Recipient Organization
STATE UNIV OF NEW YORK
(N/A)
SYRACUSE,NY 13210
Performing Department
Environmental & Forest Biology
Non Technical Summary
Our overall goal is to disentangle the interrelationships of predation, habitat conditions, and winter severity on white-tailed deer population dynamics through direct cause-specific mortality on fawns and their dams. Further, we aim to assess the indirect effects these factors have on deer space use, behavior, and nutritional condition. From this improved understanding, we intend to provide recommendations to MDNR and other interested stakeholders on specific management actions for predator and prey populations and their habitat to help the age achieve their long-term management goals for white-tailed deer and predators in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Specifically, our objectives are to:1) Fawn and doe survival: Quantify survival and cause-specific mortality of white-tailed deer fawns and does. Evaluate the interrelationships of predation, habitat conditions, and winter severity on mortality of fawns and does.2) Fawn predation: Quantify the number and age of fawns killed by a black bear, bobcat, coyote, or wolf during summer, and proportion of fawn mortality attributable to predation by these species. Estimate if use of an area by black bear, bobcat, coyote, or wolf affects the likelihood of fawn predation.3) White-tailed deer pregnancy and fecundity rates: Estimate white-tailed deer pregnancy and fecundity rates.4) Fawn birth site habitat: Describe association between fawn birth site habitat characteristics and black bear, bobcat, coyote, or wolf habitat use.5) Population abundance: Estimate the abundance of deer, black bear, bobcat, coyote and wolves on the study area.6) Deer winter habitat use: Quantify habitat selection patterns of deer in response to winter weather and availability of forage and cover.Awarded Start Date: 8/16/18Sponsor: Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
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Project Methods
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