Ecology And Management Of Black Tailed And Mule Deer Of North America

Black-tailed and mule deer represent one of the largest distributions of mammals in North America and are symbols of the wide-open American West. Each chapter in this book was authored by the world’s leading experts on that topic. Both editors, James R. Heffelfinger and Paul R. Krausman, are widely published in the popular and scientific press and recipients of the O. C. Wallmo Award, given every two years to a leading black-tailed and mule deer expert who has made significant contributions to the conservation of this species. In addition, Heffelfinger has chaired the Mule Deer Working Group sponsored by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies for more than 15 years. This working group consists of the leading black-tailed and mule deer experts from each of 24 states, provinces, and territories in western North America, putting them at the forefront of all conservation and much of the research on this species. The book represents all current knowledge available on these deer, including how changing conditions such as fires, habitat alteration and loss, disease, climate change, socio-economic forces, energy development, and other aspects are influencing their distribution and abundance now and into the future. It takes a completely fresh look at all chapter topics. The revisions of distribution, taxonomy, evolution, behavior, and new and exciting work being done in deer nutrition, migration and movements, diseases, predation, and human dimensions are all assembled in this volume. This book will instantly become the foundation for the latest information and management strategies to be implemented on the ground by practitioners and to inform the public. Although this book is about deer, the topics discussed influence most terrestrial wildlife worldwide, and the basic concepts in many of the chapters are applicable to other species.

Contributions by authors about each of the big game mammals including exotics. Includes chapters on early management, big game values, nutrition, population behaviour, predators, and other aspects of management.

An introduction to the mule deer, native of North America, discussing its physical characteristics, habitats, and behavior.

Winner of the Wildlife Society Outstanding Edited Book Award for 2013!Winner of the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society Outstanding Book Award for 2011!Winner of a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award for 2011!Biology and Management of White-tailed Deer organizes and presents information on the most studied large mammal species in the world. T

For most of the last century, range management meant managing land for livestock. How well a landowner grew the grass that cattle ate was the best measure of success. In this century, landowners look to hunting and wildlife viewing for income; rangeland is now also wildlife habitat, and they are managing their land not just for cattle but also for wildlife, most notably deer and quail. Unlike other books on white-tailed deer in places where rainfall is relatively high and the environment stable, this book takes an ecological approach to deer management in the semiarid lands of Oklahoma, Texas, and northern Mexico. These are the least productive of white-tail habitats, where periodic drought punctuates long-term weather patterns. The book's focus on this landscape across political borders is one of its original and lasting contributions. Another is its contention that good management is based on ecological principles that guide the manager's thinking about: Habitat Requirements of White-Tailed Deer White-Tailed Deer Nutrition Carrying Capacity Habitat Manipulation Predators Hunting Timothy Edward Fulbright is a Regents Professor and the Meadows Professor in Semiarid Land Ecology at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville. J. Alfonso Ortega-S., is an associate professor at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

An ideal refresher guide packed with useful references, this thorough survey covers all fundamental topics and principles of wildlife management and includes pertinent discussions on top issues affecting the field today. Discusses such basic components as the history and evolution of wildlife management, conservation ideas, population dynamics, decimation and welfare factors, census terminology, the goals of management to employment opportunities in the field, current and future issues, and much more. Suggests numerous outside reference sources for additional enrichment on an array of rudimentary and contemporary issues. For professionals in the fields of agriculture, wildlife management, and conservation biology.

Developed in co-operation with U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.