Wolf movements and population dynamics in Papineau-Labelle reserve, Quebec

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
From 1980 to 1984, wolf ecology was studied in Papineau-Labelle reserve, a 1667-km2 area characterized by three large deer yards (> 1000 deer) located at the periphery. We obtained 2462 telementry locations from 43 collared wolves belonging to 4–8 packs. Mean pack size on 1 December was 5.6 wolves and density within territories averaged 2.8 animals/100 km2. Size of territories ranged between 85 and 325 km2 (mean 199 km2) and no seasonal variations were noted for most packs. But those packs in contact with a large deer yard generally used that portion of their territory more intensely in winter. The majority of wolves (12/15) dispersed when they were 10–20 months old and traveled an average distance of 40 km. Dispersal likely resulted from the onset of sexual maturity and, possibly, from social stress. Mortality rate of collared wolves (36%) was moderate and similar to that of noncollared wolves. Known causes of mortality were all human related: trapping (23), hunting (6), and road kills (6). Nonetheless, I conclude that this population is regulated largely by social factors and not by food stress.