Stephen Demarais

Infrared-triggered cameras are increasingly used in wildlife management and require refinement for optimal use. We compared photographic recapture rates of tagged animals on two enclosed Mississippi study areas and a third enclosed study area in Oklahoma. We evaluated effects of camera density (one camera per 41 ha and one camera per 81 ha) and sampling duration (1 to 14 days) on accuracy of deer population estimates, cumulative new occurrences of adult males, cumulative sex ratio, and cumulative fawn crop on the Mississippi study areas. Photographic recapture rate varied from 92% for...

Antler restrictions, intended to protect younger, male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from harvest and increase harvest of older bucks, are prevalent throughout the Southeast. Mississippi's statewide regulation, initiated in 1995, protects bucks with less than four antler points. We quantified the regulation's effects on age composition, harvest rate, and antler size by analyzing harvest data collected prior to (1991-1994) and after (1997-2001) the regulation was initiated on 22 public areas encompassing 240,000 ha. Relative composition of harvest shifted (P<0.001) from 59%...