In Norway, red deer (Cervus elaphus) populations have been increasing for decades and the populat... more In Norway, red deer (Cervus elaphus) populations have been increasing for decades and the populations are expanding north-, south- and eastwards of the traditional core areas in the western parts of the country. Following a growing population of red deer, hunting quotas in some areas has reached levels so high that hunters in some cases not are able to bag enough animals to regulate numbers. Red deer hunting has traditionally been carried out by the landowner with family and friends, and few landowners open up for increased numbers of non-local hunters in the hunting fields. We believe this is highly a cultural phenomenon, rather than a management-caused (institutional) problem. Commercialization of hunting opportunities can improve hunters’ access, increase the variation in hunting amenities and contribute to develop new value chains linked to natural resources in rural communities. Population densities of herbivores close to the carrying capacity can cause several negative side-ef...
Most cervid populations in Europe and North America are managed through selective harvesting, oft... more Most cervid populations in Europe and North America are managed through selective harvesting, often with age- and sex-specific quotas, with a large influence on the population growth rate. Less well understood is how prevailing weather affects harvesting selectivity and off-take indirectly through changes in individual animal and hunter behavior. The behavior and movement patterns of hunters and their prey are expected to be influenced by weather conditions. Furthermore, habitat characteristics like habitat openness are also known to affect movement patterns and harvesting vulnerability, but how much such processes affect harvest composition has not been quantified. We use harvest data from red deer (Cervus elaphus) to investigate how weather and habitat characteristics affect behavioral decisions of red deer and their hunters throughout the hunting season. More specifically, we look at how sex and age class, temperature, precipitation, moon phase, and day of week affect the probabi...
Forty-eight free-ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus) were immobilized with xylazine (X) and tiletam... more Forty-eight free-ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus) were immobilized with xylazine (X) and tiletamine-zolazepam (TZ) by dart injection during winter 2008 in Norway. A follow-up study in five animals during winter 2010 included arterial blood samples analyzed with a portable clinical analyzer in the field. Thirty-five of 48 animals were effectively immobilized and 13 required a second dart. Mean ± SD doses were 2.89 ± 0.45 mg X/kg and 2.89 ± 0.45 mg TZ/kg in calves and 2.97 ± 0.66 mg X/kg and 1.91 ± 0.43 mg TZ/kg in adults. Mean induction times for calves and adults were 8.5 ± 5 min and 11.6 ± 5.5 min, respectively. The main physiologic side effect during immobilization was hypoxemia (pulse oximetry, SpO2<85%). All five animals evaluated with arterial blood gas samples were hypoxemic (PaO2<10 kPa). Xylazine was antagonized with 0.43 ± 0.19 mg/kg and 0.27 ± 0.05 mg/kg of atipamezole in calves and adults, respectively. Time to standing/walking in calves and adults was 12 ± 7 min and 12 ± 11 min, respectively. Two capture mortalities occurred.
In Norway, red deer (Cervus elaphus) populations have been increasing for decades and the populat... more In Norway, red deer (Cervus elaphus) populations have been increasing for decades and the populations are expanding north-, south- and eastwards of the traditional core areas in the western parts of the country. Following a growing population of red deer, hunting quotas in some areas has reached levels so high that hunters in some cases not are able to bag enough animals to regulate numbers. Red deer hunting has traditionally been carried out by the landowner with family and friends, and few landowners open up for increased numbers of non-local hunters in the hunting fields. We believe this is highly a cultural phenomenon, rather than a management-caused (institutional) problem. Commercialization of hunting opportunities can improve hunters’ access, increase the variation in hunting amenities and contribute to develop new value chains linked to natural resources in rural communities. Population densities of herbivores close to the carrying capacity can cause several negative side-ef...
Most cervid populations in Europe and North America are managed through selective harvesting, oft... more Most cervid populations in Europe and North America are managed through selective harvesting, often with age- and sex-specific quotas, with a large influence on the population growth rate. Less well understood is how prevailing weather affects harvesting selectivity and off-take indirectly through changes in individual animal and hunter behavior. The behavior and movement patterns of hunters and their prey are expected to be influenced by weather conditions. Furthermore, habitat characteristics like habitat openness are also known to affect movement patterns and harvesting vulnerability, but how much such processes affect harvest composition has not been quantified. We use harvest data from red deer (Cervus elaphus) to investigate how weather and habitat characteristics affect behavioral decisions of red deer and their hunters throughout the hunting season. More specifically, we look at how sex and age class, temperature, precipitation, moon phase, and day of week affect the probabi...
Forty-eight free-ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus) were immobilized with xylazine (X) and tiletam... more Forty-eight free-ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus) were immobilized with xylazine (X) and tiletamine-zolazepam (TZ) by dart injection during winter 2008 in Norway. A follow-up study in five animals during winter 2010 included arterial blood samples analyzed with a portable clinical analyzer in the field. Thirty-five of 48 animals were effectively immobilized and 13 required a second dart. Mean ± SD doses were 2.89 ± 0.45 mg X/kg and 2.89 ± 0.45 mg TZ/kg in calves and 2.97 ± 0.66 mg X/kg and 1.91 ± 0.43 mg TZ/kg in adults. Mean induction times for calves and adults were 8.5 ± 5 min and 11.6 ± 5.5 min, respectively. The main physiologic side effect during immobilization was hypoxemia (pulse oximetry, SpO2<85%). All five animals evaluated with arterial blood gas samples were hypoxemic (PaO2<10 kPa). Xylazine was antagonized with 0.43 ± 0.19 mg/kg and 0.27 ± 0.05 mg/kg of atipamezole in calves and adults, respectively. Time to standing/walking in calves and adults was 12 ± 7 min and 12 ± 11 min, respectively. Two capture mortalities occurred.
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