Less Bears = More Deer

[Rusty]

According to this study at Penn State, bears are a major predator of fawns.  Hopefully this year's success with the bear hunt, followed up by an annual October bear hunt, will help knock the bear population down.  

 

http://news.psu.edu/story/186685/2001/12/17/penn-state-study-shows-bears-are-major-predators-fawns

 

 

[LittleM]

That and they compete, I think, for the best bedding areas that the deer used to use, pushing them out.  At least on the farms I hunt.

[BHC]

Coyotes are more of an issue then bears

[Bucksnbows]

Coyotes are more of an issue then bears

 

 

"We didn't really expect to find that Pennsylvania black bears are the efficient predators of fawns that they are," he says. "It is widely known that the state's large population of coyotes prey on fawns, but it now looks like bears kill as many, possibly more."

[JHbowhunter]

we need to beat down the coyote and bear population - keep the pressure on, as well as beat down the senseless deer regulations and seasons.  Time to swing the pendulum back to the middle, it has gone too far.

[Bucksnbows]

we need to beat down the coyote and bear population - keep the pressure on, as well as beat down the senseless deer regulations and seasons.  Time to swing the pendulum back to the middle, it has gone too far.

 

Agreed, but I have read that hunting coyotes has no measurable impact on their predation of other animals.  Also, they are not easy to kill even though they are fairly common.

Edited December 22, 2015 by Bucksnbows

[Matty]

I wish I could say this was news to me, but sadly it's not.

 

When my uncle kept seeing fawns being carried around by black bears we started looking into what kind of mortality they cause on the fawn populations. I don't recall the state study we read (wasn't this one from PA, maybe CT), but they found that bears played the number one role in fawn predation, with bobcats and coyotes nearly on par.

 

Bobcats...that's another one I had never considered before reading the other study. However, they have a certain window when they can do a lot of damage to the fawn crop.

 

My uncle has personally watched 5 fawns being carried off by the neck, by pretty large black bears. In one day he watched a big bear come take a screaming fawn off and before he knew it, the bear was back for another nearby fawn. Does used to hide fawns in his back yard pretty regularly. Now there are rarely ever even deer in his yard. 

[smoking gun]

Jersey doesn't need bears them nitwit bear people are nuts.the state is too congested and over developed you don't need thousands of bear.2 to 500 bear is too much.too many houses too many roads too many granola people walking the woods in North face gear from dicks.not enough land.i say shoot them all

[Palawman30]

In a balanced deer herd predation of fawns is a non issue....

 

The bigger issue in North jersey is all the folks habituating bears to come to feed put out for deer...

 

Baiting needs to be completely stopped in bear country

[Palawman30]

Rusty

That study was done where my camp is in Pa over 10 years ago...

 

There is a new study in the works right now that should go even further than the first...

 

 

 

 

Bad habitat,harsh winters will kill more deer than any hunter or predator could ever do.

That's why herds need to be balanced...

Breeding windows ensure that few fawns succumb to predators.

[BowhunterNJ]

In a balanced deer herd predation of fawns is a non issue....

 

The bigger issue in North jersey is all the folks habituating bears to come to feed put out for deer...

 

Baiting needs to be completely stopped in bear country

Huh? You're saying if the herd is balanced predators don't kill fawns?

[Palawman30]

Nope....

 

Didn't say that at all Matt...

 

What I'm saying and what studies have shown is that predation of fawns is minimized by having a balanced deer herd...

 

To many doe creates a huge breeding window causing fawns to be born scattered out over an extended time frame in the spring giving bear and coyote ample time to gorge on them...

 

In a balanced herd doe are bred on time causing them to drop fawns all arundel the same time..now a predator can only eat but so many...thereby allowing a larger percentage of fawns to get past the first week where they have a better chance of survival

[BowhunterNJ]

Ah I got ya.  So basically if more are bred in the same smaller window, there's less killed because predators can only eat so much in that window.  By the time they're hungry again, those fawns aren't as easy of targets.  Interesting, makes sense it could be a factor.  I do think as the winters get cold/harsh...predators only get stronger and have more opportunity to kill deer whether adults or yearlings.  Obviously yearlings have to compete for food and are often last on the list to get it unless they are offspring on the dominant doe on the food source (who basically chases everything else off)...at least when it comes to consolidated bait like corn piles.  Acorn groves and cut fields might not have that same condition.

[smoking gun]

Bogus.theres loss of habitat which confines deer in certain areas making it a pit stop buffet.the more to eat the more they will.jersey always had a unbalanced herd.the problem lies in so many factors that don't favor deer.long seasons unfavorable weather for crops 3 predators competing now actually four man car bear yote.

[smoking gun]

Deer are bred from late Oct into January this year's does come into estrous as well I've seen 8 bucks chasing 1 small doe that was this year's fawn.