The overabundance of white-tailed deer is a growing concern in many parts of the United States due to well documented and multifaceted impacts such as over browsing, trampling of vegetation and spread of exotic plant species as well as the threat of deer vehicle incidents. The Oak Openings Region of northwest Ohio is a unique mosaic of globally rare habitats including the early successional oak savanna. Interest in the area usually centers on the reintroduction of the federally endangered Karner Blue Butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis). Locally the perceived threat from deer is small, but records of the deer population are anecdotal at the fine scale and only reliable at the county level. We surveyed the deer population of Oak Openings Metropark in Lucas County, Ohio to quantify the relative abundance of deer and ascertain their movement patterns within the park. We accomplished this via road based weekly surveys at dusk from late May to early August 2008 using a map divided into ten zones to speed collection of location data. The time of observation, number of deer seen and location were recorded for every sighting. Deer were not individually marked.
Results/Conclusions
We found an average of 28.6 deer per week (SE ± 3.18) with a range of 14 to 46 deer seen in a single survey. Differences between zones were not found to be significant but this may be attributable to small sample size. Slightly more deer were observed in the centrally located zones as opposed to those located on the periphery of the park. Over the field season the number of deer seen per survey was irregular, neither increasing nor decreasing steadily. We also measured browsing pressure from deer on the potentially threatened wild lupine (Lupinus perennis). Browsing pressure was most intense early in the season then quickly tapers off, though it was not statistically significant at any point in the study. Over time the location of browsing pressure changed perhaps in relation to a shift in available food resources. This study yields valuable baseline data on the local deer population as well as easy to implement methods for tracking changes. It also gives insight into the complex interactions occurring in this unique region.
