This indicates rather: cLeerly, that the loss of does -éné* fawns through 
crippling during the hunting season when compered with the legal removal wag 
pronouncedly higher than* that. of bucks. This can probably be explained by 
Me eres, 
the following reasons: 
Hunters plece a higher ‘premium on bucks then they.do on does and fawns: 
ConseGuently they exert a greater effort to recover wounded bucks than they 
do to recover nee and fawns. 
Some does ada fawns are undoubtedly killed by buck hunters through error 
and are left because the AROS fear apprehension by wardens. 
Because of their poor~ Sndition hunters pxobebas, leave some does that © 
‘bore fawns during the year and seek others in better physical condition. 
The proportion of dressed does to all does left in the woods compared with 
Similar data for pueks mene to corroborate ots SHUI INO a 
Fawns are ee Ait shot for does by some hunters and ‘left because of 
their inferior size and condition. ; 
During November and December of 1946 the writer questioned hunters, game 
wardens, and Forest Service: employees concerning the numbers of deer they had 
legally kilied and the numbers they had crippled and were unable to recover. 
It was felt that by questioning hunters with whom the writer was personally 
acquainted there would be little:if any reluctance on the pert of the hunters 
in admitting the crippling of a deer. The data thus obtained revealed that 
for 80 bucks killed there were.25 crippled, and for 21 does killed there were 
6-crippled. Crippled. deer in this instance represented 3l:and 29 percent of 
those killed for bucks and does: respectively. Interviews and questionnaires 
of this type to. determine the crippling loss are not satisfactory, however. 
Hunters, even -if perfectly. frank.in admitting. cripples, may sometimes wound 
deer and be uncounscious of-the fact. To offset’ this factor, deer are some- 
times knocked down, momentarily stunned, but gét‘up and bourd away relatively 
unharmed. Yet hunters may class them as wounded deer. Many wounded deer 
are shot and recovered laéter.by other Hunters. There.is .a:limited survival 
of crippréd deer that live through the winter to the following hunting season. 
Two bucks out of 199 bucks: 6nd 87 does checked . out..of.the Salina Canyon check- 
ing station during the first part of the 1946 hunting season had survived 
broken front feet received during some previous hunt. It is.thus. difficult © 
to appraise the ultimate mortality due to crippling during the hunting season. 
from hunter statements concerning deer idee and wounded. 
‘The statements of hunters ‘indicated .a similar ratio between animals 
killed and those crippled for both bucks ‘and does. Yet, the field surveys 
showed a wide divergence in such data for bucks and does (7 percent for bucks, 
25 percent for does, and 42 percent for fawns), which indicated a rather high 
recovery of wounded bucks by other hunters but a relatively low recovery of 
“antlerless" deer. ie 
“THe reasons why deer are left dead on the range or in the woods during 
the hunting season are veried, but the more common ones are? 

