolina to southern Florida. It occurs in a variety of forest types, but perhaps no ecosystem has a closer biological and cultural association with the species than the longleaf pine (Pinus

Long‐term datasets are required to understand the response of long‐lived organisms (e.g., gopher tortoises [Gopherus polyphemus]) to management actions, such as prescribed burns. Our objective was to estimate the effects of prescribed burning on gopher tortoise population dynamics over decadal time frames at Fort Stewart Army Reserve, southeastern Georgia, USA. We captured and marked adult tortoises

In this paper we ask whether we should we re‐examine the future of upland gamebird management and greater federal oversight and partnerships in the twenty‐first century. Management for waterfowl in North America has been successful because of the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) and the subsequent 1986 North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). Although the MBTA included most migratory

Globally, increasing coastal development requires construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure that affects terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Construction of bridges as part of transportation networks introduces a series of risks to aquatic species near construction zones. We reviewed relevant literature and obtained exemplary case studies to synthesize potential effects of bridge

Waterfowl migrating and overwintering in the Atlantic Flyway depend on adequate availability of wetland plant communities to survive winter and fuel reproduction in the subsequent breeding season. Energetics models are the primary tool employed by conservation planners to estimate energetic carrying capacity based on energy supply and demand in different wetlands to assist with effective habitat conservation

Biologists with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana, USA, have managed statewide annual harvest of alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) for 35 years (1981–present). We collected and analyzed harvest data for Louisiana alligators to determine the effects of harvest on the population structure, focusing on the larger size classes (≥274 cm) of this slow‐growing species. Linear

Ecologists and managers require accurate population estimates of marine mammals to assess potential anthropogenic threats to these animals. We present estimates of in‐water density and abundance of a distinct stock of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) in Hood Canal, Washington, USA. We used aerial line‐transect survey data collected from 2013 to 2016 to directly estimate harbor seal density and

Increasing concerns exist about possible decreased wintering duck abundance and hunting opportunities in the southern regions of the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways of North America. Researchers suggest these decreased abundances of ducks may be related to winter warming and related climatic phenomena. Accordingly, we tested predictions that duck abundance was increasing more at northern than southern

Nasal discs have been used to identify ducks in studies of survival and reproduction. To date, there has not been a comprehensive assessment of nasal‐disc effects on the vital rates of wild ducks. We applied nasal discs to 603 juvenile and 784 adult lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) females from a population breeding in southwest Montana, USA, and released 1,399 juvenile and 71 adult females wearing only

Annual variation in juvenile recruitment is an important component of duck population dynamics, yet little is known about the factors affecting the probability of surviving and breeding in the first year of life. Two hypothesized mechanisms to explain annual variability are indirect carry‐over effects (COEs) from conditions experienced during the prefledging period and direct effects from climatic

Generating trend and population estimates from bird count data is challenging and a variety of factors have to be taken into account. We present an integrative statistical approach for estimating population numbers and trends for seabirds at sea. The method allows for the integration of bird‐count data from different sources and sampling schemes: offshore observer‐based line transect and digital strip

Bobcats (Lynx rufus) have been increasing in abundance in the northeast United States despite a corresponding trend of increased anthropogenic land uses. Inhabiting areas of high human land use can affect stress levels, and hence cortisol titers, for wildlife species by increasing frequency of human interaction and altering habitats. In turn, increased cortisol levels can have negative effects at the

The western distinct population segment of yellow‐billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus; western cuckoo) has been extirpated from most of its former breeding range in the United States because of widespread loss and degradation of riparian cottonwood (Populus spp.)‐willow (Salix spp.) forests. Restoration and management of breeding habitat is important to the recovery of this federally threatened species

Many wildlife species suffer from human–wildlife conflict, especially crop‐raiding. Long‐term analyses of mortality patterns are needed to assess the efficacy of management strategies that address this issue. We report mortality patterns from necropsies of 498 Asian elephants from 2009–2018 in an area of northwestern Sri Lanka. Deaths were lowest in July and highest in October, a period of peak crop

