Duck nest success adjacent to predator-reduced sites

Predator reduction regularly improves waterfowl nest success within management units, but the impact of predator reduction on nest success adjacent to trapped areas is not known. Trapping could reduce predator activity and increase nest success adjacent to trapped sites, as individual mammalian predators with home ranges largely outside the trapped area may still be killed when using portions of their home range that overlap the trapped area. We monitored 1,952 nests adjacent to (within 0–4.8 km) 7 trapped sites (each 93.2 km²) in eastern North Dakota, USA during 2005–2006 and found that nest success adjacent to trapped sites, regardless of distance from trapping, was similar to nest success in nontrapped areas and less than nest success inside trapped areas. Managers should not assume any benefits to nest success beyond the borders of trapped sites. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.