Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Bowhunter Observation Survey 2016-Season
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) sought participation from bowhunters for the inaugural Bowhunter Observation Survey from October 1 to November 31, 2016. The main objectives of this survey were: 1) to provide statewide and regional population indices of furbearers (beaver, bobcat, coyote, otter, red and gray fox, raccoon, and other species as needed), and deer; 2) to develop a long-term database of selected furbearer and deer data for monitoring and evaluating an index of species observation; and 3) to provide an independent supplement to other deer data collected by the ODWC. Bowhunters are ideal for observationaltype surveys because they typically spend a large amount of time in stands within the natural environment of many wildlife species. Invitations to participate in the survey were promoted through ODWC s general e-mail list and social media to identify bowhunters that desired to participate (i.e. voluntary self-selection). Participating bowhunters received an e-mailed participant packet prior to archery season. Instructions on how to participate, a link to an electronic survey form and a printable copy of the survey form were included in the participant packet. Participants were asked to record their observations while they were in the field during the first two months of Deer Archery Season. The survey period began on the first day of Deer Archery Season (October 1) and concluded November 31, 2016. Participants were able to record observations in any way they preferred by using the printable survey form, a paper notepad, or an application on their cell phone (e.g. Notes). Regardless of the method chosen, participants were asked to keep in-field records to help minimize recall bias. Participating hunters could submit surveys via an electronic form, or they could record observations and submit surveys using a paper form. Surveys were accepted through December 15, 2016. Observations were standardized for each of the species to reflect the number of observations per 1,000 hours hunted in each of the 77 counties and statewide. Population indices were calculated by zoogeographic (habitat) regions for furbearers. Because this is the inaugural year of the survey, there are no trend data available for analysis. Data are subsequently described in tables. The ODWC would like to thank all hunters who participated in the first annual Bowhunter Observation Survey. The amount of data collected by bowhunters could never be duplicated by our biologists, technicians, and game wardens. Participation in this survey plays a critical role in the conservation of these and other wildlife species for the future. We look forward to continuing this partnership with bowhunters each year. When reviewing the information in the tables that follow, please note that there are many factors that could affect the observability of wildlife, such as population size, habitat, topography, and land use. In some cases, wildlife observations are based off a limited number of observation hours, and/or from a limited number of hunters. For questions or comments, please contact Jerrod Davis, Furbearer Biologist: jerrod.davis@odwc.ok.gov 1
