Habitat Loss: The Growing Factor As It Shrinks
Apr 19, 2017 7:41:12 GMT -5
Woody Williams, throbak, and 3 more like this
Post by tynimiller on Apr 19, 2017 7:41:12 GMT -5
I spend most of my time reading about or researching on habitat stuff as many of you know. Often times when discussions erupt of any kind habitat is a factor I bring up. Today on the way into work I was reminded of the loss of habitat while listening to Kip Adams on Mark Kenyon's Wired To Hunt Podcast. The discussion yet again assured me of what I already knew: habitat loss across the Midwest is having a tremendous affect on the deer herds.
HABITAT LOSS
Habitat loss in the sense of deer habitat is what we are talking about. We are not strictly talking about the loss in the form of taking habitat and developing it with structures of any kind or roadways or parking lots although that is one type. There are numerous kinds though:
#1 - The obvious one we already mentioned. Losing deer habitat to development and expansion of cities, streets and urban sprawl.
#2 - Loss of deer habitat to more row-crop production. I know farmers that are pretty much stripping any tree line, briar patch or patch of small woods from their properties in order to increase their tillable acreage. EVEN removing acreage from CRP programs in order to farm instead is becoming a norm. I've heard reports that the Midwest has loss over 20-25% of it's CRP programs over the last 20 years. Some of the bet natural cover (the prime thing lacking in Midwest) one can have is being removed and programs abandoned. Nothing wrong with them making this decision for their business but it still is a form of loss we must be aware of.
#3 - Loss of deer habitat as more and more wood lots have reach maturity and now the under-story beneath them offers little outside of some nuts depending on the year and production...otherwise these are wastelands for deer as they offer no cover and very little food....
#4 - Loss of deer habitat for aesthetics. Landowners decide instead of letting their back 4 or 7 acres be nature they want it to look manicured so they either decide to mow the whole thing or keep any and all understory from growing...creating their own "park like appearance" (wrote a whole blog/article on this). This mimics #3 but not because of natural maturing but landowner choice.
#5 - Loss of deer habitat in the form of regeneration being out done by invasive species. Now I'll admit anyone that has dealt with Asian Honeysuckle bush knows the deer love it and it stays green the longest almost anywhere but the stuff simply chokes out and out competes everything. A diverse habitat is a better habitat....and as invasive species like Asian honeysuckle or some of the invasive pears seemingly are popping up everywhere one has to make a point it seems to ensure growth of other species survive.
Now there are probably others but those to me are the top 5 forms of habitat loss we are all facing.
Okay, but what impact does that have on the deer herd? Well, one of the most startling factors which is an indication of a healthy deer herd is fawn recruitment. Now to be clear as many misunderstand the measure of fawn recruitment. FR is not the measure of how many fetuses there are, or how many fawns there are in the Spring it is how many make it to the fall or hunting season.
I'll quote Kip here for a bit so research his words but I've heard from a few biologists now...20 years ago fawn recruitment was about a 1 to 1 ratio. Meaning for every doe that entered the hunting season there was one fawn.
Now that figure is at like a .59 to 1 ratio. Basically there is only a .50 fawn to every doe entering the deer seasons.
Now primarily there are only a few factors that can lower this:
-Predators - Obviously some fawns will be attacked and ate by bears, wolves, yotes and such. While some states are experiencing a surge in yote populations...some states where not hardly any predators exist still have seen a decline in FR.
-Deaths by humans...traffic kills would be the primary one here.
-Natural causes...drawning, broken legs or nutrient deficiencies as a result of a mother that cannot produce ample amount of milk.
That last one is greatly impacted by the loss of good solid deer habitat.
Bottom line is we are losing habitat all around us...and the impact to the in some places is slowly becoming visible in a macro way...while property to property micro looks it is impacting it very quickly.
Had more to say but work is pressing and gotta go...maybe add more thoughts later.
------------added following at lunch----------------
Okay back...further thoughts is I honestly believe this is a large player in the perception forming all across the Midwest that there are fewer deer. Kip even went in to this with harvest trends. For the first time in years buck harvests across the Midwest are increasing and doe harvests are decreasing.
On the surface that could be thought as a negative or a positive...but in his opinion and mine it only makes sense. Across the Midwest harvests targeting overall populations were being done...and now we are seeing not just states but hunters realize the does do not need harvested as much which is seen in the overall antlerless harvests dropping continually last few years...slowly but happening. Likewise buck harvest trends are now for the first time increasing...with more and more of them being less and less yearlings to boot.
However, he feels habitat is a HUGE factor when discussing perceived feelings on deer herd and I agree....the loss of habitat not just impacts the fawn recruitment and overall viable habitat for deer to live in but it also plays a large part in huntable land access to hunters too.
Less habitat = less huntable spots which congests and pressures more and more the areas that do still have habitat conducive and even highly conducive to deer survival and ability to thrive.
On fawn recruitment and the decline they've been seeing in the number of fawns seeing the fall...I have one possible reason:
Mother Nature is AMAZING. The deer are adapting in spots where habitat is decreasing with every day...mother nature is adapting as well. Just this past year I purchased 22 and change worth of acres in a "urban type setting" and after running tons of cameras all year long one thing I noticed was it seemed not a single doe had twins or triplets...while I'm not there every single day and observe them directly, I am fairly certain every doe that had a fawn had just that: one. Now over at a couple other properties...twins were present by some momma does...and in past we've even had triplets some.
