It wo\ild appear that starvation losses the first year reduced deer numbers 

 enough so that shortage of food was not as important a factor in 1959-60. 

 Although good figures on percentages of deer starved are very desirable, 

 so many carcasses are decayed and torn apart by scavengers that it is very 

 difficult to get accurate figures. Another way of assessing the effects 

 of the winter is by comparing the mortality found with the estimated deer 

 population as determined by pellet group counts. 

 Pellet Group Counts 



In an effort to obtain estimates of the numbers of deer wintering 

 In the different yards, pellet groups were counted on plots along the cruise 

 lines. The size and distribution of the plots was determined by the browse 

 survey which was carried out simultaneously. Plots were one chain long by 

 6.6 ft. wide (1/100 acre) with five chains between plot centres. Some 

 districts in which there was no problem of winter losses carried out the 

 pellet group counts and browse surveys only, while other districts did only 

 the dead deer counts in some yards. Results of the pellet group counts are 

 shown in Table No. 3. 



Column h in Table No. 3 was obtained by the following formula 



Total Croti sings x 100 x 6^0 

 Total Plots X 12.7 



where the 100 changes mean count to croti sings per acre and the 6^0 changes 



it to square miles. The 12.7 is the average nximber of croti sings per day, 



determined from captive deer in Michigan. Column 5 Is obtained by dividing" 



Column h by the average number of winter days, 195* Column 6 is obtained 



by multiplying Columns 1 and ?. 



Of these calculated columns, Column h is the most reliable. Due to 



deer movements, the length of time in a yard may differ considerably from the 



195 days. Also, it is difficult to determine how much area should be used in 



calculating Column 6 because of decreasing deer densities toward the outside 



of each yard. These questions may be answered by careful observation of the 



deer in future. For now. Columns 5 and 6 must be considered with reservations. 



It will be seen from Column k that the highest concentrations of deer were in 



two Parry Sound District yards, Ferrie and Shawanaga. The next highest were in 



the Massey yard, of Sudbury District and the Bertram yard of North Bay District. 



35 



