Are camera surveys useful for assessing recruitment in white-tailed deer?

摘要: Camera surveys commonly are used by managers and hunters to estimate white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus density demographic rates. Though studies have documented biases inaccuracies in the camera survey methodology, traps remain popular due ease of use, cost-effectiveness, ability large areas. Because recruitment is a key parameter ungulate population dynamics, there growing need test effectiveness for assessing fawn recruitment. At Savannah River Site, South Carolina, we six years camera-based estimates (i.e. fawn:doe ratio) predict concurrently collected annual radiotag-based survival estimates. The coefficient determination (R2) was 0.445, indicating some support viability cameras reflect We added two data from Fort Bragg Military Installation, North which improved R2 0.621 without accounting site-specific variability. Also, evaluated correlation b...