ECOLOGY OF WHITE-TAILED DEER IN THE NORTH GEORGIA MOUNTAINS AND INVESTIGATING ABUNDANCE OF COYOTES IN SOUTH CAROLINA

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: NEW
• Funding Source: MCINTIRE-STENNIS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1020089
• Project No.: GEOZ0204-MS
• Project Start Date: Jul 1, 2019
• Project End Date: Jun 30, 2023

Project Director
D'Angelo, GI.

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
200 D.W. BROOKS DR
ATHENS,GA 30602-5016

Performing Department
School of Forestry & Natural Resources

Non Technical Summary
White-tailed deer populations have declined over the past few decades throughout the Chattahoochee National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of North Georgia. Further, coyotes have expanded eastward across North America during the last century, becoming common on the landscape of the southeastern U.S. It is well documented that coyotes and other predators can be responsible for high rates of predation on white-tailed deer fawns which may partially explain the decline in deer numbers observed in portions of the Southeast over the last decade. Improving understanding of the dynamics among deer, predators, and their habitats is essential to improve management. This project will be conducted in two parts, a deer study and a coyote study. The deer study will focus on monitoring of adult female deer and their fawns to assess survival and habitat use relative to predators. The coyote study will involve estimation of coyote abundance across South Carolina. Our aim is to provide managers with recommendations for management of deer and predator populations and habitats to ensure the sustainability of deer populations to meet ecological, cultural, and recreational goals.

Animal Health Component

0%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

20%

Applied

80%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
135	0830	3100	60%
123	0850	3100	30%
135	0899	1070	10%

Knowledge Area
135 - Aquatic and Terrestrial Wildlife; 123 - Management and Sustainability of Forest Resources;

Subject Of Investigation
0850 - Wildlife habitats; 0830 - Wild animals; 0899 - Wildlife and natural fisheries, general/other;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology; 3100 - Management;

Keywords

white-tailed deer

coyote

management

survival

abundance estimation

Goals / Objectives
Objectives:1) Examine survival and cause-specific mortality of white-tailed deer fawns2) Evaluate home range size and habitat selection of female white-tailed deer and fawns3) Evaluate the influence of mast production on space use patterns of female white-tailed deer4) Estimate coyote densities among regions in South Carolina5) Evaluate coyote densities relative to landscape composition and other variablesThis project will support all three strategic goals of the McIntire-Stennis Program, including: 1) providing training for two Master of Science students and one Doctor of Philosophy student; 2) strengthen relationships with multiple strategic partners including Georgia Department of Natural Resources, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, South Carolina Forestry Commission, and U.S. Forest Service; and 3) communicate the importance of the McIntire-Stennis Program by highlighting support of the program in all publications and presentations resulting from the research.

