Hunter-Harvest of Captive-Raised Male White-Tailed Deer, 'Odocoileusvirginianus', Released in Upper Michigan

摘要

Hunter recovery of tagged animals indicate that captive-raised male White-tailedDeer released in Upper Michigan when <1 year old and >3 years old died more frequently, and probably sooner, than expected due to non-hunting related factors. Hunters harvested those released when 1-3 years old sooner than expected, but at a rate comparable to that of wild bucks tagged when >1 year old. Post-release survival rates of captive-raised deer released on northern environments may be improved by releasing them after snowmelt in spring, but even then a high first year post-release death rate should be anticipated.