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Full-Text Articles in Behavior and Ethology
Mortality Of White-Tailed Deer In Northeastern Minnesota, Michael E. Nelson, L. David Mech
Mortality Of White-Tailed Deer In Northeastern Minnesota, Michael E. Nelson, L. David Mech
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Abstract: Two hundred nine white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were radiotracked in the central Superior National Forest, Minnesota, from 1973 through winter 1983-84; 85 deaths were recorded. Annual survival was 0.31 for fawns (<1.0 years old), 0.80 for yearling (1.0-2.0 years old) females, 0.41 for yearling males, 0.79 for adult (≥2.0 years old) females, and 0.47 for adult males. Monthly survival rates were high from May through December (0.94-1.00), except for yearling (0.60) and adult (0.69) bucks during the November hunting season. Most mortality occurred from January through April when gray wolf (Canis lupus) predation was an important mortality source for all cohorts. Yearlings males were most vulnerable to hunting and adult males to wolf predation.
Relationship Between Snow Depth And Gray Wolf Predation On White-Tailed Deer, Michael E. Nelson, L. David Mech
Relationship Between Snow Depth And Gray Wolf Predation On White-Tailed Deer, Michael E. Nelson, L. David Mech
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Abstract: Survival of 203 yearling and adult white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was monitored for 23,441 deer days from January through April 1975-85 in northeastern Minnesota. Gray wolf (Canis lupus)predation was the primary mortality cause, and from year to year during this period, the mean predation rate ranged from 0.00 to 0.29. The sum of weekly snow depths/month explained 51% of the variation in annual wolf predation rate, with the highest predation during the deepest snow.