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Spotlight - Fawns and More
It All Starts With the Fawns
Rocky
Mountain mule deer are one of the most adaptable and widespread ungulates
in North America. Annually, mule deer provide more than three million hunters
and incalculable pleasures for millions of wildlife viewers. Unfortunately,
mule deer populations in many parts of their historical range are declining.
The effects of these declines go beyond deer, the hunter, and wildlife viewer.
They also impact revenues received by wildlife agencies for habitat projects.
Simply put, these declines are occurring because adult deer in the breeding
population die and are not being replaced.
Factors affecting recruitment
All
experts agree that having an adequate number of fawns maturing to breeding
adults is critical to sustaining mule deer herds. We know that weather, habitat
loss, disease, predation, and even highways take their toll on both fawns
and adults. We also know that several of these factors are clearly tied to
overall nutrition. However, one factor that has not been discussed as part
of this equation is the potential effects that increased human disturbance
may have on mule deer populations, particularly immediately before, during,
and after the rut.
Fawns-Bucks-Does, Where Does It All Start?
In the accompanying article Terry Messmer wrote ‘It all
starts with fawns’. In this article he discussed the importance of
fawn production and survival being the key to success for your deer herds.
In the last two paragraphs he discussed the importance of buck age structure
within a given population and the role they play in the fitness of a population.
He stated, “reduced numbers of mature breeding males in breeding populations
could further disrupt mule deer reproduction if immature bucks are unable
to breed (or might not know how to court and breed) available females”.
Having a good number of mature bucks in the population is a very important
part of mule deer biology. So my question is, does it really start with
the fawns, or does it start with the mature bucks? I guess this is kind
of like asking which came first the chicken or the egg. No doubt the health
and fitness of the does is equally important as well. If does are not ‘fit’,
they likely won’t even be breed. Terry goes on to say that the timing
and strategies of our harvest and the increased recreational access during
the fall and winter months could possibly be disrupting the biological mechanisms
regulating mule deer reproduction. These factors may inadvertently be contributing
to reported declines in deer abundance.
