A New Long-tailed Weasel County Record in Shenandoah National Park

Though abundant throughout much of its range, the ecology and local geographic distribution of Mustela frenata (Long-tailed Weasel) is not well-known, especially in the central Appalachian Mountains. In 2015, we conducted a camera study in rock outcrop habitats within Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. Our objective was to determine the presence of mammals considered uncommon in these habitats. After 2,016 trap nights, we report eleven photographic captures of Long-tailed Weasels at eight sites. Two of these sites represent the first record of this species in Rappahannock County, Virginia. These detections represent the first record of Long-tailed Weasels in Shenandoah National Park in 60 years and extend their known range within the Park

Use of Gallagher® 2-Layer Deer-Exclusion Fencing to Temporarily Deter White-Tailed Deer Browsing in Food Plots

Warm-season food plots provide supplemental nutrition to white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Large-seeded legumes such as soybeans, lablab, cowpeas, and others are a common component of warm-season food plots that deer prefer to browse early in development, preventing the food plot from reaching the highest possible nutritional value. We tested a Gallagher® Animal Management Systems 2-layer deer-exclusion fence design at two 400 m2 warm-season food plots in Madison County, Georgia. Each food plot contained a mixture of cowpeas and Lablab Plus, marketed by Tecomate® Wildlife Systems. We enclosed a 125 m2 (31%) portion of each food plot with Gallagher\u27s 2-layer fence design and randomly established 9 1 m2, sample plots within each food plot which included 3 that received no protection, 3 protected by the Gallagher fencing, and 3 control sample plots enclosed in wire fencing. We measured browse percentage and maximum plant height over a 6-week period and tested the effectiveness of fence treatment over time. Unprotected sample plots received more browse pressure (range 19%-72%) than did sample plots protected by the Gallagher 2-layer deer-exclusion fencing (all values\u3c 7%). Fenced sample plots attained plant heights greater, at the 6th week of measurement, (mean= 31.5cm) than did unprotected sample plots (mean= 22.7cm). Our data indicated that Gallagher 2-layer deer-exclusion fencing could reduce unwanted deer browsing and allow plots of these species to establish and tolerate deer browsing pressure