Wildlife biologists require demographic estimates to manage white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations. However, such data are sparse for deer in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. During 2005–2008, we radiomarked 105 female white-tailed deer (62 adults and 43 fawns) in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan to quantify rates of survival and determine causes of mortality. Annual adult survival was 0.64±0.06 (mean ± SE) and similar to other northern deer studies, with most mortalities (n = 14 of 31) caused by hunting and deer-vehicle collisions (n = 5). Adult survival was the highest during winter (1.00) and lowest in fall (0.70±0.07). Survival of fawns during the winter–spring period was 0.74 ± 0.06 and within ranges of other northern deer studies, with all mortalities caused by predation (n = 4) and starvation (n = 3). These survival rates indicate the local deer population may be able to achieve higher densities and provide current information to parameterize population models and refine management objectives.
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1 December 2017
Survival of Female White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileusvirginianus) in the Northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan
Clayton K. Nielsen,
Janice K. Stroud-Settles
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Mammal Study
Vol. 42 • No. 4
December 2017
Vol. 42 • No. 4
December 2017
management
mortality
population