113 



Mean kill site distances varied between species and ranged from 3.4 km (pocket gopher) to 7.6 

 km (ocellated turkey; Table 3-8). According to hunters at X-Hazil Sur, the ocellated turkey and great 

 curassow (7.5 km) were quite wary and easily disturbed by people. These observations agreed with 

 those from other sites where researchers reported that the ocellated turkey and great curassow were 

 highly sensitive to human disturbances. 



Two possible explanations may account for the limited harvest areas in which individual game 

 species were taken: One, individual species did not occur except in those areas where they were 

 harvested. Two, individual game species occurred beyond the catchment area, but were not harvested 

 by hunters in those locations. Comments offered by hunters and wildlife census data presented in 

 Chapter 4 supported the second possible explanation. According to several hunters, it was easier to 

 locate and hunt game nearby, in the vicinity of a garden or at a work site, than it was to track or stalk 

 game in distant areas that were poorly known by the hunter. A consequence of this belief was that 

 hunters may have harvested less game. 



Kill site distances also suggested that many species were highly tolerant of human 

 disturbances. Of the 11 species for which a range could be calculated, nine game species had a 

 minimum kill site distance < 1.4 km (Table 3-8). At this distance from the village, children 

 frequently played, human voices and barking dogs often could be heard, street lights were easily seen 

 at night, and dogs and men frequently passed enroute to the gardens (see Chapter 6). Apparendy these 

 kinds of disturbances were insufficient to cause most game species to avoid the area around the 

 village. 



The minimum catchment area and mean kill site distances for individual subsistence hunters in 

 the Nootropics, as compared with areas used by the village as a whole, are poorly known. For Maya 

 hunters at X-Hazil Sur, the minimum catchment areas for the seven main hunters ranged from 7.2 km^ 

 (# 62) to 68.1 km^ (# 9; Table 3-9; Appendix E). Hunter # 62 (23 y old) had the smallest catchment 

 area and reported that he only hunted in the vicinity of his garden, which was near X-Hazil Sur, and at 

 nearby chicle tapping sites. Hunter # 9 (21 y old) had the largest catchment area. Although this 



