ASSESSING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MIXED JACK PINE-HARDWOOD COVER TYPE TO THE WINTER DISTRIBUTION, MOVEMENTS, AND SURVIVAL OF WHITE-TAILED DEER IN CAMP RIPLEY, MINNESOTA
The goal of this study is to examine the relative influences of winter
severity and nutrition on use of the jack pine-hardwood habitat type as winter
thermal cover by white-tailed deer in Camp Ripley. Specific objectives will be
to determine or estimate the:
(1) distribution and home ranges of female deer on winter range,
(2) their seasonal migration patterns,
(3) habitat composition of their winter home ranges relative to winter severity,
(4) average, daily digestible energy intake as winters progress, and
(5) age specific survival and cause-specific mortality rates.
(6) Further, we will continue aerial, winter estimates of Camp Ripley's deer
population, which were begun during winter 1996-97 as a pilot study.
The specific habitat needs of white-tailed deer are a primary consideration when designing timber harvests in north central Minnesota. Camp Ripley is located in the Transition Zone of the state, and thermal cover at the Camp is quite different than in the Forest Zone and is characterized by mixed stands of jack pine and hardwoods. A thorough examination of thermal cover (i.e., jack pine) at Camp Ripley (and elsewhere in the Transition Zone) and its value to white-tailed deer is sorely needed.
Several studies have reported that deer increasingly utilize, and possibly,
depend on conifer stands for:
a) thermal cover as winter becomes more severe
b) as a source of nutrition.
c) as a refuge from wolf predation, thus, contributing to a "balance"
between the two species.
Recently, timber wolves have moved into and taken up residence within Camp Ripley's boundaries, and preliminary data indicate that their home range is relatively small, possibly due to the high deer densities. Further, there is an inverse relationship between winter severity and the nutritional condition of deer in Minnesota and a direct relationship between winter severity (e.g., snow depth) and wolf predation which may increase the relative importance of the mixed jack pine-hardwood habitat type to deer during severe winters.There has been little study of Camp Ripley's deer, thus reliable information concerning deer-habitat-wolf interactions to serve as a basis for sound management decisions is sparse and sorely needed. It is clear that we must significantly increase our knowledge of the functional relationship that exists between deer and thermal cover in the Transition Zone (i.e., Camp Ripley) under varying environmental conditions to better understand the range of habitats that will fulfill the needs of deer. Important to understanding this relationship, we must become more informed about the interactive roles of nutrition and predation pressure imposed by the recently established wolves. With the increasing interest to harvest jack pine stands within the Camp and the recent commencement of a wolf study, the timing for a study addressing these relationships is critical and wise with respect to the quality of information it would yield in support of the future management of deer.
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