The Laguna Madres of Texas, USA, and Tamaulipas, Mexico, are the most important wintering areas for redheads (Aythya americana) as most of the continental population winters in these lagoons. Redheads forage in the saline waters of the Laguna Madre and make daily flights to coastal freshwater ponds on the adjacent mainland to drink. The abundance and spatial distribution of coastal ponds varies depending

The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) is an ecologically and economically valuable species in the United States. Managers rely on autumn density estimates to set harvest regulations, balancing the interests of hunters and long‐term bobwhite population viability. Spatial capture‐recapture (SCR) is a useful framework for estimating population size and modeling spatial variation in density. We used

Identifying high‐quality habitat (i.e., areas with resources and conditions suitable to support long‐term species persistence) is a priority for conservation, but estimating habitat quality is expensive and time consuming. Instead managers often rely on occurrence data or models of habitat suitability, but these data are only proximally related to individual and population persistence on the landscape

Wildlife populations are experiencing shifting dynamics due to climate and landscape change. Management policies that fail to account for non‐stationary dynamics may fail to achieve management objectives. We establish a framework for understanding optimal strategies for managing a theoretical harvested population under non‐stationarity. Building from harvest theory, we develop scenarios representing

Roadways may pose barriers to long‐distance migrators such as some ungulates. Highway underpasses mitigate wildlife‐vehicle collisions and can be an important management tool for protecting migration corridors. In northern California, 3 underpasses were built on United States Route 395 (Route 395) in Hallelujah Junction Wildlife Area (HJWA) in the 1970s for a migratory mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)

Mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula) are endemic to the Gulf Coast of North America, and their range stretches from Alabama to the Laguna Madre of Mexico, with a distinct population in peninsular Florida and an introduced population in South Carolina. As one of the few non‐migratory ducks in North America, mottled ducks depend on a variety of locally available habitat throughout the annual cycle, and threats

Populations of the eastern whip‐poor‐will (Antrostomus vociferus; whip‐poor‐will) have declined throughout most of its range, making it a species of high conservation concern in nearly every state and province where it occurs. Researchers have reported whip‐poor‐wills are associated with forest stands with open canopies, and thus silviculture may be a promising means for promoting their populations

Habitat fragmentation and loss contribute to isolation of wildlife populations and increased extinction risks for various species, including many large carnivores. We studied a small and isolated population of American black bears (Ursus americanus) that is of conservation concern in central Georgia, USA (i.e., central Georgia bear population [CGBP]). Our goal was to evaluate the potential for demographic

Populations are typically defined as spatially contiguous sets of individuals, but large populations of social species can be composed of discrete social communities that often overlap in space. Masai giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) of Tanzania live in distinct social subpopulations that overlap spatially, enabling us to simultaneously explore environmental and social factors correlated

Stress and physical exertion may affect the physiology and behavior of wildlife during and after capture, and consequently, survival following release. Such effects may reduce the quality and quantity of the data obtained from captured wildlife. We captured spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri), a species listed as threatened under the United States Endangered Species Act, in western Alaska, USA,

Habitat loss is the greatest contributor to the decline of species globally. To prioritize protection of imperiled species, it is important to examine habitat use at multiple spatial scales because the availability of different resources and habitat features is scale dependent. We conducted a radio‐telemetry study in the Long Point region of Ontario, Canada, in 2009 and 2010 to examine habitat selection

Being opportunistic omnivores, wild pigs (Sus scrofa) readily feed on edible garbage. Given the presence of substantial volumes of edible food waste, large multi‐county and regional municipal sanitary waste landfills constitute attractive forage resources for pigs, providing a year‐round anthropogenic source of potentially high‐quality forage. Our objective was to assess the effects that a large regional

