TRENDS OF DEER AND DEER HUNTERS ON PRINCE OF WALES ISLANDTodd J. Brinkman, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Titus and BeierOUTLINEBackgroundDeer HuntersDeer PopulationsFuture Opportunities

Hunters experiencing difficulty harvesting enough deer to meet their needs#1 Game management issue amongst State and Federal Agencies in southeast Alaska.Unit 2 Deer Planning Subcommittee of the SE AK Regional Advisory Council*

*1950-1995

*Logging Boom & Bust

Hunter interviewsDeer hunter patternsDeer population trendsDeer habitat and accessUsed geographic information systems to quantify changes in:Logging activityForest habitat compositionRoad access through time

*Brinkman et al. 2007. J. Ecological Anthropology; Brinkman et al. 2009. Ecology and Society

88 hunters 31 Native, 57 non-NativeAverage age = 47 (18 to 94)Average hunting experience = 20 yearsAverage harvest = 6 deer/yr*Brinkman 2006. Community Report

*

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0.67

0.23

0.1

Mode of Access

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Mode of Access

Vehicle67%

Boat23%

Combo10%

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*

Habitat typeOverall Rank (1=most popular, 7=least popular)AllBoatVehicleMuskeg112Clearcut forest251Alpine343Old-growth forest424Beach/shoreline535Second-growth666Pre-commercially thinned777

Hunter/Deer/Land 1950-1995 (Ellanna and Sherrod 1987, Brinkman et al. 2007)

Best hunting = 2 year old clearcut

Good hunting = 0-8 year old clearcut

Unhuntable (86%) = clearcut >12 years*Brinkman et al. 2009. Ecology and Society

*Brinkman et al. 2009. Ecology and Society

*~3000 km of road

*~1,650 km of road

How are the deer responding to these changes?

Wallmo and Schoen 1980Hanley 1984, 1993Schoen et al. 1988

*

*

Klein 1965Wallmo 1981Parker et al. 1999White et al. 2009

Wallmo and Schoen 1981Energy costs dramatically (5 times normal) elevated when snow depth above knee height (Parker et al. 1984)Particularly in wet and heavy snow

Photo Courtesy LaVern Beier and Kim Titus

Photo Courtesy LaVern Beier and Kim TitusHow have these changes affected deer population size on POW?

DEER PELLET

DNA-filled coating

Identify individual deer Allowing estimates of population size.Identify the sex of the deerDetermine the relationship between deer on POWBrinkman et al. 2009a. Conservation Genetics

3 years (2006-2008)3 month/yr (March-May)

Extract DNA

Isolate pieces of DNA that are unique among individual deerMicrosatellite Markers

634 unique individualsProbability of Identity = 0.00031 of 3,333Success rate2006 41%2007 50%2008 87%

30% decline overall

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15312080

180157137

886878

2006

2007

2008

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200620072008

MAYBESO15312080

STANEY180157137

STEELHEAD886878

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Young Harvest (

Old harvest(>30 years old)7.6 deer/km2Nonharvest12.3 deer/km2

A WHOLE BUNCH! Or NOT ENOUGH!

Pellet counts vs. DNA-based estimates?Increase the value of 30 years of hard work?Sex ratios2008 25% males (1 out of 4)Habitat use

87119169263228128125

Habitat typeHunting Quality (1=most popular, 7=least popular)Relative Deer Use (deer/km)Muskeg12Clearcut forest221Alpine3NAOld-growth forest410Beach/shoreline5NASecond-growth64Pre-commercially thinned719

Identification of Gene Flow (mixing of deer subpopulations)

36 kmMaybesoSteelheadStaney1 Effective Migrant every 5 years

Thank You Very Much!The End

Funding was primarily provided by the USDA Forest Service. Funding and in-kind support was also provided by the Alaska Trappers Association, the Resilience and Adaptation Program (IGERT, National Science Foundation 0114423), the Bonanza Creek LTER (National Science Foundation grant 0423442) and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Biology and Wildlife Department and Institute of Arctic Biology.

I thank all the hunters who participated in this study for kindly sharing their time, knowledge, and hunting experiences. Craig Community Association, Hydaburg Cooperative Association (especially Tony Christianson), and Klawock Cooperative Association assisted with interview participation and scheduling. Alva Perotrovich, Joey Adams, Nicole Phillips, and Rett Janzen.Dr. Terry Chapin, Dr. Kris Hundertmark, Dr. Gary Kofinas, Dr. Dave Person, and Dr. Winston Smith*

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**Reduce forage availability*****