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Dryad

Home range sizes of red deer in contrasting landscapes and implications for management

Cite this dataset

Wikenros, Camilla; Jarnemo, Anders; Nilsson, Lovisa (2022). Home range sizes of red deer in contrasting landscapes and implications for management [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qrfj6q5jk

Abstract

Knowledge about deer spatial use is essential for damage mitigation and management coordination. Here we assess annual and seasonal home range sizes for red deer in Sweden, based on data from GPS-marked deer in two regions with different management systems and contrasting landscapes. We compare our findings with reviewed data on European red deer (Cervus elaphus) home range sizes in Europe. We found that female annual home ranges (95% kernels) were 2.7 times larger in a mixed agricultural-forest landscape compared to a forest-dominated landscape. Core areas (50% kernels) were approximately 1/5 of the full annual home ranges (90% kernels) regardless of region. Home range size in the forest landscape showed little inter-seasonal variation whereas in the agricultural-forest landscape, home ranges were significantly larger during calving, hunt, and winter-spring compared to summer and rut. In the forest landscape, females had home range sizes that enables single red deer management areas to manage their own females. Whereas, within the agricultural-forest landscape, female spatial use cover several license units. Here, the coordinated license system is needed to reach trade-offs between goals of conservation, game management, and damage mitigation. Males had in general larger home ranges than females. The majority of the males made a seasonal migration to and from the rutting areas. The license system in the agricultural-forest landscape is large enough to manage migrating males, but in the forest landscape a coordination of several deer management areas is needed in order to encompass male spatial use. 

Funding

Svenska Jägareförbundet

Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

Scania Regional Council

Stiftelsen Skånska Landskap

Carl Piper

Högestads & Christinehofs Fideikommiss

Holmen Skog AB

Johan Hansen och Ittur Jakt AB

Caesar Åfors och Virå Bruk AB

Sveaskog

Karl-Erik Önnesjös stiftelse för vetenskaplig forskning och utveckling

Marie-Claire Cronstedts Stiftelse

Stiftelsen Oscar och Lili Lamms Minne

Ericsbergs Fideikommiss AB

Helge Ax:son Johnsons stiftelse

Ågerups & Elsagårdens Säteri AB

Håkan Wikholm Assmåsa Gods AB

Kolmårdens insamlingsstiftelse/Tåby Allmänning