| Recently, the use of spatial capture-recapture models (SCR) to estimate wildlife population density has increased. Non-invasive genetic sampling methods are particularly useful for obtaining sufficient sample sizes for SCR for wide-ranging species. However, accuracy of SCR estimates for a given species is difficult to assess without comparison to a known population number. In addition, current SCR models assume independence in animal movement, an assumption that gregarious species (e.g., elk) violate. We used a tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) population of known size at the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge to test this approach in summer 2016. We collected 484 fecal samples, from which we extracted elk DNA, and genotyped them, identifying 71 of the 72 elk in the population. The SCR abundance estimate was 72.3 (SE = 1.4) elk. We then assessed the effects of sampling effort and density on precision of estimates by subsampling. SCR results were robust to violations of the assumption of independence of movement, producing unbiased estimates at multiple sampling efforts and elk densities. We found that the number of pellets collected was a good predictor of precision and would be a useful measure for attaining a desired level of precision in fecal DNA SCR studies. |