Introgressive hybridization between domestic dogs and wolves (Canis lupus) represents an emblematic case of anthropogenic hybridization and is increasingly threatening the genomic integrity of wolf populations expanding into human‐modified landscapes. But studies formally estimating prevalence and accounting for imperfect detectability and uncertainty in hybrid classification are lacking. Our goal

On large management units where terrain allows observation of white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from the air, helicopter surveys may provide managers with cost‐effective and accurate estimates of population abundance; however, imperfect detection of deer introduces negative bias. This can result in potentially inappropriate management recommendations (e.g., harvest prescriptions). Sightability

Atlantic brant (Branta bernicla hrota) are important game birds in the Atlantic Flyway and several long‐term monitoring data sets could assist with harvest management, including a count‐based survey and demographic data. Considering their relative strengths and weaknesses, integrated analysis to these data would likely improve harvest management, but tools for integration have not yet been developed

To successfully manage population growth rates of free‐roaming horses (Equus ferus caballus), an effective, long‐acting contraceptive could be beneficial. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of an intrauterine device (IUD) in a breeding trial using seasonal pasture assemblages of 2 males individually pastured in large enclosures (~81 ha) each with 10 females per male. The study took place at a large

As we have been doing for several years, we will continue to provide a summary of activity related to production of The Journal of Wildlife Management (JWM), including Associate Editor (AE) characteristics from 2011–2020, numbers of manuscripts submitted annually since 2011, numbers of manuscripts accepted by region, median time for review stages from 2012–2020, acceptance and rejection metrics for

Reported effects of trophy harvest often are controversial. The subject is nuanced and many studies lack details necessary to place their results in context. Consequently, many studies are misunderstood or their conclusions misapplied. We propose that all dialogues about trophy hunting include a definition of how they use the term trophy, details of variables measured and why they were selected, and

For areas at risk for African swine fever (ASF) introduction from neighboring regions, it is important for epidemic control to know how wild boar (Sus scrofa) dispersion dynamics could be used to combat the spread of ASF. In this regard, long‐term information based on population genetic data makes an important contribution. We selected our study area as Rhineland‐Palatinate, Germany, because it had

Shed antler hunting (i.e., collecting cast cervid antlers) has increased in popularity during the past decade, but little is known about how this recreational activity affects ungulate movements and space use. We placed geographic positioning system (GPS)‐collars on 133 female and male bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), bison (Bison bison), and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) to quantify their movements

Geographically widespread species present challenges for conservation assessment. We used long‐term spotlight surveys to assess spatiotemporal dynamics of bare‐nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus), encompassing 34 years of surveys for the Tasmanian mainland sub‐species (V. u. tasmaniensis, 1985–2018) and 25 years for the Flinders Island sub‐species (V. u. ursinus, 1994–2018). Wombat populations increased

Estimates of cougar (Puma concolor) density are among the least available of any big game species in North America because of monetary and logistical challenges. Thus, wildlife managers identify cougar density estimates as a high priority need for population estimation, developing harvest guidelines, and evaluating management objectives. Cougar densities range from <1 to almost 7 cougars/100 km2; however

The size of animal populations fluctuates with number of births, rate of immigration, rate of emigration, and number of deaths. For many ungulate populations, adult female survival is the most important factor influencing population growth. Therefore, increased understanding of survival and causes of mortality for adult females is fundamental for conservation and management. The objectives of our study

Extreme changes to key waterfowl habitats in the Klamath Basin (KB) on the Oregon–California border and the Sacramento Valley (SV) in California, USA, have occurred since 1980. The spatial distribution of Pacific greater white‐fronted geese (Anser albifrons sponsa; geese) has likewise changed among these areas and population size has grown from 79,000 to >600,000 geese during the same period. To assess

Nest success is a primary component of productivity for wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo; turkeys) and there is concern that turkey productivity is declining across the southeastern United States. We evaluated the influence of nest site and landscape characteristics on risk of nest failure for turkeys in pine (Pinus spp.)‐dominated forests across the southeastern United States. We used Cox proportional

