Total annual mortality for adult males also exceeded 

 recruitment rates during 11 of 26 years; however, 3 of those 

 years were different from those observed for females. Hunter 

 harvests exceeded annual recruitment during 10 years and 

 equalled it during one (1961-62). Similar to females, hunter 

 harvests were generally not excessive in any year, if based on 

 long-term average recruitment. During 7 of 11 years of 

 population decline for males, however, recruitment rates were 

 much below the long-term average. 



The lower rates of winter loss for males than females 

 indicated that hunter harvests were less additive to other 

 forms of mortality for males than for females. Because of the 

 rut, adult males normally entered winter in poorer condition 

 than other deer and their mortality rate during winter was 

 expected to be high. However, because of heavy (>50%), 

 selective harvests of older and larger males, many of those 

 most likely to be in poorest condition after the rut were not 

 present during winter. The males least likely to be shot, 

 yearlings and mature animals that were not dominant breeders, 

 were those most likely to enter winter in better condition, 

 with the best chance of survival. 



Causes of Mortality 



Females 



Two major causes of adult female mortality were 

 identified: hunting and coyote predation. Of 77 marked adult 

 females known to have died during 1976-1986, 26 (34%) were 

 shot, and 6 others (8%) were presumed shot but not reported, 

 based on time of disappearance and other evidence. Thus, a 

 total of 42% of adult female mortality was categorized as 

 hunting-related. Five (19%) of the 26 certain hunting-related 

 deaths, were either crippling losses or illegal kills. Only 

 1 was known to have been illegally shot, though it is possible 

 that some classified as crippling loss were intentionally left 

 in the field. 



Nine deaths (12%) resulted from coyote predation during 

 winter and early spring. Additionally, 27 deaths (35%) for 

 which cause of death was not ascertained, occurred during 

 winter-spring. Predation was ruled out in 2 of those, but was 

 suspected to be the proximal cause of death for the remainder. 

 All mortality of unmarked deer during winter-spring, for which 

 cause was determined, was the result of coyote predation. 

 Additionally, almost all mortality of marked white-tailed deer 

 on the river bottoms adjacent to our study area and mule deer 

 on the uplands of the NCRCA study area during winter 1975-76 

 was attributed to coyote predation (Knowles 1976). 



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