White-Tailed Deer Habitats in the Central Black Hills Author(S): Christopher S
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Society for Range Management White-Tailed Deer Habitats in the Central Black Hills Author(s): Christopher S. Deperno, Jonathan A. Jenks, Steven L. Griffin, Leslie A. Rice, Kenneth F. Higgins Reviewed work(s): Source: Journal of Range Management, Vol. 55, No. 3 (May, 2002), pp. 242-252 Published by: Allen Press and Society for Range Management Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4003130 . Accessed: 11/01/2012 12:54 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Allen Press and Society for Range Management are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Range Management. http://www.jstor.org J. Range Manage. 55: 242-252 May2002 White-tailed deer habitats in the central Black Hills CHRISTOPHER S. DEPERNO, JONATHAN A. JENKS, STEVEN L. GRIFFIN, LESLIE A. RICE, AND KENNETH F. HIGGINS Authorsare Deer Project Leader, MinnesotaDepartment of Natural Resources, Farmland WildlifePopulations and Research Group,Madelia, Minn. 56062; Professor, Departmentof Wildlifeand Fisheries Sciences, South Dakota State University,Brookings, S.D. 57007; WildlifeBiologist, South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, 3305 W. South Street, Rapid City, S.D. 57702: RetiredSenior WildlifeBiologist, South Dakota Departmentof Game, Fish and Parks, 3305 W. South Street, Rapid City, S.D. 57702: Professor, South Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, USGS-BRD, South Dakota State University,Brookings, S.D. 57007. Abstract Resumen White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus dacotensis Zimm.) El numero de venados cola blanca (Odocoileus virginianus numbers in the central Black Hills have declined since the middle dacotensis Zimm.) del area central de Black Hills ha disminuido 1970s. Population status has been documented by a decline in desde mediados de la decada de los 70's. El estado de la hunter success, deer reproductive success, and fawn survival. poblacion ha sido documentado por una reduccion en el exito de Most management agencies believe habitat deterioration is the la caceria, la reproduccion exitosa del venado y la sobrevivencia primary cause of population decline in the Black Hills. We evalu- de los cervatos. La mayoria de las agencias de manejo creen que ated habitat selection for a white-tailed deer herd in the central el deterioro del habitat es la causa principal de la disminucion de la poblacion en Black Hill. Evaluamos la seleccion de habitat por Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. From July 1993- un hato de venados cola blanca en la region central de Black Hill July 1996, 73 adult and yearling doe and 12 adult and yearling en South Dakota y Wyoming. De Julio de 1993 a Julio de 1996, a buck white-tailed deer were radiocollared and visually moni- 73 hembras adultas y juveniles y 12 machos adultos y juveniles tored. Habitat information was collected at 4,662 white-tailed de venado cola blanca se les coloco un radiotransmisor y se mon- deer locations and 1,087 random locations. During winter, white- itorearon visualmente. La informacion del habitat se colecto en tailed deer selected ponderosa pine- (Pinus ponderosa P. & C. 4,662 localidades de venado cola blanca y 1,078 localidades Lawson) deciduous and burned pine cover types. Overstory- aleatorias. Durante el invierno, el venado cola blanca seleccion6 understory habitats selected included pine/grass-forb, pine/bear- los tipos de cobertura de pino ponderosa (Pinus ponderosa P. & berry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng.), pine/snowberry C. Lawson) deciduo y quemados. Los haibitats con cobertura (Symphoricarpos albus L.), burned pine/grass-forb, and superior/inferior seleccionados incluyeron pino/zacate-hierba, pino/ "Bearberry"(Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng.), pino/ pine/shrub habitats. Structural stages selected included sapling- "Snowberry" (Symphoricarpos albus L.), pino quemado/zacate- pole pine stands with > 70% canopy cover, burned pine sapling- hierba y pino/arbusto. Las etapas estructurales seleccionados pole and saw-timber stands with < 40% canopy cover. During incluyeron poblaciones de plkantulasde pino con una cobertura summer, white-tailed deer selected pine-deciduous, aspen de copa mayor al 70%, poblaciones de plantulas de pino quema- (Populus tremuloides Michx.), aspen-coniferous, spruce (Picea do y poblaciones de pino aserrado con menos del 40% de cober- glauca (Moench) Voss), and spruce-deciduous cover types. tura. Durante el verano, el venado cola blanca selecciono cober- Overstory-understory habitats selected included