Predation and the management of prairie grouse

This paper examines the importance of predation in the life cycles of sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasia nellus), greater prairie-chicken (T. cupido), and lesser prairie-chicken (T . pallidicinctus). Most individual prairie grouse eventually succumb to pre dation, with substantial effects on nest success, juvenile survival, and ad ult survival. Predator control has occasionally been used as a management t ool with the belief that reducing predator numbers can enhance viability of game populations in general and prairie grouse in particular. Although som e experimental research has shown that direct reduction of predator numbers can increase grouse recruitment, most current management plans recommend i ndirect management of the grouse-predator relationship by manipulating habi tats. However, as habitats become more fragmented and altered and populatio ns of prairie grouse become more threatened and endangered, it is important to reconsider predator control as a management option and to evaluate its viability through experimentation.