Big Game and Early Seral Habitat Doug Cottam Herman Biederbeck Oregon Department of Fish and...

Big Game and Early Seral Habitat

Doug Cottam Herman Biederbeck

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Big Game

• Bears, cougars, deer, elk.

• Cougars deer, elk.• Brief details on bears.

Early Seral Forest Habitat

• Different definition for wildlife?• For deer and elk:

– Food– Cover: weather and predators– Birth, grow antlers…– Microclimate and microhabitat

• Quality vs. quantity• Early seral: post disturbance to closed

canopy (little or no understory).

Black Bears

• The real reason why I’m being brief on bears!– Omnivorous, intelligent, eat anything.– Berry producing vegetation high on the list as they

ripen.• Plant species diversity - increase bear use.

Black-tailed Deer

• Range CA to AK• Variety of habitats• Population density

– Highest in early seral

Black-tailed Deer

• Deer rumen: less volume:body mass– Microbial digestion relatively short time– High quality diet requirement:

• Digestible• Nutritious

• Forage quickly• Seek cover to ruminate• Decreased winter metabolic rate

– Must gain weight/body fat in growing season.

Black-tailed Deer

• Plant species diversity important.

• Quality is important• Majority of food is

browse.– Stems, leaves woody

vegetation

• Preference and use seasonal.

Black-tailed Deer

• Important foods:– Trailing blackberry– Vine maple– Huckleberry– Grasses (green)– Red Alder– Ocean spray– Madrone– Oak (acorns)– herbs

Black-tailed Deer

• Non-native plants• Native increasers

• Non fire managed early seral

Elk

• Roosevelt elk Cascades west.

• Variety of habitats• Population density

– Highest in early seral

• Significant differences with deer.

Roosevelt Elk

• Elk rumen: large volume:body mass– Microbial digestion breaks down more

indigestible vegetation.

• Consume 50% more than deer.

• Forage quickly.

• Seek cover to ruminate.

• Decreased winter metabolic rate.– Must gain weight/body fat in growing season.

Roosevelt Elk

• More capable than deer on low quality diet.

• Low quality – high quantity.

• Compared to Rocky Mt elk:– Significantly lower calf

production due to nutrition

Roosevelt Elk

• Grazers and browsers:– Consume grasses

(including rank) – winter and spring

– Grass legume mix– Browse all seasons

• Diet varies seasonally• Cover can differ from

deer.

Roosevelt Elk

• Cover:– Thermal issues both

summer and winter.– Sexual segregation.– Antler development.

Deer and Elk

• Deer and elk are generalists.– Deer more specialized than elk.

• Reach higher densities – early seral forest habitats.– Not entirely dependent upon early seral

forests.

• Use and importance is much more complicated.

Big Game and Early Seral ForestsChallenges

• Deer numbers in western OR in decline.– Habitat suspected

• Elk numbers increasing, but misleading?– Only recently reintroduced.

• Lack of scientific research in PNW.– Effects of modern forestry on wildlife– Future role of federal lands

• Other early seral species?

Questions?