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Christopher E. Moorman

Publications and source records attributed to Christopher E. Moorman.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2026

How hunters and non-hunters view barriers to allowing hunting access in an urban county

Barriers to allowing hunting of white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) on private land shape hunter recruitment, retention, and reactivation efficacy as well as the ability of wildlife management agencies to use hunting as a management tool. Understanding perceptions of these barriers is crucial in urbanizing landscapes where there are increased challenges to allowing hunting access, and deer may persist in relatively high numbers. We compared barriers to allowing hunting access on one’s property among hunters (n = 281) and non-hunters (n = 874) who did not have hunting occur on their property across urban, suburban, and rural groups in Durham County, North Carolina. (i.e., six groups). Rural landowners tended to perceive geographic barriers (e.g., property size) as less problematic than suburban and urban landowners, irrespective of personal participation in hunting, but landowners who hunted tended to view all barriers as less problematic than those who did not. Small property size, human population density, and housing density were viewed as important barriers to allowing hunting access for all groups, but suburban and urban non-hunters perceived the challenges as greater barriers compared to other groups. Conversely, the complexity of hunting regulations was viewed as a minor barrier to allowing hunting among all landowners. Safety concerns, not knowing other hunters, and disagreement with hunting as a practice showed the greatest contrasts between landowners who hunted and those who did not, with the latter group reporting the barriers as more important. Barriers to hunting identified in this study aligned with variables that predicted whether land is huntable (e.g., property size, housing density) in prior research. Our results indicate that developing public outreach highlighting hunting safety and creating landowner-hunter partnership programs may help facilitate hunting access in urbanizing areas.

North Carolina↗
USGS2026

Increasing density from population recovery does not explain elevated partial brood loss in a threatened cooperative breeder

Partial brood loss in Dryobates borealis (Red-cockaded Woodpecker), a federally threatened cooperative breeder in the USA, was not associated with increases in population density. Across three populations—Sandhills, North Carolina; Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; and Eglin Air Force Base, Florida—we documented no support for density-dependent effects on either early or late partial brood loss. Using long-term nest monitoring data, we evaluated multiple metrics of group size and group density in relation to brood loss at early (egg-to-nestling up to 6–10 days when banded) and late (banding-to-fledgling up to 38–40 days) stages. Reproductive outcomes did not vary with density within populations, indicating that the recent rise in partial brood loss, particularly late in the nestling period, was not driven by increasing density. While both density and partial brood loss have increased over time, these trends appear to be decoupled, highlighting the need to investigate other potential drivers of partial brood loss. Cooperative breeding can buffer reproductive output from density-related pressures through shared parental care, but as densities increase due to conservation-driven population recovery, cooperative breeders may face new or shifting constraints. Variation in reproductive outcomes may be more closely tied to site-specific factors or density-independent pressures such as weather, predation, or habitat quality. As D. borealis populations continue to grow under ongoing recovery efforts, understanding the mechanisms behind partial brood loss remains critical for refining conservation strategies. Our results add to growing evidence that density-dependent effects on reproduction are not universal; increasing density, though a conservation success, does not necessarily lead to reduced productivity or increased brood loss.

Florida, North Carolina↗
USGS2026

Integrating fecal DNA and telemetry to estimate wildlife densities in anthropogenic landscapes

Density estimation is central to wildlife management efforts but can be challenging in anthropogenically-dominated landscapes due to small parcel sizes, access restrictions, and limited green space. Reliable density estimates are especially important for managing white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ), whose high abundance in urbanized areas increases the need for accurate population assessments to guide management and reduce negative human–wildlife interactions. Herein, we evaluated (a) the use of a plot-based spatial capture-recapture sampling design to estimate deer density in developed landscapes and (b) if integrating telemetry data improved the precision or biological inferences of density estimates. We conducted fecal sampling at 2 study areas reflecting different characteristics of the urbanization gradient in Durham and eastern Orange counties, North Carolina: (1) rural (i.e., forested, large parcels) and (2) suburban (i.e., small parcels, limited continuous access, diversity of landscape features). We collected 223 fecal samples during a 3-week sampling period in July and September 2022, resulting in 157 individual deer detected (112 F:45 M). Rural densities were estimated at 54 deer/km 2 (95% CI = 35–84) and suburban densities at 75 deer/km 2 (95% CI = 48–117). Integrating telemetry data allowed estimation of sex-specific space use and densities, which were not possible from fecal data alone; however, precision of total density estimates was similar across integrated and fecal-only analyses. Overall, our results highlighted key trade-offs inherent to plot-based spatial capture-recapture in suburban landscapes, most notably low recapture rates, accessibility challenges to maintain optimal trap spacing, and the importance of considering auxiliary data streams as part of the study design.

North Carolina↗
USGS2025

Emotions and political identity predict public acceptance of urban deer management

Addressing public preferences can enhance wildlife management effectiveness and reduce backlash. We conducted novel research on public acceptance of wildlife management by accounting for the role of underexplored drivers including emotion and political identity across an urban-to-rural gradient. Using data from a 2022 survey about white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) in Durham County, North Carolina, we analyzed drivers of acceptance for three management strategies: passive management, lethal management by hunting, and lethal management by professionals. Support for deer management varied across the urban-to-rural gradient, as rural residents favored hunting but were less supportive of passive management compared to urban and suburban residents. Emotions and general attitudes toward deer were the strongest predictors of management acceptance. Support for passive management was higher among residents with more positive emotions toward deer, whereas support for lethal strategies was higher among those with more negative emotions. Additionally, political identity emerged as a complex yet influential factor in shaping support for lethal management. Conservative respondents exhibited a higher acceptance of hunting, whereas liberal respondents exhibited a higher acceptance of professional sharpshooting. Collectively, our results demonstrate the ways in which emotions, politics, and other socio-demographic factors interact to influence public support for deer management across the urban–rural gradient. When direct experience with wildlife is lacking (e.g., in urban areas), emotions may act as heuristic guides that shape preferences. Managers aiming to increase deer management acceptability could integrate insights about emotional, political, and demographic drivers of public management support in communication efforts, potentially rendering urban deer management more effective.

