The Ptarmigan Project

27.3.2013

The Norwegian ptarmigan management project 2006 – 2011

- cooperation between landowners, hunters and scientists

Torstein Storaas, Hedmark University College, Norway

The Norwegian ptarmigan management project 2006 – 2011 To develop the grouse management of the future to the benefit of land owners, hunters and other users

Torstein Storaas, Hedmark University College, Norway

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27.3.2013

The Norwegian ptarmigan management project 2006 – 2011 To develop the grouse management of the future to the benefit of land owners, hunters and other users

Voluntary work !

3 000 voluntary hunter days

Torstein Storaas, Hedmark University College, Norway

We should solve all willow ptarmigan management challenges, studied: • • • • • •

Landowners attitudes Hunters attitudes Economy Legal framework The ptarmigan, densities of adults and production – in August Effects of efforts

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My message (we did not learn all we should): • • • • • • •

Learning management (adaptive) Cooperation - hunters, landowners and scientists Census before hunting – hunters, – scientists tell how Hunters must report effort & bag Landowners (managers) must report all management efforts Scientists analysing data – giving advices to achieve goals Landowner (Managers) Decide what to do next season

Census work

Finnish Wildlife Triangle

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Census and hunting system

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Census work

Distance sampling with pointing dogs • Hunters may use their dogs before August 21 • Voluntarely, people wanted to survey, hunters, landowners

Smaller properties

Bottom up!

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

6 6 6 6 8 25 37 47 52 58 94 128 142 174 197 176 171 167

7 12 9 11 13 15 22 26 22 21 19 33

Bag reports

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http://www.hihm.no/Prosjektsider/Evenstad-viltsenter 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Maria Hörnell-Willebrand & Håkon Solvang

11 > 4 – 500 km2

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Norway + Sweden + Finland Municipalities with ptarmigan census

Grouse monitoring network

The same method - Rock ptarmigan - Willow ptarmigan - Woodland grouse Grouse monitoring network

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Landowner: Most important to provide hunting opportunities for the people!

All hunting opportunities used Some landowners earn much – if they did have low costs Comparably not very much money in ptarmigan hunting Not money to do much

The hunter: • Needs enough ptarmigan (mean density enough) • Many situations, shoot good • Not important to shoot many • • • •

Most hunter will not pay much (but some did) Most hunters hunt outside own municipality Most hunters like regulation of other hunters Low density – I want to hunt, but others should not

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Mikkel Kvasnes PhD-student

Census areas in Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Hedmark

• • • • •

Line transects in August 42 areas 5 mountain areas - populations 5-15 years (mean: 9 years) 378 estimates of density and production • D – Total density • DS – Density of broods • ES – Mean cluster size

DS ≈ pairs/km2 (adult density) ES ≈ chick production Evaluate which model of habitat selection that fits best within mountain ranges

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The ptarmigan:

Table 1: Amount of variation in cluster density (DS) and average cluster size (ES) explained by the different factors; area, year and mountain region.

area DS ES

43 15

Year 11 30

Mountain region 12 1

residual 35 53

% %

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The ptarmigan: Vegetation not important

!?!?!??!

Young willow ptarmigan settle where old ptarmigan survived ?

Torfinn Jahren

Ptarmigan disperse (Tomas)

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My message: • • • • • • •

Learning management (adaptive) Cooperation - hunters, landowners and scientists Census work – hunters Effort and bag reports – hunters Report all management efforts – landowner Analysing data – giving advices to achieve goals – scientists Decide what to do next season - landowners

Hippocrates, c. 460 BC – c. 370 BC

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