Drive-Line Census for Deer Within Fenced Enclosures

摘要

Methodology is presented for conducting drive-line counts to obtain absolutenumbers of deer within fairly small (< or = 560 ha) areas. Planning and layout of the drive and the organization of persons who make up the drive-line teams are discussed. Procedures for maintaining proper spacing and alignment of drivers are described. On a drive of a 5.7 km sq estate enclosed by a 2.5-m-tall deer fence in northwest Pennsylvania, numbers of deer counted (78) were within one of an estimate derived from a standard deer pellet-group count. The key elements of a successful drive are organization and communication before and during the drive.