White-tailed Deer Survival, Density, and Resource Selection

White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are an important game species within West Virginia. Approximately 108,000 deer were harvested in 2019, and well over 1 million animals were harvested within the last decade. Management of white-tailed deer requires knowledge of factors influencing annual survival probability, how mortality factors vary across the state, and how environmental variables influence deer movements and distribution.  Additionally, estimating how density changes through time is important for setting harvest regulations.  We are studying survival, density, and resource selection by placing 300 – 400 GPS collars on white-tailed deer in 3 study areas across the state. This will enable us to collect rich data on white-tailed deer survival probability, and to link their movements and space use with underlying environmental variables.  We also seek to develop methodological techniques that will enable us to use camera traps to estimate trends in density from unmarked animals, well after the study has completed.