Date of Award:

5-1970

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Wildland Resources

Department name when degree awarded

Wildlife Resources

Committee Chair(s)

Jessop B. Low

Committee

Jessop B. Low

Committee

James E. Bell

Committee

John E. Nagel

Abstract

Environmental factors at Neponset and Woodruff Narrows reservoirs were evaluated to determine their effects on molting Canada geese. More geese utilized Woodruff Narrows. Geese apparently favored the larger expanse of open water and adequate food supply.

Most of the molting geese were from the Bear River drainage. Some geese came from scattered areas in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. After molting, the geese flew to migration staging areas in southeastern Idaho before migrating to wintering areas in southern California and Arizona.

Females outnumbered males by 6 percent. The mean annual mortality rate for adult geese was 42 percent. Recovery rates between the sexes were not significantly different (P≤0.01). Juvenile geese were 1.4 times more vulnerable than adults to hunting mortality. Hunting pressure on the geese at the reservoirs was not great enough to be detrimental to the flock.

Of 89 nests, 53 percent were successful . Mean clutch size was 4.85 eggs per nest with a range of 1-7. Mammalian and avian predators destroyed 25 percent of the eggs. Forty-seven broods were observed with an average brood size of 4.77 young.

Other water fowl populations did not affect the goose population.

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