Now granted one year is not a long enough span of watching the urban spot (less habitat surrounding) does to see if this is a normal thing and perhaps begin to speculate the thought I have on mother nature adapting...so will have to continue observing and noting.
Okay back to work for a bit again...
HABITAT LOSS
Habitat loss in the sense of deer habitat is what we are talking about. We are not strictly talking about the loss in the form of taking habitat and developing it with structures of any kind or roadways or parking lots although that is one type. There are numerous kinds though:
#1 - The obvious one we already mentioned. Losing deer habitat to development and expansion of cities, streets and urban sprawl.
#2 - Loss of deer habitat to more row-crop production. I know farmers that are pretty much stripping any tree line, briar patch or patch of small woods from their properties in order to increase their tillable acreage. EVEN removing acreage from CRP programs in order to farm instead is becoming a norm. I've heard reports that the Midwest has loss over 20-25% of it's CRP programs over the last 20 years. Some of the bet natural cover (the prime thing lacking in Midwest) one can have is being removed and programs abandoned. Nothing wrong with them making this decision for their business but it still is a form of loss we must be aware of.
#3 - Loss of deer habitat as more and more wood lots have reach maturity and now the under-story beneath them offers little outside of some nuts depending on the year and production...otherwise these are wastelands for deer as they offer no cover and very little food....
#4 - Loss of deer habitat for aesthetics. Landowners decide instead of letting their back 4 or 7 acres be nature they want it to look manicured so they either decide to mow the whole thing or keep any and all understory from growing...creating their own "park like appearance" (wrote a whole blog/article on this). This mimics #3 but not because of natural maturing but landowner choice.
#5 - Loss of deer habitat in the form of regeneration being out done by invasive species. Now I'll admit anyone that has dealt with Asian Honeysuckle bush knows the deer love it and it stays green the longest almost anywhere but the stuff simply chokes out and out competes everything. A diverse habitat is a better habitat....and as invasive species like Asian honeysuckle or some of the invasive pears seemingly are popping up everywhere one has to make a point it seems to ensure growth of other species survive.
Now there are probably others but those to me are the top 5 forms of habitat loss we are all facing.
Okay, but what impact does that have on the deer herd? Well, one of the most startling factors which is an indication of a healthy deer herd is fawn recruitment. Now to be clear as many misunderstand the measure of fawn recruitment. FR is not the measure of how many fetuses there are, or how many fawns there are in the Spring it is how many make it to the fall or hunting season.
I'll quote Kip here for a bit so research his words but I've heard from a few biologists now...20 years ago fawn recruitment was about a 1 to 1 ratio. Meaning for every doe that entered the hunting season there was one fawn.
Now that figure is at like a .59 to 1 ratio. Basically there is only a .50 fawn to every doe entering the deer seasons.
Now primarily there are only a few factors that can lower this:
-Predators - Obviously some fawns will be attacked and ate by bears, wolves, yotes and such. While some states are experiencing a surge in yote populations...some states where not hardly any predators exist still have seen a decline in FR.
-Deaths by humans...traffic kills would be the primary one here.
-Natural causes...drawning, broken legs or nutrient deficiencies as a result of a mother that cannot produce ample amount of milk.
That last one is greatly impacted by the loss of good solid deer habitat.
Bottom line is we are losing habitat all around us...and the impact to the in some places is slowly becoming visible in a macro way...while property to property micro looks it is impacting it very quickly.
Had more to say but work is pressing and gotta go...maybe add more thoughts later.
------------added following at lunch----------------
Okay back...further thoughts is I honestly believe this is a large player in the perception forming all across the Midwest that there are fewer deer. Kip even went in to this with harvest trends. For the first time in years buck harvests across the Midwest are increasing and doe harvests are decreasing.
On the surface that could be thought as a negative or a positive...but in his opinion and mine it only makes sense. Across the Midwest harvests targeting overall populations were being done...and now we are seeing not just states but hunters realize the does do not need harvested as much which is seen in the overall antlerless harvests dropping continually last few years...slowly but happening. Likewise buck harvest trends are now for the first time increasing...with more and more of them being less and less yearlings to boot.
However, he feels habitat is a HUGE factor when discussing perceived feelings on deer herd and I agree....the loss of habitat not just impacts the fawn recruitment and overall viable habitat for deer to live in but it also plays a large part in huntable land access to hunters too.
Less habitat = less huntable spots which congests and pressures more and more the areas that do still have habitat conducive and even highly conducive to deer survival and ability to thrive.
On fawn recruitment and the decline they've been seeing in the number of fawns seeing the fall...I have one possible reason:
Mother Nature is AMAZING. The deer are adapting in spots where habitat is decreasing with every day...mother nature is adapting as well. Just this past year I purchased 22 and change worth of acres in a "urban type setting" and after running tons of cameras all year long one thing I noticed was it seemed not a single doe had twins or triplets...while I'm not there every single day and observe them directly, I am fairly certain every doe that had a fawn had just that: one. Now over at a couple other properties...twins were present by some momma does...and in past we've even had triplets some.
Now granted one year is not a long enough span of watching the urban spot (less habitat surrounding) does to see if this is a normal thing and perhaps begin to speculate the thought I have on mother nature adapting...so will have to continue observing and noting.
Okay back to work for a bit again...