ABSTRACT
Historical Perspective on White-tailed Deer Abundance ....................................................................... 252 Denitions .............................................................................................................................................. 253 Deer Population Dynamics .................................................................................................................... 254 Factors Affecting Prey Vulnerability ...................................................................................................... 255
Perceived Risk of Predation and Habitat Avoidance ......................................................................... 257 Predator-Deer Case Histories ................................................................................................................ 259
South-Central British Columbia ....................................................................................................... 259 Colorado ............................................................................................................................................ 259 Southern Illinois ................................................................................................................................ 260 Maine ................................................................................................................................................ 260 Southwestern Lower Michigan ......................................................................................................... 260 North-Central Minnesota .................................................................................................................. 260 Northeastern Minnesota .....................................................................................................................261 Southwestern Minnesota ................................................................................................................... 261 Montana ............................................................................................................................................ 261 New Brunswick ................................................................................................................................ 262 Nova Scotia ...................................................................................................................................... 262 Oklahoma .......................................................................................................................................... 262 Western Oregon ................................................................................................................................. 262 Central Pennsylvania ........................................................................................................................ 263 King Ranch, Texas ............................................................................................................................ 263 Southern Texas .................................................................................................................................. 263 South-Central Texas .......................................................................................................................... 264 Welder Wildlife Refuge, Texas ......................................................................................................... 264 West-Central Texas ........................................................................................................................... 264 Midwestern United States ................................................................................................................. 265 Washington ....................................................................................................................................... 266 Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 266
Enclosed or Isolated Deer Population Studies ....................................................................................... 266 Arizona .............................................................................................................................................. 267 Angel Island, California .................................................................................................................... 267 George Reserve Deer Herd, Michigan .............................................................................................. 267 North Manitou Island, Michigan....................................................................................................... 268 Welder Wildlife Refuge, Texas ......................................................................................................... 268 Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 268
Predator Species Accounts ..................................................................................................................... 269 Wolves ............................................................................................................................................... 269 Coyotes ............................................................................................................................................. 271 Bears ................................................................................................................................................. 271
The relationships of prey species such as deer and their predators have been and continue to be highly controversial among scientists and lay persons alike. Several recent reviews of predation and its effects on ungulate populations have helped to shed some light on this topic and bring new ndings to the forefront. Reviews have been conducted by Mech (1984) for white-tailed deer, Ballard and Van Ballenberghe (1998a) for moose, Bergerud (1983, 1988) and Bergerud et al. (1984) for caribou, and Ballard et al. (2001) for mule and black-tailed deer. Here I provide an update of scientic studies on white-tailed deer since Mech’s (1984) summary.