Project Methods
Deer StudyDeer capture and handling.-We began capture of adult (>1.5 years old) does in 2017 and will continue capture adult does through 2020 following deer hunting seasons and prior to parturition each year. We plan to primarily capture does by rocket-netting over bait sites. Deer captured in rocket nets, box/clover traps, and drop nets will be manually restrained, blindfolded, hobbled, and chemically immobilized. For all deer chemically immobilized, we will reverse xylazine hydrochloride with 160 mg of tolazoline hydrochloride. We will radio-collar each adult doe captured, affix eartags, and implant a Vaginal Implant Transmitter (VIT) with a proximity sensor.Fawn monitoring.-We will allow a period of >3 hours after expulsion of the VIT before initiating a search for neonates to allow mother-offspring bonding to occur. Upon capture, we will manually restrain neonates, determine their sex and weight, and take morphometric measurements. We will affix an expandable breakaway radio-collar, affix eartags, and release neonates at the site of capture. We will radio-collar siblings and other fawns captured opportunistically.Neonate radio-collars will have a motion-sensitive mortality switch on a 4-hour delay. Similar to Kilgo et al. (2014), we will monitor neonates every 8 hours within the first 4 weeks of life, 1-3 times daily to 12 weeks of age, weekly until 16 weeks of age, and 1-4 times monthly to 12 months of age. We will triangulate locations of does and fawns 3 times per week to delineate seasonal home ranges and to identify landscape-level habitat use. We will investigate mortalities immediately upon detection, observing for predators and evidence of predators in the vicinity of the carcass (i.e., scat, hair, tracks). We will collect samples for DNA testing, including residual saliva in bite wounds and on collars, and predator scat and hair. When cause of death cannot be determined through field necropsy, we will submit carcasses to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study for necropsy.Deer survival analysis.-We will estimate survival rates for fawns and adult does using the Kaplan-Meier estimator (Kaplan and Meier 1958) generalized for the staggered entry case (Pollock et al. 1989). All survival analyses will be completed in program R using package 'survival' (R Core Team 2013; Therneau 2014). Using an information theoretic approach and Cox proportional hazard functions, we will also investigate the influence of covariates (e.g., year, study site, habitat) on fawn survival.Deer home range and habitat selection.-We will evaluate home range size and habitat selection for fawns and adult does. For fawns, we will estimate home range size post-parturition until fawns are recruited into the fall population using minimum convex polygons. We will then evaluate non-random habitat selection for fawns by using a resource selection function approach (Manly et al. 2002). For adult does, we will estimate annual and seasonal home ranges using dynamic Brownian bridge movement models (dBBMM; Kranstauber et al. 2012). We will use the aforementioned resource selection function approach to evaluate doe habitat selection. Using the dBBMM, we can also evaluate the influence of mast production on home range size and habitat selection.Coyote StudySampling design.-We will select 2 sample sites per ecoregion across South Carolina: Piedmont, Southeastern Plains, and Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain. With the Savannah River Site serving as an additional sample area within the Southeastern Plains ecoregion, we will sample a total of 7 sites. Each sample site will be approximately 800 km­2. We will use a combination of landscape-level characteristics derived from the 2011 National Land Cover Database (NLCD 2011) ArcGIS layer as well as the software program FRAGSTATS (McGarigal et al. 2012) to compare sample sites to their respective ecoregions. Sites will be selected based on their relative similarity to their ecoregion. Within each sample site we will identify an evenly distributed network of transects on low maintenance, secondary roads totaling 80 km using ArcGIS (ESRI 2016). We will conduct sampling during the summers of 2019 and 2020. Coyotes typically raise pups from June-August (Smith et al. 1981). Space use by coyotes in the Southeast during the summer months has been shown to be localized with both resident and transient individuals exhibiting limited movements and small home range sizes. Additionally, coyote populations experience the lowest level of mortality in the summer (University of Georgia, unpublished data). Due to these demographic characteristics, coyote populations during the summer may be assumed to be closed, an important requirement for capture-recapture studies (Royle et al. 2013a). By June, pups should be weaned and precocious, meaning that sampling will capture coyote populations at their yearly peak (Harrison et al. 1991, Mastro et al. 2011).We will sample each site for a 2-week period. We will collect any scat found and mark the location using a GPS. For each sample we will select a 2-cm portion of scat and place it into a sealed plastic bag and keep the sample cool until transfer to a deep freezer set at -20°C. We will repeat sampling procedures every 3 days for the duration of the sampling period. This will result in a total of 5 sampling events for each sampling period within each sample site per season.DNA genotyping.-At the Savannah River Ecological Laboratory we will extract DNA from each sample using Qiagen's AIAmp DNA Stool Mini kit (Qiagen, Valencia, California, USA). We will store extracted DNA at -20°C prior to amplification and genotyping. We will genotype samples using 10 microsatellite DNA markers and determine individuals (Breen et al. 2001).Spatial capture-recapture estimates of coyote densities.-We will use spatial capture-recapture (SCR) to estimate abundance and density of coyotes within each sample site. SCR models use distance from estimated activity centers of individuals (i.e., home ranges) to build detection probabilities across space (Royle et al. 2013a, 2013b). Trap location is then related to these detection probabilities to assess the likelihood of detection or "capture" at each individual trap. By genotyping georeferenced scat samples, we will be able to construct encounter histories of unique individuals. We will then divide transects into discrete sections or "traps." By fitting capture locations and detection probabilities to a SCR model, we will be able to assess abundance and density of coyotes across sample sites.Resource selection of coyotes.-Royle et al. (2013a, 2013b) described how SCR can be used not just to estimate abundance and density of wild populations but also incorporate animal's space use into 2nd order resource selection. Using our estimates of coyote abundance across sample sites along with ArcGIS data from the 2011 National Land Cover Database (NLCD 2011), we will develop resource selection functions to describe coyote habitat use in South Carolina. This will be done by relating spatial variation in coyote densities, estimated by SCR modeling, with habitat covariates important to coyotes (i.e., forest, early successional/open, edge, etc.).Population genetic structure of coyote populations.-We will assess population genetic structure across South Carolina by considering all genotyped individuals at each of the 7 sample sites as a unique population.

Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:The results of this project were presented to professional, academic, and public audiences. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has providedprofessional and academic training for two Master of Science students and one Doctor of Philosophy student. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Through updates to our strategic partners (including reports and theses) and presenting the work of the project at conferences, we have disseminated information to communities of interest What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to collect and analyze our data to support publication of the results in scientific journals. We also anticipate presenting the preliminary results at professional conferences and in public forums in the coming year.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Data collection and final analyses continue to develop final recommendations in support of these goals.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rosenberger, J., Edge, A., Yates, C., Miller, K., Osborn, D., Killmaster, C., . . . DAngelo, G. (2020). Movements of female white-tailed deer and hunters in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. In 27th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: DAngelo, G. (2020). Appalachian deer herds: struggling to keep a foothold. In Quality Deer Management Association, Whitetail Weekend. Athens, GA.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rosenberger, J., Boley, B., Edge, A., Yates, C., Miller, K., Osborn, D., . . . DAngelo, G. (2020). Satisfaction of public land hunters during long-term deer population decline. Wildlife Society Bulletin: perspectives on wildlife conservation and sustainable use
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Yates, C. J. 2020. Resource selection, home ranges, and movements of white-tailed deer in the mountains of northern Georgia. Thesis. University of Georgia, Athens.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rosenberger, J. P. 2020. Movements of public land white-tailed deer hunters and adult female deer and an evaluation of hunter satisfaction, motivations, and preferences in the mountains of northern Georgia. Thesis. University of Georgia, Athens.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Youngmann, J., Lance, S., Kilgo, J., Ruth, C., Cantrell, J., & DAngelo, G. (2020). Diet analysis of coyote scat in South Carolina, USA through DNA metabarcoding. Poster session presented at the meeting of 27th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Edge, A., Yates, C., Rosenberger, J., Little, A., Killmaster, C. H., Johannsen, K. L., . . . DAngelo, G. (2020). Do habitat characteristics affect white-tailed deer fawn survival in the Appalachian Mountains of North Georgia?. Poster session presented at the meeting of 43rd Annual Meeting of the Southeast Deer Study Group, Auburn, AL
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rosenberger, J., Boley, B., Miller, K., Edge, A., Yates, C. J., Osborn, D., . . . DAngelo, G. (2020). Human dimensions of managing public land deer hunting in the North Georgia Mountains. Poster session presented at the meeting of 43rd Annual Meeting of the Southeast Deer Study Group, Auburn, AL
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Yates, C., Edge, A. C., Rosenberger, J. P., Little, A. R., Killmaster, C. H., Johannsen, K. L., . . . DAngelo, G. (2020). Space use of white-tailed deer relative to acorns, black bears, and wild pigs in the North Georgia Mountains. Poster session presented at the meeting of 43rd Annual Meeting of the Southeast Deer Study Group, Auburn, AL
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Youngmann, J. L., Kilgo, J. C., Lance, S. L., Miller, K. V., Ruth, C., & DAngelo, G. (2020). DNA metabarcoding of coyote scat to assess diet in South Carolina. Poster session presented at the meeting of 43rd Annual Meeting of the Southeast Deer Study Group, Auburn, AL

