Assessment of Hunters and White-tailed Deer of Hofmann Forest, North Carolina
No Thumbnail Available
Files
Date
2010-04-21
Authors
Journal Title
Series/Report No.
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) physiology has been studied across much of the
species range. However, few studies have been conducted in the southeast and no studies
have been conducted in North Carolina. Further, no physiological studies have been
conducted in nutrient deficient pocosin habitat. We collected 60 female white-tailed deer
from Hofmann Forest, a privately owned pocosin forest managed intensively for timber
production near Jacksonville, North Carolina. Using blood serum chemistries and body
condition indices, we evaluated deer health in July 2008 and March 2009. During both
sampling periods serum chemistries were within expected ranges with the exception of
potassium, which was twice as high as expected. Throughout the study, levels of kidney fat
and femur marrow fat were within ranges reported in the existing literature and abomasal
parastite counts did not indicate heavy parasite loads. Spleen and adrenal gland weights were
similar between periods. Our results create baseline data for physiological condition of
white-tailed deer in coastal North Carolina and indicate that deer in nutrient deficient pocosin
habitats are healthy but may be operating on a low nutritional plane.
Also, Hofmann Forest provided a unique opportunity to study how hunting deer and
black bear (Ursus americanus) with dogs (dog hunting) contributes to local culture and
identity. Hofmann Forest had 9 hunt clubs (~450 hunters) who hunted predominantly with
dogs. Employing a qualitative approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews and used
participant-observation to immerse ourselves into the social context of dog hunting. From
interview transcripts, field notes, and actual dog hunting experiences, we performed a
narrative analysis using Ricoeur’s theory of narrative identity. The analysis revealed that dog
hunter’s identify themselves (called “sameness†) through relationships with other people and
dogs. They find identity in dog hunting using family relationships, friendships, by
integrating others, and through coping with life events. Through relationships with dogs,
they find connection to nature. However, dog hunter identity is shaped also by contrasting
themselves with others (called “selfhood†). Dog hunters define their selfhood by contrasting
their views on the value dog hunting has to their heritage and their views on the well-being of
dogs and wildlife. The differences dog hunters identified provide evidence of how conflicts
with still-hunters and the non-hunting public arise. Further, dog hunters exhibited a concern
that such conflicts will lead to dog hunting being restricted or banned. Our results contribute
an understanding of how dog hunting plays a constitutive role in the narrative identity of this
rural culture and suggest that dog hunters might possess a willingness to compromise on
regulatory issues which might make dog hunting more socially legitimate.
Historically, Hofmann Forest has not managed white-tailed deer. To consider future
Hofmann Forest-wide management, an understanding of hunt club dynamics and the deer
population was needed. Except for safety rules and suggestions on female to male harvest
ratios, clubs have been allowed to set their own harvest rules and management plans. In
October 2008, we conducted a survey to determine how clubs currently manage deer, how
they view cooperative deer management with other clubs and Hofmann Forest, and what they
think about general deer management topics (e.g., definition of a “quality†deer). Results
indicated that Hofmann Forest hunters were happy with their current rules but were receptive
to cooperative management with other clubs and Hofmann Forest. Further, Hofmann Forest
hunters exhibited preference for large-antlered males when identifying “quality†deer and
their preferred outcome of Hofmann Forest deer management. Hofmann Forest’s deer
population has never been surveyed or estimated. Using harvest records from 2001-2006 and
spotlight survey data from 2008 and 2009, we modeled the Hofmann Forest deer population.
We determined the deer population was around 3,000 in 2008 and 2009.
Description
Keywords
physiology, dog hunting
Citation
Degree
MS
Discipline
Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences
