Survival, cause-specific mortality, and harvesting of male black-tailed deer in washington

Bender, L. C.; Schirato, G. A.; Spencer, R. D.; McAllister, K. R.; Murphie, B. L.

Abstract:

We determined survival rates, causes of mortality, and documented impacts of harvest on ???1.5-year-old male (hereafter, male) Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) in 2 Washington, USA, game management units (GMUs; Skookumchuck and Snoqualmie) characterized by different hunting-season structures. We monitored 66 males (n = 28 and 38 annually) in Skookumchuck and 58 males (n = 26 and 32 annually) in Snoqualmie, September 1999-September 2001. Annual survival rates were 0.498 (SE = 0.066) in Skookumchuck and 0.519 (SE = 0.067) in Snoqualmie. Survival rates derived from population age structure did not differ from rates derived from radiotelemetry. Harvest was the primary mortality factor for each population, accounting for 67% (SE = 7; Skookumchuck) to 44% (SE = 9; Snoqualmie) of total annual mortality. Annual harvest-specific mortality rates were 0.317 (SE = 0.032) in Skookumchuck and 0.211 (SE = 0.021) in Snoqualmie, likely due to longer hunting seasons and greater hunter effort in Skookumchuck. Following the elimination of a late buck season centered on the rut in Snoqualmie, male harvest declined 56% and annual survival increased 60%, indicating that male harvest was largely additive to other mortality. Our results indicated that harvest was the primary influence on male black-tailed deer populations in Washington, was additive, and that the effect of harvest varied with hunting-season structure and hunter effort. Managers should not assume that harvesting removes a constant proportion of the male population annually, and management models that assume compensatory mortality in adult harvest may result in over-harvest of male populations.

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Article

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70026580

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Bender, L. C.; Schirato, G. A.; Spencer, R. D.; McAllister, K. R.; Murphie, B. L.

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878

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English

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Journal of Wildlife Management

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Survival, cause-specific mortality, and harvesting of male black-tailed deer in washington; 2004; Article; Journal; Journal of Wildlife Management; Bender, L. C.; Schirato, G. A.; Spencer, R. D.; McAllister, K. R.; Murphie, B. L.