HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS AT CAPTURE LOCATIONS OF WHITE-TAILED DEER FAWNS IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS

Abstract

Ungulate species select habitat types to increase foraging opportunities and avoid predation, and may disproportionately select high-quality habitat types relative to their abundance on the landscape. Identifying cover types that are associated with improved survival is important in one of the most anthropogenically modified landscapes in North America, the Northern Great Plains. Our objective was to assess if 8 habitat types (open water, developed, forest, shrub, grassland, cropland, wetland, and pasture) present in the buffered area surrounding capture locations for newborn White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns differed from the surrounding area by using data collected in 13 counties comprising 3 states in the Northern Great Plains region. We found that grasslands, developed areas, and shrubby areas were the most prevalent habitat types at fawn-capture locations, whereas cropland, pastures, forests, and open water were least prevalent. Although grasslands and shrubby areas were considered high-quality fawning habitat, developed areas generally were not, and the greater amount of developed habitat found at fawn-capture locations is likely evidence of an increased amount of hiding cover available to fawns and potentially limited habitat at more distant locations. Conversely, the high proportion of agriculture found at capture locations and the surrounding area likely maximizes forage availability, but also limits cover during some seasons. Conservation programs that incorporate diverse habitat types in areas where agriculture dominates the landscape will increase the amount of available hiding cover for fawns.