Behavioural responses of a gamebird to human encounters across the hunting season

We examined the behavioural adaptation of rock ptarmigan Lagopus muta in response to human encounters across the hunting season. We conducted disturbance experiments in two different parts of the species' range, in subarctic (Iceland) and in alpine (Italy) habitats. A single pedestrian observer approached individuals and groups of rock ptarmigan to record flight initiation distance (FID) as a measure of disturbance susceptibility in hunted versus non‐hunted populations. We hypothesized that FID would increase during the hunting season and subsequently decrease, returning to pre‐hunting levels. The results demonstrated that in hunted sites, FID increased significantly during the hunting season, indicating heightened disturbance sensitivity, and subsequently returned to baseline values post‐season. In areas where hunting was not permitted, FID remained relatively constant. The study demonstrates rapid behavioural shifts in response to hunting, emphasising the impact of hunting on wildlife–human interactions. These findings contribute to the understanding of wildlife disturbance responses and offer insights into the balancing of hunting with recreation, suggesting that non‐hunted areas may foster more tolerant wildlife, enhancing experiences for non‐hunting recreationists.