10/1/2016 10/3/2016 10/5/2016 10/7/2016 10/9/2016 10/11/2016 10/13/2016 10/15/2016 10/17/2016 10/19/2016 10/21/2016 10/23/2016 10/25/2016 10/27/2016 10/29/2016 10/31/2016 11/2/2016 11/4/2016 11/6/2016 11/8/2016 11/10/2016 11/12/2016 11/14/2016 11/16/2016 11/18/2016 11/20/2016 11/22/2016 11/24/2016 11/26/2016 11/28/2016 11/30/2016 Number of Surveys Hunter Participation Two-thousand thirty-nine hunters signed up to participate in the inaugural Bowhunter Observation Survey. Nine hundred and fifty-two hunters submitted at least one survey form, resulting in a 47% participation rate in the project. Participating hunters submitted a total of 5,481 survey forms, accounting for 22,804 hours of wildlife observation. Hunters averaged 4.16 hours of wildlife observation per survey submission (Table 1). Bowhunter observation surveys were conducted throughout the two-month survey period, with the number of surveys tapering off from the beginning to the end of the season. Peaks in completed observation surveys can be seen on weekends (Figure 1). Table 1. Summary statistics for statewide hunter participation in the 2016-season Bowhunter Observation Survey. Hunters Signed-up 2,039 Hunters Submitting Observations 952 (47% participation rate) Total Surveys Submitted 5,481 Average Surveys Submitted per Hunter 5.8 Average Observation Hours per Survey 4.16 Total Hours of Observation 22,804 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Number of Bowhunter Observation Surveys, by Date Date Figure 1. The number of bowhunter observations surveys conducted during the 2016-season, by date. 2
Table 2. Descriptive statistics for hunter participation in the 2016-season Bowhunter Observation Survey, by county. County Total Observation Hours Average Hours/Submission Total Surveys Submitted Adair 327 4.30 76 Alfalfa 179 3.03 59 Atoka 870 5.03 173 Beaver 2 2.00 1 Beckham 131 4.23 31 Blaine 104 4.33 24 Bryan 257 3.47 74 Caddo 372 4.71 79 Canadian 164 3.22 51 Carter 95 3.96 24 Cherokee 847 5.07 167 Choctaw 251 4.48 56 Cimarron 119 8.50 14 Cleveland 559 4.14 135 Coal 155 4.19 37 Comanche 201 4.79 42 Cotton 390 3.68 106 Craig 506 3.86 131 Creek 670 4.06 165 Custer 44 4.00 11 Delaware 252 3.45 73 Dewey 237 5.27 45 Ellis 118 2.62 45 Garfield 157 3.57 44 Garvin 403 4.07 99 Grady 225 3.46 65 Grant 318 3.28 97 Greer 214 4.46 48 Harmon 160 3.56 45 Harper 14 3.50 4 Haskell 184 4.38 42 Hughes 349 4.11 85 Jackson 91 3.03 30 Jefferson 99 3.54 28 Johnston 532 4.12 129 Kay 182 3.87 47 Kingfisher 93 2.91 32 Kiowa 63 3.94 16 Latimer 101 3.74 27 LeFlore 388 4.51 86 Lincoln 504 4.24 119 Logan 490 4.22 116 Love 142 5.46 26 Major 134 3.62 37 Marshall 74 4.93 15 Mayes 365 4.56 80 McClain 296 3.89 76 McCurtain 426 4.02 106 3
Table 2 Continued. County Total Observation Hours Average Hours/Submission Total Surveys Submitted McIntosh 73 3.32 22 Murray 187 4.92 38 Muskogee 320 3.72 86 Noble 233 3.82 61 Nowata 218 4.11 53 Okfuskee 200 4.00 50 Oklahoma 540 3.91 138 Okmulgee 287 4.70 61 Osage 1272 4.09 311 Ottawa 379 4.74 80 Pawnee 707 4.28 165 Payne 245 3.95 62 Pittsburg 871 4.92 177 Pontotoc 316 3.67 86 Pottawatomie 456 4.22 108 Pushmataha 317 5.03 63 Roger Mills 194 5.88 33 Rogers 572 4.33 132 Seminole 255 3.54 72 Sequoyah 507 4.12 123 Stephens 303 3.79 80 Texas 39 4.88 8 Tillman 115 2.88 40 Tulsa 115 3.29 35 Wagoner 716 4.29 167 Washington 236 4.00 59 Washita 28 3.11 9 Woods 55 4.58 12 Woodward 194 5.11 38 4
White-tailed Deer Table 3. Standardized statewide white-tailed deer observations from the 2016-season Bowhunter Observation Survey. Statewide Total deer 744 Bucks 187 Does 335 Fawns 177 Unknown 46 Table 4. Standardized white-tailed deer observations from the 2016-season Bowhunter Observation Survey, by land type. Public Land Private Land Total deer 440 810 Bucks 96 207 Does 207 362 Fawns 93 195 Unknown 44 47 5
