Survival and cause-specific mortality rates of adult white-tailed deer in New Brunswick

Survival and cause-specific mortality rates between yarded and nonyarded white-tailed deer populations have not been preciously studied with the use of radiotelemetry. We captured, radiocollared, and monitored the survival of 103 adult male and female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in northern and southern New Brunswick from February 1994 through May 1997. Annual survival rates for adult does in northern New Brunswick were higher than those for females in the south but were not different for adult males between the 2 study areas. Six of 37 adult female mortalities in the northern, yarded population died as a result of coyote (Canis latrans) predation (0.098); doe harvest was illegal in this portion of the province. However, in the southern population, where a limited number of antlerless permits were issued but deer did not concentrate in traditional deeryards, 9 of 21 adult female mortalities were from hunting-related causes (0.114). Mortality rates for adult females as a result of predation did not differ between the 2 study areas (0.098 for north, 0.058 for south), and mortality rates of northern females (0.151) did not differ from hunting-related mortality rates for does in the south (0.128). A majority of adult males in northern New Brunswick died as a result of predation and hunting-related causes, while most (5 of 10) mortality in the southern study area resulted from legal harvest. There were no differences in adult male mortality rates among seasons or between study areas (P > 0.05). Annual survival of adult white-tailed deer in New Brunswick, where deer exist on the northern edge of their North American distribution, appeared dependent on either legal harvest rates in those populations that were exploited, or on coyote predation. Our results did not support the hypothesis that yarded white-tailed deer have higher winter survival rates than nonyarded populations.