North Carolina↗
USGS2023

Minimal shift of eastern wild turkey nesting phenology associated with projected climate change

Climate change may induce mismatches between wildlife reproductive phenology and temporal occurrence of resources necessary for reproductive success. Verifying and elucidating the causal mechanisms behind potential mismatches requires large-scale, longer-duration data. We used eastern wild turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo silvestris ) nesting data collected across the southeastern U.S. over eight years to investigate potential climatic drivers of variation in nest initiation dates. We investigated climactic relationships with two datasets, one inclusive of successful and unsuccessful nests (full dataset) and another of just successful nests (successfully hatched dataset), to determine whether successfully hatched nests responded differently to weather changes than all nests did. In the full dataset, each 10 cm increase in January precipitation was associated with nesting occurring 0.46-0.66 days earlier, and each 10 cm increase in precipitation during the 30 days preceding nesting was associated with nesting occurring 0.17-0.21 days later. In the successfully hatched dataset, a 10 cm increase in March precipitation was associated with nesting occurring 0.67-0.74 days earlier, and an increase of one unit of variation in February maximum temperature was associated with nesting occurring 0.02 days later. We combined the results of these modeled relationships with multiple climate scenarios to understand potential implications of future climate change on wild turkey nesting phenology; results indicated that mean nest initiation date is projected to change by <0.1 day by 2040-2060. Wild turkey nesting phenology did not track changes in spring green-up timing, which could result in phenological mismatch between the timing of nesting and the availability of resources critical for successful reproduction.

Climate Change Ecology↗
USGS2020

Relative reproductive phenology and synchrony affect neonate survival in a nonprecocial ungulate

Degree of reproductive synchronization in prey is hypothesized as a predator defense strategy reducing prey risk via predator satiation or predator avoidance. Species with precocial young, especially those exposed to specialist predators, should be highly synchronous to satiate predators (predator satiation hypothesis), while prey with nonprecocial (i.e. altricial) young, especially those exposed to generalist predators, should become relatively asynchronous to avoid predator detection (predator avoidance hypothesis). The white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus in North America is an example of a nonprecocial ungulate that uses the hider strategy early in life; its primary predator (coyote; Canis latrans ) is a generalist, making white-tailed deer a good model species to test the predator avoidance hypothesis. We used birth dates and known fates of white-tailed deer neonates ( n = 1,032) across nine study sites varying in relative synchrony and predator assemblages to test the predator avoidance hypothesis. We predicted that relative birthing asynchrony of the population would increase relative survival at the population level; therefore, at the individual scale, neonate birth date nearer to mean birthing date in a respective population would not influence individual survival. Coyotes were responsible for the majority of predation events, and survival of those neonates increased the closer the individual was born to peak birthing season in each respective population. Also, at the population level, reproductive asynchronization negatively affected survival. Contrary to the predator avoidance hypothesis, our data indicate patterns in neonate survival for white-tailed deer better support the predator satiation hypothesis at the individual and population level. Additionally, coyotes may present a selective force great enough to shift reproductive synchrony such that predator satiation may become a feasible defense strategy for neonates at local spatial scales. Our results indicate that synchronizing reproduction may still be the most effective strategy to reduce individual predation risk from generalist predators, particularly when the window of heightened resource availability to the prey is narrow.

Alabama, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Penn↗
USGS2014

Small mammal use of native warm-season and non-native cool-season grass forage fields

Recent emphasis has been put on establishing native warm-season grasses for forage production because it is thought native warm-season grasses provide higher quality wildlife habitat than do non-native cool-season grasses. However, it is not clear whether native warm-season grass fields provide better resources for small mammals than currently are available in non-native cool-season grass forage production fields. We developed a hierarchical spatially explicit capture-recapture model to compare abundance of hispid cotton rats ( Sigmodon hispidus ), white-footed mice ( Peromyscus leucopus ), and house mice ( Mus musculus ) among 4 hayed non-native cool-season grass fields, 4 hayed native warm-season grass fields, and 4 native warm-season grass-forb ("wildlife") fields managed for wildlife during 2 summer trapping periods in 2009 and 2010 of the western piedmont of North Carolina, USA. Cotton rat abundance estimates were greater in wildlife fields than in native warm-season grass and non-native cool-season grass fields and greater in native warm-season grass fields than in non-native cool-season grass fields. Abundances of white-footed mouse and house mouse populations were lower in wildlife fields than in native warm-season grass and non-native cool-season grass fields, but the abundances were not different between the native warm-season grass and non-native cool-season grass fields. Lack of cover following haying in non-native cool-season grass and native warm-season grass fields likely was the key factor limiting small mammal abundance, especially cotton rats, in forage fields. Retention of vegetation structure in managed forage production systems, either by alternately resting cool-season and warm-season grass forage fields or by leaving unharvested field borders, should provide refugia for small mammals during haying events.

Wildlife Society Bulletin↗