Table 5. Standardized white-tailed deer observations from the 2016-season Bowhunter Observation Survey, by county. Bucks Does Fawns Unknown Total Deer County Adair 208 391 220 37 856 Alfalfa 430 654 436 145 1665 Atoka 164 359 109 51 683 Beaver 500 0 0 0 500 Beckham 282 519 298 38 1137 Blaine 250 125 58 38 471 Bryan 233 451 249 140 1074 Caddo 204 274 83 19 581 Canadian 232 494 317 30 1073 Carter 168 168 116 21 474 Cherokee 102 309 140 77 628 Choctaw 139 255 36 16 446 Cimarron 17 76 0 0 92 Cleveland 116 234 123 43 517 Coal 348 484 200 45 1077 Comanche 169 378 239 159 945 Cotton 154 446 351 26 977 Craig 275 287 172 71 804 Creek 124 278 79 9 490 Custer 182 91 45 23 341 Delaware 214 619 381 91 1306 Dewey 76 232 101 30 439 Ellis 424 780 525 51 1780 Garfield 274 389 497 32 1191 Garvin 253 318 97 47 715 Grady 209 418 196 18 840 Grant 349 544 289 28 1211 Greer 159 192 154 37 542 Harmon 400 613 375 325 1713 Harper 429 286 214 0 929 Haskell 245 554 299 11 1109 Hughes 195 347 152 32 725 Jackson 527 747 604 22 1901 Jefferson 242 172 51 0 465 Johnston 222 269 120 38 648 Kay 209 357 264 16 846 Kingfisher 301 323 140 22 785 Kiowa 254 270 222 0 746 Latimer 109 218 119 79 525 LeFlore 134 229 168 49 580 Lincoln 161 232 179 48 619 Logan 147 253 171 24 596 Love 85 134 49 14 282 Major 343 604 403 37 1388 Marshall 41 351 162 14 568 Mayes 140 274 181 36 630 McClain 118 375 233 78 804 6
Table 5 Continued. Bucks Does Fawns Unknown Total Deer County McCurtain 169 326 150 66 711 McIntosh 0 82 0 68 151 Murray 246 412 358 21 1037 Muskogee 169 281 131 31 613 Noble 275 592 373 26 1266 Nowata 394 477 339 119 1330 Okfuskee 120 300 215 75 710 Oklahoma 174 361 194 20 750 Okmulgee 87 153 28 17 286 Osage 252 339 189 33 813 Ottawa 111 272 129 34 546 Pawnee 174 308 107 62 652 Payne 204 245 127 41 616 Pittsburg 132 321 178 42 674 Pontotoc 190 345 117 73 725 Pottawatomie 169 232 105 22 529 Pushmataha 123 300 126 9 558 Roger Mills 201 273 139 57 670 Rogers 236 418 266 80 1000 Seminole 141 196 78 39 455 Sequoyah 132 387 150 37 706 Stephens 261 300 102 36 700 Texas 359 410 231 128 1128 Tillman 374 487 200 35 1096 Tulsa 226 339 287 35 887 Wagoner 78 244 105 38 465 Washington 182 504 131 59 877 Washita 214 500 179 0 893 Woods 309 436 491 18 1255 Woodward 129 351 263 10 753 7
Furbearers Table 6. Standardized statewide furbearer observations from the 2016-season Bowhunter Observation Survey. Species Statewide Total Furbearers 137 Red Fox 9 Opossum 14 Badger <1 River Otter <1 Striped Skunk 9 Bobcat 10 Raccoon 40 Gray Fox 9 Coyote 45 8
Table 7. Standardized furbearer observations from the 2016-season Bowhunter Observation Survey, by land type. Public Land Private Land Species Total Furbearers 157 132 Red Fox 21 6 Opossum 18 13 Badger <1 <1 River Otter <1 <1 Striped Skunk 12 8 Bobcat 9 10 Raccoon 34 41 Gray Fox 20 6 Coyote 41 46 9
Figure 2. Map of the zoogeographic regions of Oklahoma. Table 8. Standardized furbearer observations from the 2016-season Bowhunter Observation Survey, by zoogeographic regions. Zoogeographic Region* Red Fox Opossum Badger River Otter Striped Skunk Bobcat Raccoon Gray Fox Coyote Total Obs. 1 0 4 0 0 14 10 39 0 107 175 2 4 17 2 0. 12 16 63 <1 92 207 3 11 15 <1 <1 15 10 35 10 42 138 4 12 14 0 2 3 8 35 14 31 120 5 2 9 0 1 4 9 29 3 30 89 6 11 17 0 0 3 8 51 14 26 130 *Zoogeographic Regions: 1- Short Grass Prairie; 2 - Mixed Grass Prairie; 3 - Post Oak - Blackjack Uplands; 4 - Tall Grass Prairie Rolling Hills; 5 - Oak-Hickory-Pine Ouachita Highlands; 6 - Oak-Hickory Ozark Plateau 10
Table 9. Standardized furbearer observations from the 2016-season Bowhunter Observation Survey, by county. Red Fox Opossum Badger River Otter Striped Skunk Bobcat Raccoon County Adair 0 15 0 0 0 0 40 9 43 108 Alfalfa 0 11 6 0 0 0 84 0 45 145 Atoka 2 10 0 5 3 15 30 6 32 103 Beaver 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Beckham 0 8 0 0 8 15 99 0 69 198 Blaine 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 96 106 Bryan 0 19 0 0 0 16 74 12 47 167 Caddo 11 3 0 0 16 5 16 24 73 148 Canadian 0 6 6 6 18 12 43 0 79 171 Carter 0 0 0 0 21 21 0 0 11 53 Cherokee 20 8 0 0 2 8 25 21 27 