White-tailed deer hunting and habitat use in Robert Allerton Park
Thompson, Noelle E
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/97642
Description
Title
White-tailed deer hunting and habitat use in Robert Allerton Park
Author(s)
Thompson, Noelle E
Issue Date
2017-04-28
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Novakofski, Jan E.
Mateus-Pinilla, Nohra E.
Committee Member(s)
Green, Michelle L.
O'Hara Ruiz, Marilyn
Department of Study
Animal Sciences
Discipline
Animal Sciences
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
White-tailed deer
Hunting
Habitat use
Spatial clustering
Deer removal
Culling
Abstract
Using Robert Allerton Park (RAP) and the immediately surrounding properties in east-central Illinois as a study site, my objectives were to investigate changes in deer habitat use and spatial clustering following 10 years of deer removal in RAP. I evaluated changes in annual deer counts within RAP’s three main habitat types, dry mesic upland forest, wet mesic floodplain forest and developed land using a generalized linear mixed model. Annual counts were categorized into two periods: no deer removal (1988-2004) and deer removal (2005-2015). Second, I used Moran’s I spatial autocorrelation measures to evaluate annual changes in deer clustering. To evaluate changes in spatial clustering as a result of deer removal, I used Getis-Ord General Gi* hot spot analysis to compare spatial clustering between periods of no removal and removal. As expected, my results indicate that the number of deer removed annually decreased deer count in RAP. When analyzed by period, deer removal affected deer count, however, this impact varied between habitat types. Wet mesic floodplain forest and developed areas experienced insignificant reductions in deer count between periods whereas dry mesic upland forested habitats experienced significant reductions. Moreover, I detected an increasing trend in annual deer clustering across the study area prior to deer removal. Once the removal program was implemented, I observed a decrease in deer clustering across years. Changes were evident in both cluster location and size across the study site between periods. In conclusion, more deer were observed in wet mesic floodplain forest and developed land following removal which could be explained by the deer removal program, preferential habitat selection, temporal changes in understory quality or a combination of these factors.
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