ABSTRACT
The track-pellet group method relies on deer tracks made during a known period of time since the end of the most recent snowfall and confines searching to just that ground where deer have walked. No attempt was made to distinguish individual deer as the tracks are followed into the plot. The major difference between the two calculations was the refined time estimate used to determine the number of deer per acre in the track-pellet group count. In conclusion, pellet group counting can give good deer population estimates, but there may be problems associated with its use. In actuality, the pellet group count gives only an estimate of the average number of deer per unit area; all deer could die or leave the area the day before sampling, and there would be no change in the estimate. However, even considering the potential problems, in many circumstances pellet group methods can give quick, fairly accurate, and relatively inexpensive estimates of deer populations.
