Predators and deer
01-20-2009, 01:52 PM
#51
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 169
RE: Predators and deer
ORIGINAL: bluebird2
Here is what the PGC has to say about predation by yotes.
The PGC could offset the effects of predation by simply reducing the antlerless allocations, but since they want a smaller herd they don't really care about predation.
Here is what the PGC has to say about predation by yotes.
What effect do coyotes have on deer populations?
Response: Coyotes do kill deer, but they don't appear to be seriously impacting deer populations anywhere in the state. Studies in New England have shown that coyotes there are responsible for roughly 50 percent of known fawn losses. However, their research also revealed that more than three-quarters of all newborn deer survive. In Pennsylvania, our data also indicate that coyotes are not a major mortality factor in deer populations; they're no more significant than other mortality factors such as deer lost to highways, crop damage, dogs, starvation and poaching. All mortality factors -- excluding hunting --annually account for about 150,000 to 175,000 deer.
Response: Coyotes do kill deer, but they don't appear to be seriously impacting deer populations anywhere in the state. Studies in New England have shown that coyotes there are responsible for roughly 50 percent of known fawn losses. However, their research also revealed that more than three-quarters of all newborn deer survive. In Pennsylvania, our data also indicate that coyotes are not a major mortality factor in deer populations; they're no more significant than other mortality factors such as deer lost to highways, crop damage, dogs, starvation and poaching. All mortality factors -- excluding hunting --annually account for about 150,000 to 175,000 deer.
01-20-2009, 02:10 PM
#52
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,879
RE: Predators and deer
t is very much starting to look that way from the data,Or they have no clue about deer management. Not being a smart arse,But it is pointing that they want way lower than carrying capacity of the habitat by not taking predation into their equation.
They haven't been managing the herd based on the carrying capacity of the habitat since 1980. But ,now they are managing the herd in 2G at at least 30% below the goal they set in 2003 and the 2003 goal was below the MSY carrying capacity of the habitat.
01-20-2009, 02:55 PM
#54
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,879
RE: Predators and deer
I agree and that is what I have been saying for the past 8 years. I just used 2G as an example because it is the one WMU where the PGC has successfully reduced the herd below the goal it established in 2003. There is no question that the PGC is managing the herd below the carrying capacity of the habitat, because if it wasn't breeding rates would have increased as the herd was reduced.
01-20-2009, 03:18 PM
#56
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: PA.
Posts: 5,195
RE: Predators and deer
ORIGINAL: R.S.B.
No fox probably aren’t starving to death just like few deer actually starve to death. But, starving isn’t always the way nature reduces a wildlife population to keep it within the limits of its food supply. The more typical method of limiting wildlife populations is with lower reproductive rates or recruitment rates that fit the availability of the food supply.
I don’t know how many coyotes we have but the number really doesn’t matter anyway. They are here in all areas with suitable habitat and have been for a long time.
Here is a link that should help you become better informed on coyotes and how they function in nature.
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=458&q=163663
Besides personal observations also by being a Conservation Officer that monitors wildlife population trends by using volunteers that travel designated wildlife survey route each fall. As those volunteers have recorded increasing bobcat numbers they have also recorded declining coyote numbers.
That is an extremely rare occurrence. Read the above link.
Predation by any species was very low in the study area where they had suitable deer habitat and extremely high where the deer habitat has been degraded from year of high deer population.
Here is a link to the fawn study mortality facts.
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/lib/pgc/deer/pdf/fawn_survival.pdf
R.S. Bodenhorn
Are the foxes dieing of starvation then your saying? What is your guess of coyote population in your state?
No fox probably aren’t starving to death just like few deer actually starve to death. But, starving isn’t always the way nature reduces a wildlife population to keep it within the limits of its food supply. The more typical method of limiting wildlife populations is with lower reproductive rates or recruitment rates that fit the availability of the food supply.
I don’t know how many coyotes we have but the number really doesn’t matter anyway. They are here in all areas with suitable habitat and have been for a long time.
Here is a link that should help you become better informed on coyotes and how they function in nature.
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=458&q=163663
What evidence do you have in the decline of coyotes because the increase of bobcats?
Besides personal observations also by being a Conservation Officer that monitors wildlife population trends by using volunteers that travel designated wildlife survey route each fall. As those volunteers have recorded increasing bobcat numbers they have also recorded declining coyote numbers.
Most the time coyotes run in pairs or more. I would think they would attack a bobcat just to kill it as they do foxes.
Again they are protecting their food sources from other predators.
Again they are protecting their food sources from other predators.
That is an extremely rare occurrence. Read the above link.
They killed 22% of the fawns that are born. That was when your deer herd numbers was high. Now when you lowered your deer herds,What % of fawns for re-population won't make it thru the first year?
Predation by any species was very low in the study area where they had suitable deer habitat and extremely high where the deer habitat has been degraded from year of high deer population.
Here is a link to the fawn study mortality facts.
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/lib/pgc/deer/pdf/fawn_survival.pdf
R.S. Bodenhorn
no doubt about that.
01-20-2009, 03:19 PM
#57
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: PA.
Posts: 5,195
RE: Predators and deer
ORIGINAL: bluebird2
I agree and that is what I have been saying for the past 8 years. I just used 2G as an example because it is the one WMU where the PGC has successfully reduced the herd below the goal it established in 2003. There is no question that the PGC is managing the herd below the carrying capacity of the habitat, because if it wasn't breeding rates would have increased as the herd was reduced.
I agree and that is what I have been saying for the past 8 years. I just used 2G as an example because it is the one WMU where the PGC has successfully reduced the herd below the goal it established in 2003. There is no question that the PGC is managing the herd below the carrying capacity of the habitat, because if it wasn't breeding rates would have increased as the herd was reduced.