ABSTRACT
Over the past 65 years, biologists have relied more on peer-reviewed publications than other sources for management, yet there are still numerous gaps in our knowledge about black-tailed and mule deer (i.e., deer). Habitat alteration from a myriad of stressors pose the most serious threat to the well-being and continued abundance of deer through stochastic population fluctuations. Deer population and habitat managers will face increased challenges from human population growth, climate change, weather events, fire, invasive species, and shifting dynamics of deer movement, predation, and disease. Plant communities will continue to vary in composition, vegetation structure, and nutritional quality, and we can expect increasingly altered succession and disturbance regimes. To be successful, biologists, managers, researchers, and administrators of deer programs must include all stakeholders in making decisions, cooperatively interact, and conduct research and management using an ecoregion approach. Current and future biologists should continue to address and concentrate more on at least 6 general areas: human influences on deer, human perceptions about wildlife, predators, disease, enhanced communication between scientists and the public, and enhanced cooperation in research at large geographical scales.
