Wildlife can alter their behavior in response to increased human activity. As human visitation to protected areas is predicted to increase, wildlife behavioral responses will likely continue to change, influencing ecosystem and inter-species relationships. I investigated how human activity on a national park trail system influenced mammalian spatial patterns and predator-prey relationships during a year with restricted visitation during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) and a subsequent non-restricted year (2021). I investigated how moose (Alces alces), wolves (Canis lupus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) altered space use and diel activity to varying human visitation within and between visitor seasons. I characterized wolf-moose occupancy probabilities at sites ≤50 m from hiking trails across three temporal periods within Isle Royale National Park (IRNP) visitor seasons that reflected varying life history and human visitation patterns. Lastly, I investigated the effects of camera survey duration, timing, density, and on- or off-trail placement on moose detection rates, sex and age ratios, and density estimates to optimize sampling precision in support of management goals. During 2020–2021, moose, wolf, red fox, and snowshoe hare space use decreased as human visitation increased; however, species demonstrated varying seasonal responses to humans within years. On-trail moose, wolf, red fox, and snowshoe hare detections decreased while off-trail detections remained constant. Wildlife altered diel and space use in response to humans on-trails, suggesting that disturbances were localized to trails. Wolves and moose increased their intensity of use at sites with high human site use when visitation peaks (July–August), resulting in higher wolf-moose co-occurrence near humans. However, wolf and moose use of sites near trails remained constant between 2020 and 2021. Wolves and moose increased use intensity at high human use sites during short-term periods of increased human visitation, increasing the potential for interaction between wolves and moose and human-wildlife. Pairing life history events with periods of high detection rates for moose identified optimal survey periods and could be applied to other species. Camera surveys of 25-days during mid-June–mid-July and early December–early January produce consistent and precise calf:cow and bull:cow ratios. More precise density estimates were estimated in early December–early January using ≥4 cameras/km2 placed on and off-trail in a representative survey area. Even during a year with unparalleled low human visitation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, within year increases in human use had variable influence on species monitored ≤50 m of trails, suggesting sensitivity to low levels of human recreational use.
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