Author Institution: Western Illinois University, Macomb, IllinoisA female deer (Odocoileus virginianus), which had been confined all six years of her life, was immobilized with Sernylan, fitted with a collar containing a radio transmitter, and released on a study area in west-central Illinois on March 8, 1963. Her movements and daily activity were monitored, using portable radio tracking equipment, until December, 1963. Early movements and activity were thought to be related to previous confinement, while later movements and activity were considered to be more normal

Balding, Terry A.

The Ohio Journal of Science

KnowledgeBank at OSU

RADIO-TRACKING A WHITE-TAILED DEER1TERRY A. BALDINGWestern Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois2ABSTRACTA female deer (Odocoileus virginianus), which had been confined all six years of her life,was immobilized with Sernylan, fitted with a collar containing a radio transmitter, andreleased on a study area in west-central Illinois on March 8, 1963. Her movements anddaily activity were monitored, using portable radio tracking equipment, until December,1963. Early movements and activity were thought to be related to previous confinement,while later movements and activity were considered to be more normal.INTRODUCTIONA six-year-old captive doe deer was immobilized and fitted with a collar con-taining a radio transmitter. The doe was allowed to recover from the drug andthen released in the wild approximately 42 miles east of where it had been confined.The purpose was to gather movement and activity data, and to observe movementand behavior of the deer after release, by using portable radio tracking equipment.The 11-square mile study area in which the doe was released is located inBethel Township, McDonough County, Illinois. This area was selected primarilybecause it was a large uninhabited area under one ownership. The land wasdissected into hills and valleys with forested slopes. Both the uplands and bottom-lands were cultivated or in various stages of oldfield succession.I wish to acknowledge the valuable suggestions and encouragement given byDr. J. H. Sather throughout the study. Thanks are due also to D. W. Turner andR. Coon for their aid in collecting data on the movements of the deer. This studywas supported by The National Science foundation, The Society of Sigma Xi, andThe Illinois Conservation Department.MATERIALS AND METHODSThe radio transmitter used in this study had a 26 megacycle pulsating signaland a loop antenna, and was powered by 4 Mallory RM3 batteries hooked inparallel. The transmitter was similar to that described by Cochran and Lord(1963). The transmitter was mounted on a natural polyethelene collar and pottedin epoxy, a procedure described by Cochran and Hagen (1963).The receiver was a Model D-l l direction finder, constructed according tospecifications described by Cochran and Nelson (1963). The receiver, radiotransmitter, and collar were all constructed by Mr. William W. Cochran. Thereceiver and transmitter had a range of one-half to three-quarters of a mile.The six-year-old doe used in this study had lived in confinement at the Quincy,Illinois, Soldier's Home since birth. The one-acre enclosure in which she had beenconfined contained four large trees and a small pond.For the purpose of moving her, the doe was immobilized with 1 cc of Sernylan(Parke, Davis and Co., Detroit) on March 7, 1963. The dart carrying the Sernylanwas fired from a CO2 Cap-Chur-Gun into a large muscle of the doe's left hind leg.After immobilization and attachment of the collar with the radio, the doe wastransported 42 miles east of the area of confinement and released.The portable receiver was used to determine the doe's approximate position bytriangulation. Once her position had been determined by use of the radio trackingequipment, it was possible, on a few occasions, to take advantage of topographyand wind and to move in closer to the deer for visual observations. Using thisManuscript received April 15, 1967.2Present address: Biology Department, Wisconsin State University-Eau Claire, EauClaire. Wisconsin.THE OHIO JOURNAL OF SCIENCE 67(6): 382, November, 1967.No. 6 RADIO-TRACKING A WHITE-TAILED DEER 383method, her position was determined each day for the first month and a half andseveral times a week thereafter until the transmitter failed on December 2, 1963.She was located and radio tracked at a different time each day or night so that,assuming that her activities were always the same during each part of the day, acomplete record of her activities would be known throughout the 24-hour period.RESULTSDuring the immobilization and transport to the release site, the effect ofSernylan on this doe was similar to that described by Harthoorn (1965). Sevenhours after immobilization the doe was observed walking eastward from therelease site.The first morning after her release, on March 8, 1963, the doe was found, bytriangulation, about one-quarter mile east of the release site. This area is afloodplain community predominantly composed of elm {JJlmus spp.), silver maple(Acer saccharinum), hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), cottonwood (Populus deltoides),sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), and