Northern Research Station

Title: Drive-line census for deer within fenced enclosures

Author: decalesta, David S.; Witmer, Gary W.

Date: 1990

Source: Res. Pap. NE-643. Radnor, PA: US. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 4 p.

Station ID: RP-NE-643

Description: Methodology is presented for conducting drive-line counts to obtain absolute numbers of deer within fairly small (1560 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-km2 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.

Keywords: census technique; Pennsylvania; white-tailed deer; population estimation

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Citation

decalesta, David S.; Witmer, Gary W.  1990.  Drive-line census for deer within fenced enclosures.   Res. Pap. NE-643. Radnor, PA: US. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 4 p..