Counts of greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) at leks have been used in harvest management, Endangered Species Act listing decisions, and land management policies for over half a century. Lek count sampling methods focus on counting male sage‐grouse at known leks, primarily those observed visually from roads or vantage points, but leks are likely missed that are unknown prior to the survey

Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are currently protected in the United States under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 and Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Given these protections and the increasing development of wind energy throughout the United States, it is important for regulators and the wind industry to understand the risk of bald eagle collisions with wind turbines. Prior

American black bears (Ursus americanus) were extirpated from Oklahoma, USA, in the early twentieth century but have since recolonized eastern portions of the state after immigrating from Arkansas, where they were successfully translocated. Within the last 2 decades, a population of black bears was detected in the Oklahoma Ozark region, prompting studies to determine population size, growth rate, and

The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; bobwhite) exists at the edge of its thermal tolerance in southern Texas, USA, a region characterized by extreme heat and periodic drought. Extreme heat and drought events are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity in semi‐arid regions, leading biologists to emphasize management of thermal cover. The degree to which temperatures within patches of

Previous breeding‐season studies of threatened New Zealand falcons (Falco novaeseelandiae) in plantation forests have suggested that falcons benefit when harvesting creates a mosaic of differently aged stands, especially where young and mature tree stands are adjacent. Thus, changes in the rate and pattern of harvesting may affect habitat heterogeneity by altering the size and distribution of forest

A common mesofilter approach to conservation of biological diversity and ecosystem function used in agricultural and urban landscapes is maintenance of wetlands and an undisturbed terrestrial buffer surrounding wetlands. Although it is generally accepted that forest buffers protect wetland‐associated biological diversity and ecosystem function, the effectiveness and optimal spatial extent of buffers

After being extirpated from their historical distribution, black bears (Ursus americanus) have recolonized eastern Oklahoma, USA. As bears continue to establish populations in the region, understanding the cognitive factors that influence human acceptance of black bears will play an important role in facilitating coexistence. We hypothesized that a variety of variables drawing from the cognitive hierarchy

In the last century, bottomland hardwood (BLH) forests throughout the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley in the United States declined >80% and have been degraded because of habitat loss, fragmentation, and altered hydrology. To better understand how current conditions in BLH forest systems influence wildlife and to better manage land use and vegetation, we characterized winter (Dec–Mar) multi‐scale

The pandemic in 2020 was and is challenging and we are honored to thank those who took the time to serve as reviewers for the Journal of Wildlife Management. The time and effort these volunteers provided to the Journal are critical to its success and their commitment increases the rigor, stature, and relevance of the Journal; they are the lifeblood of the review process. We are especially grateful

Feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) in the western United States are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and United States Forest Service in designated areas on public lands with a goal of maintaining populations in balance with multiple uses of the landscape. Small, isolated populations can be at risk of extirpation from stochastic events and deleterious genetic effects resulting from inbreeding

For many ecosystems, feral horses are increasingly becoming an important if not dominant component of ungulate biomass and hence influence on community dynamics. Yet we still know little of how horses contribute to key ecological interactions including predator‐prey and indirect competitive relationships at a community level. Notably, feral species like horses can exhibit life‐history traits that differ

Population viability analyses are useful tools to predict abundance and extinction risk for imperiled species. In southeastern North America, the federally threatened gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is a keystone species in the diverse and imperiled longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem, and researchers have suggested that tortoise populations are declining and characterized by high extinction

Free‐roaming equids (i.e., feral horses [Equus caballus] and burros [Equus asinus]) are widely distributed and locally abundant across the rangelands of the western United States. The 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act (WFRHBA) gave the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and United States Forest Service (USFS) the legal authority to manage these animals on designated public lands. To fulfill this

Gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) are among the most commonly translocated reptiles. Waif tortoises are animals frequently of unknown origin that have been displaced from the wild and often held in human possession for various reasons and durations. Although there are risks associated with any translocation, waif tortoises are generally excluded from translocation projects because of heightened