IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Blake, L.W.; Gese, E.M. | |
| Foraging patterns of cougars in the Pryor Mountains of Wyoming and Montana | |
| 2014 Conference Proceeding | |
The impact of cougar predation on their prey species varies regionally. To document the relationships between cougar predation and the bighorn sheep, mule deer, and feral horse populations of the Bighorn National Recreation Area and the Pryor Mountains, we deployed GPS collars on 6 cougars and visited their locations clusters to determine their kill rates and foraging patterns. We examined the prey composition of their kills (n = 200) by species, mule deer sex and age classes, prey size classes, as well as the sex or social class of the cougar. We examined selection relative to ungulate population composition obtained through an aerial survey. We found mule deer were the primary prey of cougars in the Pryor Mountains, while bighorn sheep and feral horses constituted secondary prey species. While cougars selected for bighorn sheep, this was all attributable to one individual that specialized on bighorn sheep. This cougar population also selected for adult male and juvenile mule deer. Female cougars killed more does and males killed more bucks. Family groups had the shortest time intervals between kills, while adult males had the longest. We recommend that managers continue to investigate options to reduce predation pressures from cougars on the bighorn sheep population. Modification of predation risk through habitat manipulation could be considered. Managers should be aware that small, isolated bighorn sheep populations can be difficult and expensive to maintain. I addition, at the time of this study, the cougar population was not depredating any feral horses; thus managers will need to continue actions to reach their management objectives of reducing the feral horse population. |
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