I monitored 60 radio-collared and tagged pen-raised white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to ascertain mortality rates on three areas in Louisiana from April 2001 - April 2002. Two of 60 were not used in the analysis because mortality occurred from complications with darting and an affixed radio-collar. Study deer were exposed to legal hunting mortality only if they emigrated from the three study areas. Twenty deer were released to the wild on the Louisiana State University Deer Study Area (LSUDSA) (4,810 ha), where 9 of 20 (45%) suffered mortality. Harvest accounted for 56%, vehicles 22%, and other 22% of the mortality on the LSUDSA. Two groups of 20 were released into 2 high fence enclosures, (275 ha and 608 ha), where 4 of 20 (20%) and 1 of 18 (6%) suffered mortality, respectively. Other mortality accounted for 100% of the losses in the high fence enclosures. Mortality rates were significantly lower in penned deer than in the released deer (Chi-Square 8.33 2df, P<0.05). These results suggest that high fence enclosures reduce emigration and hence deaths caused by hunting and vehicles and may reduce overall mortality. These results also suggest that a higher harvestable surplus may result from high fencing.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-04152004-114153 |
| Date | 11 May 2004 |
| Creators | Fortier, Barret Keith |
| Contributors | Elmer Godeny, Robert H. Chabreck, John Andrew Nyman |
| Publisher | LSU |
| Source Sets | Louisiana State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04152004-114153/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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