Conservation Reserve Program is a key element for managing white-tailed deer populations at multiple spatial scales

Area of Science:

• Wildlife ecology
• Population dynamics
• Habitat management

Background:

• Understanding species-habitat relationships across spatial scales is crucial for effective wildlife management.
• White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations are influenced by landscape characteristics and winter severity.
• Optimal management strategies require knowledge of how these factors operate at different spatial scales.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate how landscape characteristics and winter severity influence white-tailed deer occurrence and abundance.
• To determine the impact of different spatial scales (1 km², 9 km², hunting unit) on these relationships.
• To inform management strategies for sustaining white-tailed deer populations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 10 years of winter aerial survey data for white-tailed deer in North Dakota.
• Employed generalized linear mixed effects models to analyze relationships.
• Assessed landscape characteristics and winter severity at three distinct spatial scales.

Main Results:

• Forest, wetland, and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands significantly influenced deer occurrence and abundance across scales.
• Habitat selection varied between home-range (9 km²) and finer (1 km²) spatial scales.
• Escape cover was critical at broad scales, while food resources (winter cropland) were important at finer scales.

Conclusions:

• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands are fundamental for sustaining white-tailed deer populations to meet recreational demands.
• Land managers should protect broad-scale escape cover (forest, wetland) and encourage fine-scale winter food resources.
• A spatial multi-scale approach involving partnerships is recommended for effective white-tailed deer management.