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Factors Influencing Homesite Selection by Gray Wolves in Northwestern Wisconsin and East-Central Minnesota

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Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States

Preface

One of the most critical aspects of population dynamics in any animal species is the birth and successful rearing of young. Therefore, understanding the characteristics of areas where wolves give birth and rear pups (den and rendezvous sites) is important for proper management. In the Great Lakes region, the gray wolf has made a remarkable recovery, from a small remnant population in northeastern Minnesota to the recolonization of most of northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In this chapter, we review relevant literature on wolf dens and rendezvous sites and attempt to determine those factors most critical in the selection of homesites in the upper Great Lakes region.

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Acknowledgments

Funding and support was provided by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (UWSP), Michigan State University Department of Fish and Wildlife (MSU), and Milwaukee Zoological Society. Additional assistance was provided by the Wisconsin Bureau of Land Management, Wildlife Science Center, Douglas County Forestry, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and Mosinee Paper Company. We thank from WDNR, A. Wydeven, R. Shultz, H. Reese, F. Krueger, D. Kallenbach, and P. Miller, as well as K. Millenbah (MSU), E. Merrill (UWSP), K. Rice (UWSP), Alexa Spivey (volunteer), and Michelle Lassige (volunteer).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Natural Sciences, Alderson Broaddus College, Philippi, WV 26416, USA

    David E. Unger

  2. Biology Department, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI 49401, USA

    Paul W. Keenlance

  3. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Rhinelander, WI 54501, USA

    Bruce E. Kohn

  4. College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI 54801, USA

    Eric M. Anderson

Authors
  1. David E. Unger
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  2. Paul W. Keenlance
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  3. Bruce E. Kohn
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  4. Eric M. Anderson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David E. Unger .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 54452, Park Falls, WI, USA

    Adrian P. Wydeven

  2. Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 53706, Madison, WI, USA

    Timothy R. Van Deelen

  3. Illinois Natural History Survey, 61821, Champaign, IL, USA

    Edward J. Heske

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Unger, D.E., Keenlance, P.W., Kohn, B.E., Anderson, E.M. (2009). Factors Influencing Homesite Selection by Gray Wolves in Northwestern Wisconsin and East-Central Minnesota. In: Wydeven, A.P., Van Deelen, T.R., Heske, E.J. (eds) Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-85952-1_11

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