alternative by itself may only halt further population 

 decline or allow a very slow increase in the deer 

 population. 



3. Active intervention - The manager could attempt to hasten 

 the increase in deer numbers by reducing predator numbers 

 through various control techniques. Several studies 

 (Beasom 1974, Stout 1982) have shown that predator 

 control can significantly increase fawn survival. This 

 option may be vigorously opposed by some segments of the 

 public and enthusiastically supported by others. 



4. "Preventative" management - Where significant predator 

 populations are present, the manager can try to ensure 

 that hunter harvests do not reduce deer populations to 

 such low levels that they become significantly affected 

 by predation. For the Missouri River Breaks mule deer 

 population, that low was about 50-60% of observed 

 population highs. 



Of the 4 options, "preventative" management may be the 

 ideal, but significant population decline may also result from 

 severe weather or other non-hunting factors uncontrolled by 

 the manager. In such cases, only the other 3 options are 

 available. The choice among those depends upon many 

 circumstances. Where alternate prey populations seem to be 

 cyclic, it is advisable to know where those populations are 

 within cycles. For example, it might not be necessary to 

 initiate a predator control program when alternate prey 

 populations are naturally increasing. On the other hand, if 

 alternate prey populations have recently "crashed", predator 

 control measures may be more effective or important in 

 maintaining prey population stability. 



The option of predator control is particularly subject to 

 political, sociological, and economic considerations. Like 

 biology, any or all could support either side of the issue 

 depending upon location and circumstances. Given the probable 

 difficulty of implementing predator control, it is unlikely 

 that it could often be accomplished on a timely basis. 

 Nevertheless, predator control should not be ruled out of the 

 management repertoire if more rapid population increases are 

 desired. Also, the success of attempts to transplant, re- 

 establish, or otherwise increase low density populations of 

 some species may also depend upon local predator control. 



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