Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Effects Of Plant Phenology And Vertical Height On Accuracy Of Radio-Telemetry Locations, Troy Grovenburg, Christopher N. Jacques, Robert W. Klaver, Christopher S. Deperno, Chad P. Lehman, Todd J. Brinkman, Kevin A. Robling, Susan P. Rupp, Jonathan A. Jenks

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

The use of very high frequency (VHF) radio-telemetry remains wide-spread in studies of wildlife ecology andmanagement. However, few studies have evaluated the influence of vegetative obstruction on accuracy in differing habitats with varying transmitter types and heights. Using adult and fawn collars at varying heights above the ground (0, 33, 66 and 100 cm) to simulate activities (bedded, feeding and standing) and ages (neonate, juvenile and adult) of deer Odocoileus spp., we collected 5,767 bearings and estimated 1,424 locations (28-30 for each of 48 subsamples) in three habitat types (pasture, grassland and forest), during two stages of vegetative growth (spring …