river birch (Betula nigra). Ohio buckeye(Aesculus glabra), box elder (Acer negundo), and pawpaw (Asimina triloba) wereimportant understory trees. The herbaceous plants at this time of year wererepresented by grasses and sedges.The doe remained within a 200-square-yard area, bounded by steep hills anda small stream, for 38 days. During this time the deer was approached severaltimes and showed little alarm upon discovering the observer. She was generallyobserved feeding on grasses and/or sedges and a few buds, or lying down.On the 39th day, the doe had moved from this spot to a new location one-halfmile westward, or one-quarter mile west of the original release site. This wasan area well dissected into hills and valleys, and characterized by an oak-hickorycommunity. The bottomland of this site contained winter wheat and a harvestedcorn field.During late April and all of May, the doe gradually extended her range west-ward another one-quarter mile. Her daily activity of feeding and resting continuedto be limited to a small area, but not so small an area as at the first site. She didconsisently remain, however, in the same area from June 3 through June 18. Heronly activity seemed to be moving to and from a nearby creek.She was observed with a single fawn three times between June 18 and June 23.Judging from Severinghaus and Cheatum's (1956) description of sizes and mobilityof fawns, birth had probably occurred during the period from June 3 through June18 when the doe's movements had been very restricted.During July and August, the doe gradually extended her range farther to thewest. From September through November, she was observed to be using anarea in and around a corn field and to have 2 fawns in her company. The secondfawn may or may not have belonged to the doe.Visual contact with the doe during October and November became morelimited because of the increased wariness of the deer. During these months heractivity seemed to be more pronounced in early morning and evenings, similar tothe behavior of wild deer. In fact, on one occasion, she was seen in the companyof wild deer.Hunters, during a three-day deer season in progress in November, failed tokill or report seeing the doe, even though hunters were observed in the area usedby the doe. Several other deer were taken from the area.On December 2, 1963, after an interval of 10 months, the batteries of the radiotransmitter expired. The area covered by the doe from the time of release untilthe radio failed was about two miles long and, at the widest point, one-half milewide, an area of approximately 600 acres. In any one 24-hour period, however,the doe's movements seldom covered more than one-half mile.384 TERRY A. BALDING Vol. 67DISCUSSIONIn a study of this nature, the presence of the observer can not be discountedas a factor influencing the results. However, it is my opinion that the presenceof the observer influenced only the immediate activities of the deer.During the first 38 days after release, the doe did not cross any major topo-graphic features and her activity was confined to an area approximately 200 yardsin diameter. Her daily periods of activity did not fit a consistent and predictablepattern. These observations lead me to believe that her behavior during those38 days were conditioned by her previous confinement. In the area in which thedoe had been confined there were no major topographic restrictions, little oppor-tunity to move any distance, and irregular activity because of human disturbance.The abundance of green herbs, nearby water, and little disturbance may alsoaccount for her limited area of activity during the first 38 days of freedom.A sample of the activities of only one deer is admittedly minimum for anybasic conclusions. However, the study of this doe, as well as the later similarstudies by Tester, et al. (1964) and by Montgomery and Hawkins (1966) all showthat deer released in a new environment will stay in a relatively small area andonly gradually increase the size of their home range.LITERATURE CITEDCochran, W. W., and T. E. Hagen. 1963. Construction of collar transmitters for deer. Univ.of Minn. Mimeo. 12 p., and R. D. Lord, Jr. 1963. A radio-tracking system for wild animals. J. Wildl. Mgmt.27(1): 9-24., and E. M. Nelson. 1963. The model D-l l direction finding receiver. Univ. of Minn.Mimeo. 5 p.Harthoorn, A. M. 1965. Application of pharmacological and physiological principles in re-straint of wild animals. Wildl. Monogr. 14. 78 p.Montgomery, G. G. and R. E. Hawkins. 1966. Happy to move. The Illinois Natural HistorySurvey Reports. No. 44. 4 p.Severinghaus, C. W. and E. L. Cheatum. 1956. Life and times of the white-tailed deer. Pages57-186. In W. P. Taylor (editor), Deer of North America. The Stackpole Co., Harrisburg,Pennsylvania, and The Wildlife Management Institute, Washington, D.C. 668 p.Tester, J. R., D. W. Warner, and W. W. Cochran. 1964. A radio-tracking system for studyingmovements of deer. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 28(1): 42-45.

Radio-Tracking a White-Tailed Deer

https://kb.osu.edu/bitstream/1811/5348/1/V67N06_382.pdf

Radio-Tracking a White-Tailed Deer

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

KnowledgeBank at OSU