web1_GIN-TONIC.jpg

Eat, drink and be merry in Northeastern Pennsylvania

web1_Buck-Dingel.jpg

Unpredictable conditions await deer hunters on opening day

<p>In April of 2005, Dr. Christopher Rosenberry was named the Pennsylvania Game Commission Deer Management Section Supervisor.</p><p>Rosenberry began his wildlife career as a Biologist Aide with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and after eight years of education and work experience returned to take a full-time position as the Wildlife Biometrician in 2000, where he worked with the agency&#8217;s deer section.</p><p>With the Nov. 30 start of the firearms deer season approaching, Rosenberry and his team will be logging countless hours in the field collecting data that will shape recommendations for next year&#8217;s deer season.</p><p>Rosenberry recently took some time to address some of the big issues regarding deer and deer hunting:</p><p><strong>Predation of fawns is on the minds of a lot of hunters lately. Tell us about the current fawn predation study the PGC is conducting.</strong> &#8220;In 2000-01, the study areas included forested and agricultural/valley habitats. The current study areas are centered on state forests (Susquehannock, Rothrock, and Bald Eagle SFs). Unlike the 2000-01 study, we are attempting to measure relative predator abundance on the study areas. For fawns that appear to have been killed by predators, we are collecting DNA samples in an effort to identify the species, sex, and identity of the individual predator. We are using GPS collars on adult females that can (1) provide accurate locations in hourly intervals, (2) communicate with vaginal implant transmitters and convey coordinates and time of birth, and (3) communicate with fawn collar to provide information on mother-fawn associations.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Have predator populations changed to the point that the findings may be different compared to the 2000-01 study?</strong> &#8220;Beyond the addition of the relative predator abundance measures, we are estimating fawn survival and mortality causes just as in the 2000-01 study. The belief that predator populations have changed to the point where fawn survival and mortality will be different is one of the reasons the Board of Commissioners instructed us to do this study. However, to date, survival rates and predator caused mortalities are similar to the forested study site in the 2000-01 study.&#8221;</p><p><strong>When will the study be completed and will a recommendation be made to the board?</strong> &#8220;The study was planned for three years (2015, 2016, 2017). The next step would depend on the results. The effect of this study on management recommendations is uncertain. Every year, we monitor the fawn:doe ratio in the harvest and use these data, collected from tens of thousands of deer over a period of years, to assess fawn recruitment for each WMU. The Wildlife Management Institute recommended this type of measure of recruitment and herd health in the 2009 audit of the deer management program. As a result, these are the data we use for making management recommendations to the BOC.&#8221;</p><p><strong>In your opinion, which predator - coyote, bear, bobcat, etc., has the greatest impact on deer in Pennsylvania, both fawns and adults? </strong>&#8220;Based on what we have seen in the 2000-01 study and through the first six months of this study, bears and coyotes are the most important predators of fawns. They take similar number of fawns. As far as adults, the occurrence of predation on adults is minimal (i.e., less than a dozen mortalities out of more than 1,000 recorded mortalities of radio-collared deer). As a result, I could not assign &#8216;greatest impact&#8217; on adults to any particular predator.&#8221;</p><p><strong>How much of an impact does predation have on the deer population compared to other mortality factors, such as hunting and vehicle collisions?</strong> &#8220;For fawns, about half of our fawns have survived to the hunting season (from both fawn studies to date) and about 2/3 of all mortalities were caused by predators. For deer older than six months of age, hunting accounts for about 70 percent of mortalities, vehicle collisions 10 percent, and predation 1 percent. Despite the mortalities, fawn recruitment into the deer population and deer populations in general remain stable in Pennsylvania.&#8221;</p><p><strong>How have antler restrictions changed the dynamics of the deer herd and the age structure of antlered deer?</strong> &#8220;The age structure has shifted to more older aged bucks. In terms of the harvest, hunters today are taking nearly twice as many adult bucks as they did 20 years ago and experiencing similar levels of success.&#8221;</p><p><strong>How concerned are you about chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the state and, even though it hasn&#8217;t been found yet in the northeast is it something to worry about here?</strong> &#8220;CWD is a serious concern for Pennsylvania&#8217;s wild deer population for many reasons. For example, CWD is always fatal to deer and elk, it can persist in the environment for years, CWD positive deer can appear healthy for months while spreading the disease, there is no reliable live animal test, certification of captive facilities is no guarantee since facilities in Pennsylvania where CWD was detected were &#8216;certified herds&#8217;, every year we get reports from the public of captive deer escaping into the wild, etc. The bottom line is that the CWD risk to Pennsylvania&#8217;s wild deer herd is real and high. Hunters should be concerned about the potential impacts of CWD throughout the state.&#8221;</p><p><strong>When it comes to hunters and deer in general, how does Pennsylvania stack up against other states?</strong> &#8220;Based on the data compiled from across the nation, Pennsylvania remains a top-5 deer hunting state in terms of deer hunters and deer harvest.&#8221;</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Chris-Rosenberry-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">PGC deer section supervisor Dr. Chris Rosenberry puts a radio collar on a deer as part of a movement study. According to Rosenberry, predation on deer drops off significantly after the animal surpasses the 6-month mark. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Chris-Rosenberry-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>PGC deer section supervisor Dr. Chris Rosenberry puts a radio collar on a deer as part of a movement study. According to Rosenberry, predation on deer drops off significantly after the animal surpasses the 6-month mark. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

PGC deer section leader talks predators, antlers and more