Seasonal migration of male red deer (Cervus elaphus) in southern Sweden and consequences for management

Abstract

Red deer Cervus elaphus is a highly appreciated and intensively managed game species throughout Europe. A common management objective is a sustainable harvest of large trophies. In southern Sweden, management has mainly aimed at preserving the nominate subspecies C. elaphus elaphus. Seasonal migration of red deer males may, however, complicate both harvest management as well as conservation efforts. I used individually identified male red deer in southern Sweden to observe distance travelled from rutting areas to areas used by males in summer and winter. Adult males were identified by antler shape and photodocumented during rut. Photos from the rut were compared to trophies of deer harvested or found dead, to found cast antlers and to stags photographed during summer. From 1969 to 2007, a distance between rutting ground and summer/winter quarters was established for 96 identified stags. An average distance of 14 km and a maximum distance of 47 km were recorded between rut and summer/ winter observations. The seasonal migration of males increases the risk of overexploitation of males with harvest in both rutting areas and wintering areas. Harvest management and conservation efforts may fail if males seasonally migrate outside the management unit. The results suggest that seasonal migration must be considered in harvest management and conservation and that there is a need for a regulation of male harvest. Furthermore, the study stresses that the success in deer management of single hunting units, may be largely dependent on the harvest policies in the near surroundings as well as in areas tenths of kilometres away, suggesting that a successful management must rely on cooperation and co-ordination on a landscape scale.

Seasonal habitat selection of the red deer (Cervus elaphus alxaicus) in the Helan Mountains, China

“…Cervus elaphus alxaicus in the Helan Mountains displayed a pattern of seasonal elevational migration similar to that of other red deer subspecies in mountainous areas (ALBON & LANGVATN 1992, JARNEMO 2008, PÉPIN et al 2008. However, we observed differences between the habitat selection of C. e. alxaicus and that of other subspecies.…”

Managing landscapes for multiple objectives: alternative forage can reduce the conflict between deer and forestry

“…Red deer are increasing in many parts of Europe (Milner et al 2006, Apollonio et al 2010). The species ranges over large areas (Jarnemo 2008, Kamler et al 2008) and can cause severe and costly damage to forest plantations-especially Norway spruce-through bark-stripping, mainly during winter (Gill 1992a, 1992b, Reimoser and Putman 2011 . As a response to human disturbance, red deer tend to adopt an activity pattern characterized by feeding in the open during night and seeking shelter in the forest during day (Georgii 1981, Pepin et al 2009, Allen et al 2014).…”

Home range and migration patterns of male red deer Cervus elaphus in Western Carpathians

“…The effects of migration have been widely discussed (Albon and Langvatn 1992;Mysterud et al 2001;Boyce et al 2003;Hebblewhite and Merrill 2007;Hebblewhite et al 2008;Jarnemo 2008;Hebblewhite and Merrill 2009), and from a biological view, they have been described as a positive effect to ecosystems, resulting in a more reasonable spread impacts from grazing and increasing ecosystem resilience . On the other hand, seasonal migration noticeably hampers harvest and management of a population resulting in overexploitation of migrants (Jarnemo 2008;Bolger et al 2008) with negative consequences on population dynamics (Ginsberg and Milner-Gulland 1994;Forsyth 1999;Mysterud et al 2002).…”

“…On the other hand, seasonal migration noticeably hampers harvest and management of a population resulting in overexploitation of migrants (Jarnemo 2008;Bolger et al 2008) with negative consequences on population dynamics (Ginsberg and Milner-Gulland 1994;Forsyth 1999;Mysterud et al 2002).…”