Understanding Wildlife

Annual Population Cycles

Big Game

Small Game

A – Annual breeding stock
B – Average yearly production or biotic potential
*In most cases, hunters take some of the animals from the annual surplus that would be lost anyway.

Carrying capacity of the land increases in early summer when there is a lot of food and cover. This healthy habitat is soon filled by the new broods of birds. In late summer, when the population and the available food and cover reach their peaks, some birds begin to die.

The Ups & Downs of Wildlife Populations

Key Habitat factors for rabbits: climate, food and natural cycle
Key Habitat factors for coyotes: food and climate

Number One Threat to Wildlife: Habitat Loss