Title: Pellets or Pictures, Which Would You Prefer to Count? Comparison of Two White-tailed Deer Population Survey Techniques
Year: 2019
Abstract: The ability to accurately measure white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population density is a valuable tool for wildlife managers; however, generating accurate estimates can be challenging. Due to varying habitat quality, quantity, and other external factors, population densities can vary drastically between locations. This presents a challenge for making localized management decisions based on landscape level estimates, so effective and efficient localized population estimates are required to make decisions. Additionally, many common estimation techniques (i.e., helicopter surveys, FLIR surveys) are expensive to conduct or complicated to perform/analyze, thus may not be an option. Trail camera surveys of wildlife populations can provide cost-effective estimates with less complex analysis. Furthermore, trail cameras can be used in areas where other methods may be unavailable (i.e., urban environments). We tested the reliability of a trail camera population estimate method by comparing it to a statistically robust distance sampling method. We used the Jacobson et al. (1997) trail camera method for estimating white-tailed deer populations on 10 farms in western Kentucky during the summers of 2017 and 2018. Concurrent with the trail camera surveys, we performed a pellet based distance sampling method on all farms. Trail camera surveys were analyzed following Jacobson et al. (1997) while distance sampling results were analyzed using Program Distance 7.1. Results from this comparison will provide managers a comparison of accuracy for obtaining a localized population estimate. This will help managers choose a population estimation technique that best fits their needs and resources, and aids in management of localized wildlife populations.
