Evaluation of a Linked Sex Harvest Strategy for Cervid Populations

We evaluated the ability of the linked sex harvest strategy (LSHS) proposed by McCullough et al. (1990) to determine optimum harvest of cervid populations from harvest statistics alone. This strategy purports to optimize total harvest by adjusting female harvest in response to observed changes in ma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of wildlife management 1996-10, Vol.60 (4), p.787-796
Main Authors: Lubow, Bruce C., White, Gary C., Anderson, David R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age structure
Animal reproduction
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Cervidae
Deer
Depopulation
Exploitation and management of natural biological resources (hunting, fishing and exploited populations survey, etc.)
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Modeling
Parametric models
Population dynamics
Population parameters
Population size
Population structure
Sex ratio
Vests
Zoology
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Summary:We evaluated the ability of the linked sex harvest strategy (LSHS) proposed by McCullough et al. (1990) to determine optimum harvest of cervid populations from harvest statistics alone. This strategy purports to optimize total harvest by adjusting female harvest in response to observed changes in male harvest, without knowing the population's size or vital parameters (age-specific survival and productivity), and without an explicit population model. To examine LSHS, we evaluated a series of population models spanning a range of assumptions and parameter values that encompass many cervid populations. Deterministic simulations and numerical optimization were used to examine the response of these models to LSHS. Both steady state and dynamic responses of harvest statistics proposed for detecting optimal yield were examined. Based on our analyses, we were unable to identify general conditions under which LSHS, as currently proposed, provides a sound basis for harvest management. Reliable information regarding a population's vital parameters and current size of each age-sex class remains the only sound basis for near-optimum big game management involving female harvests.
ISSN:0022-541X
1937-2817
DOI:10.2307/3802378