Question:
The proposal came up on t.p.a. that hunting has had a negative impact on the
population genetics of deer. Trophy hunting probably does have the
possibility to negatively impact the deer population, assuming that the
selective pressure against those deer with the largest antlers is, in fact
significant.
What I'm looking for is evidence (not anecdotal), either way, that
proportionately fewer trophy deer are being killed now than in the past. I've
tried to compare the numbers for the last few years in Ohio, but this is not
long enough a time period to be significant. Besides there isn't any obvious
trends for only four years of data.
Answer:
Ohio is an interesting example. When Ohio was a bucks only state the
average harvested deer was just around 1-1/2 years old. Now that most of
the state is managed for either sex harvest I suspect that the average age
is a bit older for the harvested does, and a bit less for the harvested
bucks. Intuitively, it seems to me that most buck whitetails are
harvested nearly as soon as they become legal bucks and at a pretty much
random rate. The few that do escape to survive to trophy status are still
passing relatively more of their genetic material on to future genrations
than their deceased contemporaries. Therefore, the randomness of the
early harvest could quite possibly be a neutral genetic event. Bob Stoll
at the Waterloo Forest Game Research Station should have age information
of harvested deer for much more than 4 years - that would be a good place
to start.
And rather than look at the specifics of the genetic material, why not
consider the probability of genetic material either being passed on or not
based on mortality/age class rates. Wouldn't that angle also provide
significant insight into the genetic effect, if any, of various harvest
schemes? And don't forget the lack of effect of trophy hunting on the
does who, after all, carry half of the genetic code as well.
If you are not already a subscriber, the bio.sci.conservation bulletin
board would be a better place for your inquiry. It's moderated and you
won't get flamed for having a legitimate perspective or asking legitimate
questions.
