North Dakota Outdoors: Explaining the difference in survey numbers

North Dakota Outdoors: Explaining the difference in survey numbers

When you hear terms like wildlife survey, census, or index, it might sound like three ways to say the same thing, but there are key differences, especially in how we at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department manage wildlife. Surveys use scientific sampling to estimate populations. Our spring sharp-tailed grouse lek counts, for example, give a reliable picture of trends without counting every...