Relationships among white-tailed deer density, harvest, and landscape metrics in TN, USA

Heidi L Adams,Lynn Barrett,Roger D Applegate,Robert E Kissell,David Graves,Edward L Warr,Daryl Ratajczak,Tabitha Lavacot

doi:10.1007/s10344-019-1353-8

Abstract

Landscape and harvest indices are frequently used to represent white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) density. However, the relationship between deer density and specific landscape indices is unclear. Harvest is another metric often used to estimate deer density. Our objective was to model the relationship among deer density, landscape metrics, and harvest density of deer in TN, USA. We estimated deer density across 11 regions in 2011 using distance sampling techniques. We developed 18 a priori models to assess relationships among deer density, harvest density, and landscape metrics. Estimates of deer density ranged from 1.85 to 19.99 deer/km2. Deer density was best predicted by harvest density and harvest density + percent woody area. However, harvest density was the only important variable in predicting deer density (Σωi = 0.700). Results of this study emphasize the significance of harvest density in deer management. While the importance of harvest as a management tool for deer is likely to increase as landscapes are fragmented and urbanized, specific management guidelines should be based upon deer densities and landscape metrics when they are important.

Highlights

Human-related causes of increased ungulate populations in Europe and eastern North America include a decrease in the Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.number of hunters, climate change, increased number of people in urban areas, management for increased population sizes in rural areas, and land use changes (Maillard et al 2010)
Climate change has produced warmer winters, and more animals survive as a result (Maillard et al 2010; Davis et al 2016)
We developed a list of landscape variables; we thought would have a strong influence on deer density and were found to be important in other studies (e.g., Bobek et al 1984; Gaudette and Stauffer 1988; Roseberry and Woolf 1998; Anderson et al 2001; Plante et al 2004; Long et al 2005; Pettorelli et al 2007; Munro et al 2012)

Summary

Introduction

Number of hunters, climate change, increased number of people in urban areas, management for increased population sizes in rural areas, and land use changes (Maillard et al 2010). A trend to live in urban areas has left much of the rural land undeveloped thereby providing more ungulate habitat (Apollonio et al 2010). Rural inhabitants manage for increased ungulate populations to provide for economic opportunities given the declining number in people and associated economics (Apollonio et al 2010). Land use, which is related to the aforementioned causes, can provide a landscape level understanding to match the distributions of ungulates. Previous research indicated the importance of landscape metrics, such as amount of forest edge for deer

Objectives

Methods

Results