1. The History of Wildlife Management in America
Chapter 1
Fish and Wildlife
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2. Objectives Describe the development of wildlife management in America.
List specific acts that led to modern wildlife management.
Understand the role that wildlife played in the development of America.
Describe the era of exploitation of America’s wildlife.
Understand the role of outdoor enthusiasts played in the conservation movement in America

3. Introduction
Wildife Management has evolved during the past 75 to 100 years.
Wildlife was exploited, ignored, and pushed aside in the rush to settle America.
Resulted in great loss of wildlife and wildlife habitat
Extinction of some species
People began to realize that the vast amount of Wildlife was not inexhaustible

4. Introduction Early settlers had no idea how abundant wild fauna was.
Had no idea how to use it.
Colonist learned how to hunt and fish and went from starvation to prosperity.
Learned how to exploit natural resources

5. Introduction
Took 200 years for agriculture to be established on American soil
Settlers had to learn how to produce food in the new climate
American wildlife fed clothed and put money in the pockets of settlers during this time.

6. Introduction
saw the greatest abuse of wild animals in North America
Large numbers of animals were shot to feed a growing population.
Millions of acres of habitat were altered or destroyed to make room for towns and farms
In 1748 South Carolina traders shipped 160,000 deer skins to England

7. Introduction No laws restricted the harvest of wildlife.
By 1776 every southeastern state except Georgia had established a closed season on deer.
These seasons were largely ignored.

8. Introduction
Rural families constituted more than 90 percent of the population.
They lived off of what they shot or trapped
They believed that the land “owed” them a living and that wildlife could be used as they saw fit.
Any animal that would feed or clothe them or compete with them for a livelihood was fair game

9. Introduction
Many of the settlers land practices were beneficial to some species
Deer benefited from the areas were forests were cleared, because of the additional edges and open space.
Many of the deer’s predators were being systematically eliminated
Deer numbers increased in some areas as a result

10. Introduction Elk and woods bison were not so lucky
Woods Bison-larger and darker than the plains bison, never existed in enormous numbers
By mid-1800’s market and pioneer hunters exterminated them east of the Mississippi.
The same land practices that were beneficial to the whitetail could be detrimental to other species

11. Introduction
As increasingly larger tracts of forest were cleared turkeys and passenger pigeons had less and less habitat
At the same time they were being shot at a tremendous rate to feed a growing population.