pine/juniper turas del tipo pino-deciduo, alamo (Populus tremuloides Michx.), (Juniperus communis L.), aspen/shrubs, spruce/juniper, and ailamo-coniferas, picea (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) y picea- spruce/shrub habitats. Structural stages selected included pine, deciduo. Los haibitats de cobertura alta-baja seleccionados aspen, and spruce sapling pole stands with all levels (0-40%, incluyeron haibitats de pino/enebro (Juniperus communis L.), ailamo/arbustos, picea/enebro y picea/arbustos. Los niveles 41-70%, 71-100%) of canopy cover. Results supported low habi- estructurales seleccionados incluyeron poblaciones de plantulas tat quality as a factor involved with the decline of the deer popu- de pino, ailamo y picea con todos los niveles (0-40%, 41-70%, lation. We recommend that habitat management techniques, 71-100%) de cobertura de copa. Los resultados apoyan la baja such as aspen regeneration and prescribed burns, be used to calidad del habitat como un factor involucrado en la disminucion improve the habitat base in the central Black Hills. de la poblaci6n de venados. Recomendamos que tecnicas de manejo del haibitat, tales como la regeneracion del alamo y los fuegos prescritos, sean utilizadas para mejorar el habitat base en la regi6n central de Black Hills. This study was supported by Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Fund, Project W-75-R through the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks (Study Numbers 7563 and 7564). D. Flory, J. McCormick, D. Knowlton, S. Clark, B. Bol, D. Beck, and B. A. Hippensteel provided field assistance. We thank L. D. Flake, Key Words: aspen regeneration, Black Hills, habitat quality, M. K. Johnson, G. E. Larson, and J. Vandever for their review of this manuscript. habitat selection, Odocoileus virginianus dacotensis, prescribed T. Klinkner and J. Giudice provided editorial assistance. We wish to thank the burns, South Dakota, white-tailed deer, Wyoming USDA, Forest Service, Pactola and Harney Ranger Districts and all landowners that allowed access to their property throughout this study. Manuscript accepted 7 Sep. 01. 242 JOURNAL OF RANGE MANAGEMENT55(3) May 2002 White-taileddeer (Odocoileus virgini- type of cover used for fawningmay influ- southeast direction from high elevation anus dacotensis Zimm.) are an important ence the survivalrate of fawns, does seek summer ranges to low elevation winter economic resourcewithin the Black Hills isolation in areas where hiding cover is ranges and generally occurs between of South Dakota and throughout North abundant(King and Smith 1980, Fox and August and February (DePerno 1998, America. Williamson and Doster (1981) Krausman 1994). We hypothesized that Griffinet al. 1999). Typical springmigra- estimated that each white-tailed deer in white-taileddeer in the centralBlack Hills tion is in a northwestdirection from low NorthAmerica generates about $1,657 per select habitatson summerrange that con- elevation winter ranges to high elevation year throughconsumptive and non-con- tain abundant forage (stands with low summer ranges and generally occurs sumptiveuses. Restaurants,lodges, conve- overstorycover and significantshrub bio- between 17 and 23 May (DePerno 1998, nience stores, and gas stations receive mass) andcover (standswith high oversto- Griffinet al. 1999). Public land withinthe income from visitors attempting to ry cover and significant shrub biomass) studyarea is managedby the UnitedStates observe white-tailed deer (Martin and necessary to enhance reproductive suc- Departmentof AgricultureForest Service, Gum 1978, Wallace et al. 1991). cess, while selecting habitats on winter within the Pactola, Harney, and Elk Annually,the Black Hills deer herdgener- range that contain abundantforage and MountainRanger Districts, primarilyfor ates over $2 million dollars,in additionto cover necessaryto reducethermal stress. timberproduction and livestockgrazing (1 license fees (Richardson and Peterson June-31 October). 1974), with each residenthunter spending Winter range consists primarily of approximately$372/year (United States Study Area monotypic stands of ponderosa pine Fish andWildlife Service 1993). (Pinus ponderosa P. & C. Lawson) inter- White-taileddeer numbersin the central The Black Hills is an isolatedmountain- spersedwith standsof burnedpine, quak- Black Hills have declinedsince the middle ous area in western South Dakota and ing aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), 1970's (Griffin et al. 1992, Griffin 1994) northeastWyoming that extends approxi- and paper birch (Betula papyrifera andDePemo (1998) estimatedthis popula- mately 190 km northto south and 95 km Marsh.) (McIntosh