Progress 07/01/19 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:The results of this project were presented to academic audiences at professional conferences, to managers at workshops and through personal communication, and to the public. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate students are learning scientific methodologies and communication strategies for oral and written communication. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been presented to professional, academic and public audiences through presentations and meetings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Data collection will continue and advanced analyseswill be conducted. Manuscripts will begin to be developed.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This is an on-going project. Therefore, data collection to support the objectives was continued and analysis is underway. Three graduate students continue to be trained while working on the project.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rosenberger, J. P., Edge, A. C., Yates, C. J., D Angelo, G., Miller, K. V., Killmaster, C. H., . . . Osborn, D. A. (2019). Space use comparison of deer and hunters in the North Georgia Mountains. 12th Southern Forestry and Natural Resource Management GIS Conference. December 9, 2019. Athens, Georgia
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Youngmann, J. L., D Angelo, G. J., Kilgo, J. C., Lance, S. L., Miller, K. V., & Ruth, C. (2019). Use of fecal genotyping and spatial capture-recapture to investigate population density, resource selection, and genetic structure of coyotes in South Carolina. 26th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society. September 29-October 3, 2019. Reno, Nevada
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rosenberger, J. P., Edge, A. C., Yates, C. J., D Angelo, G. J., Boley, B. B., Miller, K. V., . . . Osborn, D. A. (2019). What keeps them coming back? An evaluation of deer hunters satisfaction and preferences for hunting in the North Georgia Mountains. 26th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society. September 29-October 3, 2019. Reno, Nevada
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Edge, A. C., Yates, C. J., Rosenberger, J. P., D Angelo, G. J., Little, A. R., Killmaster, C. H., . . . Miller, K. V. (2019). Survival and mortality investigations of white-tailed deer fawns in the Appalachian Mountain Region of Georgia: preliminary data. 26th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society. September 29-October 3, 2019. Reno, Nevada
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rosenberger, J. P., Edge, A. C., Yates, C. J., D Angelo, G. J., Miller, K. V., Killmaster, C. H., . . . Osborn, D. A. (2019). Comparison of space use by deer hunters and adult female deer during hunts in the North Georgia Mountains. 26th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society. September 29-October 3, 2019. Reno, Nevada
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Edge, A. C., Yates, C. J., Rosenberger, J. P., D Angelo, G. J., Little, A. R., Killmaster, C. H., . . . Miller, K. V. (2019). Cause-specific mortality of white-tailed deer fawns in the Appalachian Mountains of Georgia. 42nd Annual Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting. February 17-19, 2019. Louisville, Kentucky
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Yates, C. J., Edge, A. C., Rosenberger, J. P., D Angelo, G. J., Little, A. R., Killmaster, C. H., . . . Miller, K. V. (2019). Occupancy and space use of white-tailed deer in the north Georgia mountains. 42nd Annual Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting. February 17-19, 2019. Louisville, Kentucky
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rosenberger, J. P., Edge, A. C., Yates, C. J., D Angelo, G. J., Boley, B. B., Miller, K. V., . . . Johannsen, K. L. (2019). Movements of white-tailed deer and hunters, and an evaluation of hunter perceptions and preferences in the North Georgia Mountains. 42nd Annual Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting. February 17-19, 2019. Louisville, Kentucky
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Youngmann, J. L., D Angelo, G. J., Kilgo, J. C., Lance, S. L., Miller, K. V., & Ruth, C. (2019). Use of fecal genotyping and spatial capture-recapture modeling to investigate coyote abundance in South Carolina. 42nd Annual Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting. February 17-19, 2019. Louisville, Kentucky