Deer Management: Deer Research
Featured Article of the Month
As part of an effort to keep up to date with the latest in deer research and to explore past research we will post an article to this section each month in the hopes that you will enjoy the opportunity to learn more about white-tailed deer. The articles will cover a broad array of topics and may span several decades of information.
Feel free to suggest articles for us to feature by emailing us at: michdeer@gmail.com
Featured Article for this month: Response of Deer to Winter Weather
By: John J. Ozoga and Leslie W. Gysel
Abstract: Mechanical traffic counters were used to monitor daily activity of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)in a conifer swamp deeryard in northern lower Michigan during the winter of 1963-64. Findings indicate that use of protective (dense) cover by deer increased during periods of low temperature and high calculated air chill, despite the lack of deep snow. We assume that differences in recorded activity actually represent shelter-seeking movements of deer into the conifer swamp in response to increasing severity of weather. Based on 748 traffic counts, the most consistent peak of deer activity occurred from mid- to late afternoon, 60 percent of the movement being recorded between sunrise and sunset.
For the full article click here
Please see below for lists of past articles we have featured. To view the full article please click on the title.
Sledding on a Bushy Hillside: The Fat Cycle in Deer by William W. Mautz
Regulating Hunter Baiting for White-tailed Deer in Michigan: Biological and Social Considerations by Brent A. Rudolph, Shawn J. Riley, Graham J. Hickling, Brian J. Frawley, Mark S. Garner, Scott R. Winterstein
Effects of Selective-Harvest Strategies on White-tailed Deer Antler Size by Bronson K. Strickland, Stephen Demarais, Larry E. Castle, Jim W. Lipe, William H. Lunceford, Harry A. Jacobson, Don Frels, Karl V. Miller
Comparative Breeding Behavior and Performance of Yearling vs. Prime-age White-tailed Bucks by John J. Ozoga and Louis J. Verme
100 Years of Deer Management in Michigan by Ed Langenau
Also, look to the left for a list of current reports.