Easily the most common of America’s large wildlife species, white-tailed deer are often referred to as "overabundant." But when does a species cross the threshold from common to overpopulated? This question has been the focus of debate in recent years among hunters, animal rights activists, and biologists. William McShea and his colleagues explore every aspect of the issue in The Science of Overabundance. Are there really too many deer? Do efforts to control deer populations really work? What broader lessons can we learn from efforts to understand deer population dynamics? Through twenty-three chapters, the editors and contributors dismiss widely held lore and provide solid information on this perplexing problem.
The objective of this research project is to collect information on specific life history parameters and evaluate accuracy of various population indices used for predicting changes in North Dakota's white-tailed deer populations. The information gathered from this study will provide the missing data that has prevented us from developing and implementing an effective population modeling effort. Additionally, we will collect ecological information on adult female white-tailed deer, as opportunity permits, to facilitate sound science-based management. The following thesis is a partial completion of this project.
This classic was first published in 1979. In 1928, six white-tailed deer were introduced to the Edwin S. George Reserve, a two-square-mile fenced area in southeastern Michigan. Six years later, in 1933, the first drive census showed 160 deer. This remarkable growth of deer population became a landmark in the young field of wildlife management. In this book, the author reassessed the results of previous studies on this deer herd done over the years and reported on his own studies over a twelve-year period. The latter period involved an intensive effort to elucidate the relationship of population density to birth and survival of offspring. The author's empirical population model, derived from his experiments, is compared to traditional population models used in ecology. The book is an account of the methods used, analyses performed, and models synthesized from the population data gathered at the Reserve. "I think this book is a must for all wildlife managers and for others interested in the population biology of large mammals. It should also be valuable to those generally interested in animal population ecology as it reads well and presents techniques and philosophical perspectives that are important beyond the narrowest perspective of white-tailed deer. McCullough's book will be widely quoted, and thus a necessary addition to many of our personal libraries." Journal of Mammology 62(1), 218 "The book is well written. Research workers, professors of population dynamics, and simulation modelers will all find this book of great value." Journal of Range Management 33(4) 318 "A technically sound, thorough evaluation of the subject matter makes this book a valuable contribution in the field of large mammal ecology and management." California Fish and Game 67(1) 68
Easily the most common of AmericaOs large wildlife species, white-tailed deer are often referred to as overabundant. But when does a species cross the threshold from common to overpopulated? William McShea and his colleagues explore every aspect of the issue in The Science of Overabundance, dismissing widely held lore and provide solid information on this perplexing problem.
Winner of the Wildlife Society Outstanding Edited Book Award for 2013! Winner of the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society Outstanding Book Award for 2011! Winner of a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award for 2011! Biology and Management of White-tailed Deer organizes and presents information on the most studied large mammal species in the world. The book covers the evolutionary history of the species, its anatomy, physiology, and nutrition, population dynamics, and ecology across its vast range (from central Canada through northern South America). The book then discusses the history of management of white-tailed deer, beginning with early Native Americans and progressing through management by Europeans and examining population lows in the early 1900s, restocking efforts through the mid 1900s, and recent, overabundant populations that are becoming difficult to manage in many areas. Features: Co-published with the Quality Deer Management Association Compiles valuable information for white-tailed deer enthusiasts, managers, and biologists Written by an authoritative author team from diverse backgrounds Integrates white-tailed deer biology and management into a single volume Provides a thorough treatment of white-tailed deer antler biology Includes downloadable resources with color images The backbone of many state wildlife management agencies' policies and a featured hunting species through much of their range, white-tailed deer are an important species ecologically, socially, and scientifically in most areas of North America. Highly adaptable and now living in close proximity to humans in many areas, white-tailed deer are both the face of nature and the source of conflict with motorists, home-owners, and agricultural producers. Capturing the diverse aspects of white-tailed deer research, Biology and Management of White-tailed Deer is a reflection of the resources invested in the study of the species’ effects on ecosystems, predator-prey dynamics, population regulation, foraging behavior, and browser physiology.
In 2003, a cadre of researchers set out to determine what combination of supplemental or natural nutrition and white-tailed deer population density would produce the largest antlers on bucks without harming vegetation. They would come to call this combination “the sweet spot.” Over the course of their 15-year experiment, conducted through the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University–Kingsville, Timothy E. Fulbright, Charles A. DeYoung, David G. Hewitt, Don A. Draeger, and 25 graduate students tracked the effects of deer density and enhanced versus natural nutrition on vegetation conditions. Through wet years and dry, in a semiarid environment with frequent droughts, they observed deer nutrition and food habits and analyzed population dynamics. Containing the results of this landmark, longitudinal study, in keeping with the Kleberg Institute’s mission, this volume provides science-based information for enhancing the conservation and management of Texas wildlife. Advanced White-Tailed Deer Management: The Nutrition–Population Density Sweet Spot presents this critical research for the first time as a reference for hunters, landowners, wildlife managers, and all those who work closely with white-tailed deer populations. It explains the findings of the Comanche-Faith Project and the implications of these findings for white-tailed deer ecology and management throughout the range of the species with the goal of improving management.
