Big Game and Early Seral Habitat

Doug Cottam Herman Biederbeck

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Big Game

• Bears, cougars, deer, elk.

• Cougars deer, elk.• Brief details on bears.

Early Seral Forest Habitat

• Different definition for wildlife?• For deer and elk:

– Food– Cover: weather and predators– Birth, grow antlers…– Microclimate and microhabitat

• Quality vs. quantity• Early seral: post disturbance to closed

canopy (little or no understory).

Black Bears

• The real reason why I’m being brief on bears!– Omnivorous, intelligent, eat anything.– Berry producing vegetation high on the list as they

ripen.• Plant species diversity - increase bear use.

Black-tailed Deer

• Range CA to AK• Variety of habitats• Population density

– Highest in early seral

Black-tailed Deer

• Deer rumen: less volume:body mass– Microbial digestion relatively short time– High quality diet requirement:

• Digestible• Nutritious

• Forage quickly• Seek cover to ruminate• Decreased winter metabolic rate

– Must gain weight/body fat in growing season.

Black-tailed Deer

• Plant species diversity important.

• Quality is important• Majority of food is

browse.– Stems, leaves woody

vegetation

• Preference and use seasonal.

Black-tailed Deer

• Important foods:– Trailing blackberry– Vine maple– Huckleberry– Grasses (green)– Red Alder– Ocean spray– Madrone– Oak (acorns)– herbs

Black-tailed Deer

• Non-native plants• Native increasers

• Non fire managed early seral

Elk

• Roosevelt elk Cascades west.

• Variety of habitats• Population density

– Highest in early seral

• Significant differences with deer.

Roosevelt Elk

• Elk rumen: large volume:body mass– Microbial digestion breaks down more

indigestible vegetation.

• Consume 50% more than deer.

• Forage quickly.

• Seek cover to ruminate.

• Decreased winter metabolic rate.– Must gain weight/body fat in growing season.

Roosevelt Elk

• More capable than deer on low quality diet.

• Low quality – high quantity.

• Compared to Rocky Mt elk:– Significantly lower calf

production due to nutrition

Roosevelt Elk

• Grazers and browsers:– Consume grasses

(including rank) – winter and spring

– Grass legume mix– Browse all seasons

• Diet varies seasonally• Cover can differ from

deer.

Roosevelt Elk

• Cover:– Thermal issues both

summer and winter.– Sexual segregation.– Antler development.

Deer and Elk

• Deer and elk are generalists.– Deer more specialized than elk.

• Reach higher densities – early seral forest habitats.– Not entirely dependent upon early seral

forests.

• Use and importance is much more complicated.

Big Game and Early Seral ForestsChallenges

• Deer numbers in western OR in decline.– Habitat suspected

• Elk numbers increasing, but misleading?– Only recently reintroduced.

• Lack of scientific research in PNW.– Effects of modern forestry on wildlife– Future role of federal lands

• Other early seral species?

Questions?