Managing mammalian predators has unique challenges. Some species are considered common and may have detrimental impacts on prey, while other species are experiencing dramatic population declines. Historically, fur trapping records were considered adequate for monitoring population trends in these species. However, depressed fur prices during the last three decades have reduced sportsmen’s interest in fur trapping and reduced the reliability of fur harvest data to track predator population trends.
In 2022, The Jones Center’s Wildlife Ecology Lab, led by Dr. Mike Conner, partnered with University of Georgia (UGA) faculty Dr. Steven Castleberry, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ (GADNR) Dr. Tina Johansen and furbearer biologist Emily Rushton to develop a monitoring protocol for mammalian predators. There are several phases to this project, with the ultimate goal to develop efficient monitoring methods that will enable agency biologists to monitor population trends in mesocarnivores including bobcats, coyotes, gray fox, red fox, northern raccoons, American mink, striped skunk, eastern spotted skunk, Virginia opossums, long-tailed weasels, and least weasels.
In Phase I of the study, conducted by Center and UGA graduate student Jenna Myers, the researchers selected two study sites that represented a broad range of environmental conditions – The Jones Center at Ichauway and Cooper’s Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in northeastern Georgia. During this study phase, their goal was to identify an efficient sampling approach that was also effective at detecting predator species of interest. To do this, they focused their sampling on both study sites to areas within 50 meters of unpaved roads. Approximately every month for one year, they relocated cameras on both study areas while testing whether the addition of scent (fatty acid scent or fish oil) or visual attractants affected predator detections. By the end of the year, they had sampled 1,200 different locations and captured almost 15,000 predator images across the two study sites. Seven species were detected at The Jones Center and nine were detected at Cooper’s Creek WMA. The two additional species detected at Cooper’s Creek were long-tailed weasels and eastern spotted skunks.
The Phase I data collection helped them determine that the most effective approach for detecting the mesocarnivore species on a study area included: 1) passive sampling (i.e., without scent), 2) placing 20 cameras on roads near water e.g., creeks or swamps, and 3) running these cameras for one month between October and January. However, detection of more cryptic species will require additional camera trapping efforts off-road since long-tailed weasels and spotted skunks were very seldom detected on roads. They also found that the use of scent detection dogs to determine specific camera trapping sites can dramatically increase detection rates of these cryptic species.
Springboarding off Phase I, Center and UGA graduate student Lexie Dingerson is spearheading Phase II of this project. She will use the methods developed during Phase I of the project to sample 20 study areas throughout the state to develop initial estimates of different predator populations. As Lexie and Jenna continue to lead this project, it highlights how organizational collaboration between The Jones Center, the University of Georgia, and GADNR provides the tools and resources necessary to understand statewide wildlife populations and improve large-scale conservation efforts.
