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Assessment of Abilities of White‐Tailed Deer to Jump Fences
Author(s) -
VERCAUTEREN KURT C.,
VANDEELEN TIMOTHY R.,
LAVELLE MICHAEL J.,
HALL WAYNE H.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the journal of wildlife management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1937-2817
pISSN - 0022-541X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1937-2817.2010.tb01260.x
Subject(s) - odocoileus , fence (mathematics) , wildlife , deterrence (psychology) , jump , fencing , white (mutation) , geography , fishery , biology , ecology , mathematics , criminology , psychology , computer science , biochemistry , quantum mechanics , gene , physics , combinatorics , parallel computing
Abstract: There is a need for insight into fence heights required for impeding white‐tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ). We evaluated the ability of wild‐caught deer to jump progressively taller fences and documented deterrence rates of 0% for fences ≤1.5 m followed by increasing deterrence rates of 14% at 1.8 m, 85% at 2.1 m, and 100% at 2.4 m. We documented 100% deterrence rates during 5 additional experiments with different deer and the test fence at 2.4 m, a common height of fences at captive deer facilities. Our results will be valuable to those managing spread of wildlife diseases, deer‐vehicle collisions, and agricultural damage.