Selective harvest criteria, such as antler point restrictions (APRs), have been used to regulate harvest of male ungulates; however, comprehensive evaluation of the biological and social responses to this management strategy is lacking. In 2002, Pennsylvania adopted new APRs for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) that required, depending on wildlife management unit, !3 or !4 points on 1 antler for legal harvest. Historically, harvest rates of subadult (1.5 yr old) and adult (!2.5 yr old) antlered males averaged 0.80. Antler point restrictions were designed to protect !50% of subadult males from harvest. Most adult males remained legal for harvest. We estimated harvest rates, survival rates, and cause-specific mortality of radio-collared male deer (453 subadults, 103 adults) in 2 wildlife management units (Armstrong and Centre counties) to evaluate biological efficacy of APRs to increase recruitment of adult males during [2002][2003][2004][2005]. We administered statewide deer hunter surveys before and after each hunting season over the same 3 years to evaluate hunter attitudes toward APRs. We conducted 2 types of surveys: a simple random sample of all license buyers for each survey and a longitudinal panel of hunters who completed all 6 surveys. At the same time APRs were implemented, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) increased antlerless harvests to reduce deer density to meet deer management goals.Survival rates varied by month and age but not between study areas or among years after implementation of APRs. Monthly survival rates for subadults ranged from 0.64 to 0.97 during hunting seasons and 0.95 to 0.99 during the non-hunting period. Annual survival of subadults was 0.46 (95% CI ¼ 0.41-0.52). Adult monthly survival rates ranged from 0.36 to 0.95 during hunting seasons and we had no mortalities during the non-hunting period. Annual survival of adults was 0.28 (95% CI ¼ 0.22-0.35). Antler point restrictions successfully reduced harvest rate for subadults to 0.31 (95% CI ¼ 0.23-0.38), and approximately 92% of these deer survived to the following hunting season. Vehicle collisions were the greatest source of mortality outside the hunting season for subadults and adults. Also, we observed decreased harvest rates for adults (0.59, 95% CI ¼ 0.40-0.72), although nearly all were legal for harvest. Of radio-collared subadults, 6-11% were harvested with sub-legal antlers, indicating hunters generally complied with APRs. Overall, antlered harvest declined statewide and in our study areas, in part because of APRs but also because of increased antlerless harvests that reduced the statewide population from 1.49 million deer in 2000 to 1.14 million deer in 2005. However, between 2000 and 2005, harvest of adult males increased by 976 (112%) in Armstrong County, decreased by 29 (À3%) in Centre County, and increased by 14,285 (29%) statewide because more males survived to the 3-and 4-year-old age classes.Proportion of hunters from the random sample surveys who supported statewide APRs varied among years...
______In black bears the last 6-8 weeks of gestation and the first 10-12 weeks of lactation occur in winter while the mother is in a dormant state, and reportedly does not eat, drink, urinate or defaecate. Measurements were made of the body composition and organ weights of cubs, of the composition of milk, and of milk intake (by dilution of *H,O), in the first 3 months after birth. Additional milk samples were collected until 10 months postpartum. Bear cubs were small at birth, only 3.7 g/kg maternal weight, and chemically immature, as indicated by the high concentration of water (840 g/kg) in their bodies. Organ weights a t birth were similar to those of puppies. In the first month after birth cubs gained 22 g/d or 0.23 g/g milk consumed; the milk was high in fat (220 g/kg) and low in water (670 g/kg). About 30% of the ingested energy and 51 YO of the ingested N were retained in the body. Over the entire 12-week period bear cubs required about 11 kg milk, containing (kg) water 7, fat 2.5, protein 0.8 and total sugar 0.25, to achieve a 2.5 kg weight gain. The birth of immature young and the production of high-fat, low-carbohydrate milk seem to be maternal adaptations to limit the utilization of glucogenic substrates during a long fast. Isotope recycling indicates that mothers may also recover most of the water (and perhaps much of the N) exported in milk by ingesting the excreta of the cubs. Lactation represents another aspect of the profound metabolic economy of the fasting bear in its winter den.
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