Apparently, the stigma of shooting fawns went beyond the 

 actual harvest. During 1981-1984, only 18% (range, 14-22%) of 

 the observed proportion of fawns checked was reported on post- 

 hunt questionnaires. 



The proximate cause for 21 (95%) of 22 deaths of radio- 

 collared fawns during winter was coyote predation. The 

 remaining fawn died as the direct result of malnutrition. All 

 unmarked fawns found dead during winter died as the result of 

 coyote predation (see Chapter 4). 



Ultimate Causes of Fawn Mortality 



Although the proximate cause of death for 73 (88%) of the 

 83 radio-collared fawns that died was coyote predation, we 

 also addressed other factors as potentially contributory or 

 predisposing fawns to predation. Other studies in the western 

 United States also determined that predation was the major 

 proximal cause of deer fawn mortality (Cook et al . 1971, 

 Beasom 1974, Steigers and Flinders 1980, Trainer et al . 1981, 

 and Stout 1982). The ultimate causes of mortality and their 

 population impacts have remained subjects of debate (Hamlin et 

 al. 1984). 



Beasom (1974) and Stout (1982) indicated that predator 

 control increased fawn survival. Circumstantial evidence on 

 our study area during the late 1940s and early 1950s also 

 indicated that predator control increased fawn survival . 

 Others (Knowlton 1976, Robinette et al . 1977 and Salwasser et 

 al . 1978) suggested that vegetation production, through its 

 impact on nutritional status and fawn hiding cover, may be an 

 ultimate factor in fawn mortality. Smith and LeCount (1979) 

 indicated that mule deer fawn survival in Arizona was related 

 to forb yield. Hamlin et al. (1984) also found a possible 

 relationship between forb yield and summer fawn mortality, but 

 suggested that the real relationship may have been between 

 alternate prey levels for coyotes and fawn mortality. They 

 suggested that populations of microtine rodents varied with 

 vegetation production. 



It has become axiomatic among many population biologists 

 and most wildlife managers that, ultimately, food shortage and 

 nutritional considerations are paramount in regulating 

 juvenile survival, especially in non-territorial species. The 

 concept that predators kill only the young, the old, the weak, 

 and the sick has been presented directly, or has its roots in 

 information presented to the public by these same scientists. 

 Implicit in this idea was the fact that food shortage often 

 caused these animals to be in poor physical condition, 

 predisposing them to predation. 



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