With decreased illegal hunting and better habitat conservation, the Florida Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium) population grew from an estimated 25-50 animals in the late 1940s to approximately 200 animals on Big Pine and No Name keys, Florida, USA, by 1971, the last official survey. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) trend data indicate that the deer population continued to increase after 1971; however, current deer density estimates are necessary for the proposed reclassification of the Key deer from endangered to threatened. Our study objectives were to (1) obtain current population estimates of Florida Key deer and compare these to historical estimates, (2) evaluate survey methods (USFWS mortality and deer counts) in detecting changes in population trends, and (3) outline a protocol for future monitoring. Road counts (n = 889) were conducted from on Big Pine and No Name keys. From mark-recapture data, we estimated that the Key deer population on these 2 islands increased by 240% between 1971 and 2001 (2001 estimate: 453-517 deer). Trend data indicated that annual deer mortality was a function of deer density or population size (r s = 0.743). We compared the annual finite rate of increase (R) from USFWS annual deer counts and mortality data (R = 1.053-1.065) to mark-recapture studies (R = 1.038) and found them to be similar (P = 0.66-0.67). This similarity suggests that all 3 methods (USFWS deer counts and mortality data, and mark-recapture data) can be used to monitor changes in Key deer density. JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 68(3):570-575

Wildlife managers require reliable, cost‐effective, and accurate methods for conducting population surveys in making wildlife management decisions. Traditional methods such as spotlight counts, drive counts, strip counts (aerial, thermal, infrared) and mark–recapture techniques can be expensive, labor‐intensive, or limited to habitats with high visibility. Convenience sampling designs are often used to circumvent these problems, creating the potential for unknown bias in survey results. Infrared‐triggered cameras (ITCs) are a rapidly developing technology that may provide a viable alternative to wildlife managers because they can be economically used with alternative sampling designs. We evaluated population‐density estimates from unbaited ITCs and road surveys for the endangered Florida Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium) on No Name Key, Florida, USA (461‐ha island). Road surveys (n = 253) were conducted along a standardized 4‐km route each week at sunrise (n = 90), sunset (n = 93), and nighttime (n = 70) between January 1998 and December 2000 (total deer observed = 4,078). During this same period, 11 ITC stations (1 camera/42 ha) collected 8,625 exposures, of which 5,511 registered deer (64% of photographs). Study results found a difference (P < 0.001) between methods with road‐survey population estimates lower (76 deer) than ITC estimates (166 deer). In comparing the proportion of marked deer between the 2 methods, we observed a higher (P < 0.001) proportion from road surveys (0.266) than from ITC estimates (0.146). Spatial analysis of deer observations also revealed the sample area coverage to be incongruent between the 2 methods; approximately 79% of all deer observations were on urban roads comprising 63% of the survey route. Lower road‐survey estimates are attributed to 1) urban deer behavior resulting in a high proportion of marked deer observations, and 2) inadequate sample area coverage. We suggest that ITC estimates may provide an alternative to road surveys for estimating white‐tailed deer densities, and may alleviate sample bias generated by convenience sampling, particularly on small, outer islands where habitat and/or lack of infrastructure (i.e., roads) precludes the use of other methods.

Few studies have described winter microclimate selection by bats in the southern United States. This is of particular importance as the cold-adapted fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans , which causes the fatal bat disease white-nose syndrome (WNS), continues to spread into southern United States. To better understand the suitability of winter bat habitats for the growth of P . destructans in this region, we collected roost temperature and vapor pressure deficit from 97 hibernacula in six ecoregions in Texas during winter 2016–17 and 2017–18. We also measured skin temperature of Rafinesque’s big-eared bats ( Corynorhinus townsendii ), Townsend’s big-eared bats ( C . townsendii ), big-brown bats ( Eptesicus fuscus ), southeastern myotis ( Myotis austroriparius ), cave myotis ( M . velifer ), tri-colored bats ( Perimyotis subflavus ), and Mexican free-tailed bats ( Tadarida brasiliensis ) during hibernation to study their use of torpor in these habitats. We found that temperatures within hibernacula were strongly correlated with external air temperatures and were often within the optimal range of temperatures for P . destructans growth. Hibernacula and skin temperatures differed among species, with Rafinesque’s big-eared bats, southeastern myotis, and Mexican free-tailed bats occupying warmer microclimates and having higher torpid skin temperatures. For species that were broadly distributed throughout Texas, hibernacula and skin temperatures differed within species by ecoregion; Tri-colored bats and cave myotis in colder, northern regions occupied colder microclimates within hibernacula and exhibited colder skin temperatures, than individuals of the same species in warmer, southern regions. These data illustrate the variability in microclimates used as hibernacula by bats in Texas and suggest similar variation in susceptibility to WNS in the state. Thus, monitoring microclimates at winter roosts may help predict where WNS may develop, and where management efforts would be most effective.

With approximately 100 million shots fired at mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) annually, it is incumbent on managers to determine whether changes in ammunition will substantially alter harvest metrics or hunter satisfaction. We compared mourning dove harvest metrics for 1 lead (Pb 7 1 /2, 32 g) and 2 steel (Fe 7 and Fe 6, 28 g) 12-gauge ammunition types using a double-blind field test in central Texas, USA. There were no differences in the number of attempts, or number of shots fired among ammunition types. Hunters were unable to distinguish the ammunition type being used in the field, and we detected no relationship between ammunition type and level of hunter satisfaction. Field analyses detected no difference in doves bagged per shot, wounded per shot, bagged per hit, or wounded per hit among the 3 ammunition types. Necropsy analyses detected no difference in the proportion of birds with through-body strikes, mean penetration depth of through-body strikes, or mean embedded pellet depth among ammunition types. Ammunition and choke combinations that produced higher pattern densities yielded more hits per shot and produced more total strikes per bird, resulting in a higher percentage of birds with embedded pellets, more embedded pellets per bird, and a higher proportion of birds with broken legs. All 3 ammunition types retained sufficient lethality to harvest mourning doves under typical hunting conditions. Our results demonstrate that when the ammunition type used provides sufficient lethality for pellets to penetrate vital organs, pattern density becomes the primary factor influencing ammunition performance. Ó

Obtaining reliable population estimates is imperative in managing wildlife populations, particularly when attempting to implement nuisance control measures. Free-roaming cats (Felis catus) impact wildlife worldwide through predation, competition and disease transmission. Ideally, measures of controlling free-roaming cat populations should be evaluated a priori, which requires obtaining population estimates for use in population control programs (e.g., euthanasia, trap/treat/neuter/release). We compared markresight and distance sampling abundance estimates of free-roaming cats in an urban landscape, where limited public access to habitat frequently hinders the use of probabilistic sampling designs and associated sampling methodologies. We marked a subset of free-roaming cats (n = 52) with radio-collars in Caldwell, Texas to aid in obtaining our estimates. From road surveys (n = 20) conducted in August 2005, we found mark-resight estimates (N = 744, 95% CI 518-1,135) were significantly different (p = 0.008) to distance sampling estimates (N = 296, 95% CI 262-333). Study results suggest that distance sampling provides wildlife managers a viable alternative for estimating freeroaming cat populations in urban areas where minimal cost and training influence policy decisions regarding the implementation of monitoring and population control measures.