Notes on a Method for Censusing White-Tailed Deer in the Spring and Summer

Abstract

ployed during the summer, but the density of the cover during that period renders it less reliable. This method is valuable in that it can be used in the early fall before the hunting season, when it is necessary to know the deer population of an area so that the proper hunting regulations may be made. Its drawbacks, however, are serious. For example, about 175 men are required to drive a square mile, and in normal times when C.C.C. labor is not available the cost would be prohibitive to most conservation departments. Then, too, the technique of the census drive is complicated and slow, with the result that if many samples of an area are censused it becomes a very timeconsuming process. The accuracy of a census by deer yard counts is influenced by the amount of winter snowfall. During a winter of light snow the deer, while they do take up winter quarters in yards, are less restricted in their movements, and for that reason more difficult to census. During hard winters when deep snow impedes their activity, the census by deer yard counts should prove very accurate. The fact, however, that this type of census must be conducted after, rather than before, the normal hunting season is a severe drawback unless it is preceded by another type of census previous to the hunting season. If this dual census is employed, the number of deer that may safely be taken from an area and the number ac-