Predators
Which predator has excellent night vision and hunts slowly and carefully by stalking its prey?
A bobcat
Which type of trap catches animals alive inside an enclosed box or cage?
What is a cage trap or live trap?
What is the most important factor that determines whether a hunter will be successful—location, wind direction, or equipment?
wind direction?
Name three animals that are considered fur bearers.
Raccoons, beavers, muskrats, foxes, and coyotes (any three)
Coyotes have an excellent sense of _____, which allows them to detect human scent from far away.
Smell
Foothold traps are commonly used for fur bearers like raccoons and foxes. How does a foothold trap work?
An animal steps on a trigger plate, which springs and holds the animal's foot safely without causing serious injury?
A hunter is sitting on a hill with good views of the landscape. Suddenly, a small breeze shifts direction. Why would this ruin the hunting opportunity?
The wind now carries the hunter's scent toward the approaching animals, and they can smell the danger?
Why are many fur bearers nocturnal, meaning they hunt and travel mainly at night?
Hunting at night helps them avoid larger predators and humans during the day, and many of their prey animals are also more active at night?
Name two ways that a coyote's hunting behavior is different from a bobcat's hunting behavior.
Coyotes depend mainly on smell while bobcats use eyesight; Coyotes charge quickly while bobcats stalk slowly; Coyotes circle around to check for danger while bobcats sneak up carefully?
A trapper finds many raccoon tracks near a stream. Explain which type of trap would be best to use in this location and why.
Water traps or drowning sets would be best because raccoons live near water and naturally travel along streams, and these traps are specially designed for water environments?
Explain how a hunter should position themselves in relation to the sun, wind, and natural cover to have the best chance of observing predators.
The hunter should sit with the sun at their back to hide their outline, position themselves downwind so their scent blows away from approaching animals, and use trees, bushes, or rocks to break up their silhouette?
Explain why trapping fur bearers is important for wildlife management and what happens if furbearer populations grow too large.
Trapping helps control populations so they don't become too large for their habitat; when populations grow too big, animals compete for food and may move into human areas looking for meals?