AUTHORS: Michael Wheeler*, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Jeb Barzen, International Crane Foundation; Shawn Crimmins, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point; Tim Van Deelen, University of Wisconsin, Madison
ABSTRACT: There have been several discussions of having a sandhill crane hunt in Wisconsin, however, more information is needed to guide a sustainable harvest. Long-term trends in Midwestern sandhill crane populations indicate positive growth despite much yearly variability, and continued monitoring will be required for effective management. This study was conducted to determine how sandhill crane populations might respond if harvested. Since 1990, the International Crane Foundation (Baraboo, Wisconsin) has collected long-term re-sightings data on territorial and non-territorial sandhill cranes in southcentral Wisconsin. We used these data in a multi-state model to estimate survival and state-transition probabilities of different demographic groups. With this stage-specific information, we simulated potential harvest scenarios over a 50 year period. Though this research is most relevant to crane management in Wisconsin, the information from these models is transferable. There are currently 13 states that hunt sandhill cranes, yet there is limited information regarding how well sandhill cranes can sustain annual harvest. This study provides important information for future studies.
