Managing Habitats for White-tailed Deer in the Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains of South Dakota and Wyoming
Managing Habitats for White-tailed Deer in the Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains of South Dakota and Wyoming

Author: Carolyn Hull Sieg

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 24

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The white-tailed deer is one of the most studied animals in North America, yet much of the available information has been derived in ecosystems different from the Black Hills. The Black Hills are unique in that the dominant species, ponderosa pine, has excellent regenerative abilities. This attribute, combined with timber management practices and fire suppression efforts in the last century, has allowed pine to expand at the expense of other plant communities. A critical first step in maintaining viable white-tailed deer populations in the Black Hills is identifying key winter ranges. Given that protein and energy are limiting in winter forages in this region, the emphasis of management on these ranges should be to enhance forage quality and quantity. Prescribed burning and timber harvest can be used to enhance the forage base. Grazing systems designed to remove livestock from these key winter ranges before late summer will provide a greater portion of the woody plants for deer use. Research needs focus on understanding how changes in Black Hills community patterns have influenced deer foraging strategies and habitat use, and on the need for ecologically based techniques to maintain consistent forage quality. Addressing these needs in an ecosystem framework will result in habitat for not only deer, but also for a multitude of other animal and plant species.

White-Tailed Deer Habitat
White-Tailed Deer Habitat

Author: Timothy Edward Fulbright

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2013-04-26

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 1603449728

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The original, 2006 edition of Timothy Edward Fulbright and J. Alfonso Ortega-S.’s White-Tailed Deer Habitat: Ecology and Management on Rangelands was hailed as “a splendid reference for the classroom and those who make their living from wildlife and the land” and as “filling a niche that is not currently approached in the literature.” In this second, full-color edition, revised and expanded to include the entire western United States and northern Mexico, Fulbright and Ortega-S. provide a carefully reasoned synthesis of ecological and range management principles that incorporates rangeland vegetation management and the impact of crops, livestock, predation, and population density within the context of the arid and semiarid habitats of this broad region. As landowners look to hunting as a source of income and to the other benefits of managing for wildlife, the clear presentation of the up-to-date research gathered in this book will aid their efforts. Essential points covered in this new edition include: White-tailed deer habitat requirements Nutritional needs of White-tailed deer Carrying capacity Habitat management Hunting Focused across political borders and written with an understanding of environments where periodic drought punctuates long-term weather patterns, this revised and expanded edition of White-Tailed Deer Habitat: Ecology and Management on Rangelands will aid landowners, researchers, and naturalists in their efforts to integrate land management and use with sound ecological practices.