Author : Eric W. Ness
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780355757293
Total Pages : 53 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (572 download)
Book Synopsis A Comparison of White-tailed Deer Recruitment Rates to Relative Predator Abundance in Maryland by : Eric W. Ness
Download or read book A Comparison of White-tailed Deer Recruitment Rates to Relative Predator Abundance in Maryland written by Eric W. Ness and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 53 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the late 1990s, Maryland’s deer management plan aimed to reduce and stabilize the state’s white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population. While attempting to achieve this goal through liberalized seasons and bag limits, managers estimated a decreasing fawn recruitment rate and sought to better understand causes for these declines, particularly in the western portion of the state. Fawn recruitment may be impacted by several factors: predation, disease, starvation, malnutrition, parasite-load, and collisions with vehicles and farm machinery. My study’s goal was to better understand the predator-prey relationship within western Maryland. One hypothesis is the predator community reducing the fawn recruitment. In western Maryland, black bear (Ursus americanus), bobcat ( Lynx rufus), and coyote (Canis latrans) are established, but the variation in abundance of these populations has not been well documented. I established 3 study areas focused on 3 publicly hunted state forests (Potomac-Garrett, Savage River, and Green Ridge State Forests). The first objective was to estimate the deer density and fawn recruitment at each study area. I used road-based distance sampling using a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) device to scan the landscape from August-October, 2015 and 2016. I replicated the FLIR survey 6 times on each study area in 2015 and 2016. Once collected, the data were analyzed using a uniform-key function within program DISTANCE. Neither deer density (Potomac-Garrett = 16 deer/km2, Savage River = 6 deer/km 2, Green Ridge = 12 deer/km2) nor fawn recruitment (Potomac-Garrett = 0.56 fawn/doe, Savage River = 0.54 fawn/doe, Green Ridge = 0.52 fawn/doe) changed between years.