Estimates of Unreported Loss Resulting from a Special Deer Hunt on Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

A systematic search of 5,200 acres on Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge was conducted to assess unreported losses of deer following two 3-day special deer hunts in 1974. Of 1,141 deer harvested from the Refuge, 334 (29 percent) were removed from the study areas. The search revealed that 67 deer (20.0 percent loss) were unretrieved by hunters on these areas, compared to an estimate of 32 percent loss as determined from responses by successful hunters to a post-hunt questionnaire. Inconsistencies between the sex-age composition of harvested deer and those left in the field suggested that some intentional abandonment may have occurred.