forage is an important consideration in habitat management, 

 the ways in which it is important include more than simply 

 quantity, and other aspects of habitat may be of equal 

 importance in management. For example, more recently, with 

 the advent of heavier hunting pressure, the importance of 

 cover has also received increased recognition. 



General Approach to Management 



The general approach to deer management we recommend 

 remains very similar to that outlined in earlier Montana Deer 

 Studies reports (Mackie et al . 1980, 1985). Here, we discuss 

 the conceptual basis for a general approach to deer 

 management. Findings of this study together with those of 

 other Montana deer studies indicate that each deer population 

 is a unique product of its total environment. The range of 

 characteristics and responses for each important population 

 can be established, indicating the range of potential 

 management options . Our model of population-habitat 

 relationships and dynamics (Fig. 1.4) indicates that the level 

 and variability of resource outputs interacting with animal 

 strategy determines population dynamics. Thus, the first step 

 of management is to gather data on characteristics and 

 variability of both the deer population and the environment. 

 Though both types of data are desirable, one can often be 

 inferred from the other. Population characteristics that 

 should be measured include: population size, sex and age 

 composition, harvest size and composition, seasonal 

 distribution, and mortality patterns. Habitat variables to be 

 similarly quantified include: seasonal and annual temperature 

 and precipitation, snowfall, winter severity, and plant 

 phenology, especially timing and length of the "green" period. 

 In most cases, these data will be available for 10 years or 

 more; if not, collection should begin immediately. Most of 

 the necessary environmental data will usually be available for 

 correlating environmental events and characteristics with 

 population responses. Such correlation will result in some 

 degree of predictability for population responses. Management 

 strategies can be based on expected population behavior and 

 thus, if desirable , can be specific to individual populations. 



Population Evaluation and Management 



Harvest Management 



Harvest strategies and management will vary among 

 individual managers, with the desires of local hunters, 

 landowners, and outfitters, and with local environmental 

 characteristics. Thus, management depends as much upon 

 psychological, sociological, and economic considerations as 

 upon ecological considerations. For instance, some managers 

 and hunters prefer consistency of hunting regulations across 



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