Managing puma hunting in the western United States: through a metapopulation approach

To achieve long‐term viability of hunted puma (Puma concolor) populations (even at historically low densities), we propose a management plan based on the metapopulation concept that designatessource areas(closed to hunting) andsink areas(open to hunting). We use 11 years of data from Idaho and Utah to demonstrate how the proposed management plan might be implemented. We use minimum and maximum densities of resident animals to calculate minimum and maximum effective population sizes, neighbourhood areas (regional management units) and usable habitat within the units. We designate sink and source areas based on their size, accessibility to hunters and juxtaposition. We show that closing 63% of puma habitat to hunting would ensure long‐term puma population viability while permitting traditional hunting levels in other areas. This system could be adapted to existing state (and interstate) hunting management units, and we outline several steps by which wildlife agencies might set up a process (including public participation) to manage puma hunting.