112 Choctaw 0 4 0 0 4 16 56 0 56 135 Cimarron 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 118 126 Cleveland 54 18 0 0 21 9 27 73 7 209 Coal 0 13 0 0 0 6 45 0 19 84 Comanche 149 90 0 0 124 0 95 50 139 647 Cotton 0 13 0 0 26 28 85 0 59 210 Craig 0 8 0 14 0 6 61 0 40 128 Creek 0 18 0 0 6 19 13 0 37 94 Custer 0 0 0 0 23 0 0 0 159 182 Delaware 16 16 0 0 0 4 87 4 16 143 Dewey 21 13 0 0 0 17 46 0 93 190 Ellis 0 8 0 0 42 34 59 0 51 195 Garfield 0 32 6 0 57 57 255 0 159 567 Garvin 0 25 0 0 35 22 47 0 60 189 Grady 0 13 0 0 4 0 13 0 67 98 Grant 0 53 9 0 9 6 60 3 72 214 Greer 0 14 0 0 19 5 47 0 33 117 Harmon 0 0 0 0 13 6 0 0 44 63 Harper 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 21 Haskell 27 16 0 5 16 11 33 11 109 228 Hughes 0 20 0 0 11 6 60 0 23 120 Jackson 44 0 0 0 33 0 55 0 44 176 Jefferson 0 40 0 10 0 0 40 30 0 121 Johnston 8 11 0 0 2 2 26 0 30 79 Kay 5 66 5 0 22 77 170 0 258 604 Kingfisher 0 54 0 0 11 0 86 0 0 151 Kiowa 0 0 0 0 32 48 0 0 175 254 Latimer 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LeFlore 0 0 0 0 3 3 23 3 8 39 Lincoln 2 4 4 0 6 8 40 0 22 85 Logan 8 10 0 0 10 10 53 0 43 135 Gray Fox Coyote Total Obs. 11
Table 9 Continued. Red Fox Opossum Badger River Otter Striped Skunk Bobcat Raccoon County Love 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 14 Major 0 7 0 0 7 15 75 0 157 261 Marshall 0 54 0 27 0 0 95 0 378 554 Mayes 3 8 0 0 5 0 14 0 38 68 McClain 0 20 0 0 84 3 27 0 44 179 McCurtain 2 2 0 0 0 0 19 0 19 42 McIntosh 0 0 0 0 0 0 68 27 14 110 Murray 43 0 0 0 0 11 32 32 11 128 Muskogee 0 6 0 3 0 9 28 0 78 125 Noble 4 0 0 0 4 17 26 0 86 137 Nowata 0 28 0 0 0 14 46 0 73 161 Okfuskee 0 10 0 0 5 10 50 0 15 90 Oklahoma 7 13 0 0 6 7 31 0 54 119 Okmulgee 0 45 0 3 0 0 24 10 31 115 Osage 4 4 0 1 2 8 31 1 22 72 Ottawa 0 26 0 0 13 5 50 0 8 103 Pawnee 0 13 0 0 6 8 20 3 28 78 Payne 0 16 0 0 0 4 24 4 49 98 Pittsburg 0 21 0 0 8 3 39 1 30 102 Pontotoc 3 3 0 0 6 16 22 0 16 66 Pottawatomie 0 11 0 0 0 15 22 0 11 59 Pushmataha 0 0 0 0 0 25 9 0 13 47 Roger Mills 0 10 0 0 10 21 31 10 258 330 Rogers 12 10 0 0 12 12 52 9 19 128 Seminole 4 0 0 0 0 4 20 20 43 90 Sequoyah 8 28 0 0 0 16 83 22 32 187 Stephens 0 10 0 0 13 0 30 0 69 122 Texas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 77 77 Tillman 0 9 0 0 0 0 52 9 17 87 Tulsa 0 26 0 0 0 17 96 0 35 174 Wagoner 42 25 0 0 3 8 18 46 8 151 Washington 97 25 0 0 4 4 59 136 59 386 Washita 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Woods 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 55 55 Woodward 0 5 0 0 5 5 62 0 134 211 Gray Fox Coyote Total Obs. 12
Other Species In addition to the species listed in Table 10, Bowhunters reported observations for several additional species that were not listed on the form. These include a variety of bird species, mountain lions, pronghorns, mule deer, chipmunks, rabbits, armadillos, snakes, prairie dogs, beavers, turtles, bats, groundhogs, butterflies, muskrats, and porcupines. Table 10. Standardized statewide wildlife observations from the 2016-season Bowhunter Observation Survey. Species Statewide Black Bear (adult) 2 Black Bear (cub) 3 Elk (antlered) 4 Elk (antlerless) 2 Elk (calf) 2 Turkey (bearded) 77 Turkey (not bearded) 120 Turkey (unknown) 79 Gray Squirrel 248 Fox Squirrel 297 Quail 182 Feral Swine 74 House Cat 3 Domestic Dog 13 13
Table 11. Standardized wildlife observations from the 2016-season Bowhunter Observation Survey, by land type. Public Land Private Land Species Black Bear (adult) 2 2 Black Bear (cub) 6 2 Elk (antlered) 7 3 Elk (antlerless) 7 3 Elk (calf) 5 2 Turkey (bearded) 36 86 Turkey (not bearded) 91 127 Turkey (unknown) 81 78 Gray Squirrel 309 234 Fox Squirrel 248 308 Quail 143 191 Feral Swine 90 71 House Cat 4 3 Domestic Dog 11 14 14