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Productivity and Physical Condition of White-Tailed Deer in New Hampshire

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Productivity and Physical Condition of White-Tailed Deer in New Hampshire University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Master's Theses and Capstones Student Scholarship Fall 2013 Productivity and physical condition of white-tailed deer in New Hampshire Nicholas Lucian Fortin University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis Recommended Citation Fortin, Nicholas Lucian, "Productivity and physical condition of white-tailed deer in New Hampshire" (2013). Master's Theses and Capstones. 809. https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis/809 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses and Capstones by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PRODUCTIVITY AND PHYSICAL CONDITION OF WHITE-TAILED DEER IN NEW HAMPSHIRE BY NICHOLAS LUCIAN FORTIN B.S., University of Maine, 2005 THESIS Submitted to the University of New Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science In Natural Resources: Wildlife September 2013 UMI Number: 1524314 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Di!ss0?t&iori Publishing UMI 1524314 Published by ProQuest LLC 2013. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 This thesis has been examined and approved. /\ jL Thesis Director, Dr. PejCer J. Pekins, Professor of Wildlife ana Conservation Biology, University of New Hampshire Kent A. Gustafson, Wildlife Programs Administrator^ New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Thomas L. Foxall, Professor of Animal Science University of New Hampshire Matthew D. Tarr, Extension Associate Professor of Wildlife and Conservation Biology University of New Hampshire ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project was a cooperative effort of the University of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, and was funded, in part, by Wildlife Restoration Program grant W-96-R-1 from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. I would like to thank NHFG, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources for sharing data with this project. I am grateful to the many NHFG personnel and citizens who assisted with collection of carcasses or biological samples. I would like to thank my graduate committee, Dr. Peter Pekins, Dr. Tom Foxall, Matt Tarr, and Kent Gustafson for their advice and guidance. I thank Tom Foxall for allowing the use of his lab and being very helpful to a field guy trying to do lab work. I thank Kent Gustafson for coordinating the majority of this project, sharing his data with me, and for providing invaluable knowledge and insight about New Hampshire’s deer herd. I am grateful to my advisor Pete Pekins for giving me the opportunity to work on this project. His exceptional knowledge and experience with deer research were very helpful, and his advice and trust in me made this experience enjoyable and fulfilling. Finally, I would like to thank my friends and family for their support and encouragement. I thank my fellow graduate students, particularly my officemates in the Leopold Lounge, for making my time at UNH fun and memorable. Specifically, I would like to thank Wes Smith, Haley Andreozzi, and Alexej Siren for letting me assist with their projects and get some much-needed time in the field. Most importantly, I would like to thank Emily Klein for her support and tolerance, and my parents Conrad and Janet Fortin for their unending support and instilling an initial interest in the natural world. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.......................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES...................................................................................................................viii ABSTRACT................................................................................................................................... x INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................1 STUDY AREA..............................................................................................................................3 I. PRODUCTIVITY OF WHITE-TAILED DEER IN NEW HAMPSHIRE....................... 6 Introduction.............................................................................................................................6 Methods.................................................................................................................................10 Sample Collection........................................................................................................10 Ovulation Rate.............................................................................................................. 11 Fecundity and Pregnancy Rates..................................................................................11 Breeding and Parturition Dates..................................................................................12 Comparison to Historic Productivity......................................................................... 13 Results....................................................................................................................................14 Ovulation.......................................................................................................................18 Pregnancy and Fecundity............................................................................................18 Breeding and Parturition............................................................................................. 25 Historical Comparison.................................................................................................25 Discussion.............................................................................................................................30 Breeding Chronology..................................................................................................35 Historical Comparisons...............................................................................................36 Conclusions...........................................................................................................................40 II. INFLUENCE OF WINTER WEATHER ON NUTRITIONAL CONDITION OF WHITE-TAILED DEER IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.................................................................42 Introduction...........................................................................................................................42 Methods................................................................................................................................ 46 Marrow Collection and Processing...........................................................................47 Fecal Sampling.............................................................................................................47 Glucocorticoid Extraction and Enzyme Immunoassay..........................................48 Winter Severity Data...................................................................................................49 Statistical Analyses...................................................................................................... 50 Results................................................................................................................................... 53 Marrow Fat................................................................................................................... 53 Fecal Glucocorticoids..................................................................................................56 Discussion.............................................................................................................................62 Fecal glucocorticoids...................................................................................................62 Marrow fat.................................................................................................................... 66 III. PRODUCTIVITY, RECRUITMENT, AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WHITE-TAILED DEER IN NORTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA.............................73 Introduction...........................................................................................................................73 Methods.................................................................................................................................77 Data Sources................................................................................................................. 77 Statistical Analyses.......................................................................................................80
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