Age and Condition of Deer Killed by Predators and Automobiles

We evaluated the condition of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (O. virginianus) killed by mountain lions (Felis concolor), coyotes (Canis latrans), and automobiles from December through March, 1969-81 in western Montana. Predators killed prime-aged animals and automobiles killed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of wildlife management 1988-04, Vol.52 (2), p.316-320
Main Authors: O'Gara, Bart W., Harris, Richard B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age structure
Automobiles
Bone marrow
Canis latrans
Deer
Fawns
Felis concolor
Killing
Lions
Mule deer
Odocoileus hemionus
Odocoileus virginianus
Predators
Wolves
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Summary:We evaluated the condition of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (O. virginianus) killed by mountain lions (Felis concolor), coyotes (Canis latrans), and automobiles from December through March, 1969-81 in western Montana. Predators killed prime-aged animals and automobiles killed (G = 41.4, P < 0.001) more fawns and old-aged animals. Fifty-three deer (90%) killed by automobiles were in poor condition, but only 2 (7%) deer killed by predators were in poor condition. Predator selectivity could not be inferred from the sample of deer killed by automobiles.
ISSN:0022-541X
1937-2817
DOI:10.2307/3801242