Big Game Species

Large, free-roaming animals such as deer, elk, bison, and antelope are an important part of the western North American landscape and provide millions of Americans with the opportunity for recreational viewing and hunting. In the Rocky Mountain West, these activities generate nearly $5 billion dollars and thousands of jobs related to the outdoor recreation industry. This group of animals, commonly referred to as “wild ungulates,” includes moose, pronghorn antelope, bison, elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, mountain goats, caribou, and bighorn sheep. Historically, these animals ranged freely throughout the West, but as exploration and settlement occurred following the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the region experienced periods of fur trapping, market hunting, mining, logging and agriculture, driving some species to the brink of extinction and severely reducing the range and abundance of others. Today, human population growth, resource extraction, and tourism have led to accelerated rates of land development and recreational use, affecting critical wildlife habitats and the populations dependent on them. The rate of habitat loss in the West, primarily to subdivision and development, is significant. More than 3 million acres of western ranchland have been carved up for other uses since 1982 (U.S. Department of Agriculture), with much of this development occurring in areas that provide vital winter range. The human population in the West is growing much faster than the national average and the American Farmland Trust reports that 11 percent of remaining prime ranchland—as much as 8.8 million acres of classic elk wintering range—in the Rocky Mountain states could be converted to residential development by 2020 (Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, 2005).

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