Browsing by Subject "hemområde"

Managing a population of white-tailed deer requires knowledge about the dynamics of the population. Population dynamics include nativity, mortality and movements, which all depend on the density, sex ratio and age distribution of the population. Until now, there has not been any knowledge about the movements of the white-tailed deer in Finland. Because of this, the possibilities of managing the populations of white-tailed deer have been small. This study was conducted by following the movements of some 30 whitetails during 2008 – 2012, by using GPS-transmitters. The size of the home range, site fidelity and dispersal turned out to be depending on the density, sex ratio and age distribution of the population. The higher density, the smaller is the size of the home range and the higher is the site fidelity. The larger share of females, the smaller is the average home range size. The larger share of adult whitetails, the smaller is the average home range size. Established females had a home range of 394 – 5 619 hectares and established males had a home range of 847 – 5 248 hectares. Established whitetails were very site-faithful and the shortest distance between the centers of two home ranges used during two following years, was only 22 meters. The whitetails have turned out to use very large areas, compared to the size of the hunting grounds used by hunting clubs. For being able to manage a whitetail population, many hunting clubs have to co-operate regarding goals and management strategies. In general, an area of 100 000 hectares where the same strategies are applied, is required for managing a whitetail population.