Wild Horses and Deer
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Research
Feral horses influence both spatial and temporal patterns of water use by native ungulates in a semi‐arid environment LK Hall, RT Larsen, RN Knight, BR McMillan - Ecosphere, 2018
... Our objective was to determine whether pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) spatially or temporally altered their use of water to minimize interactions with horses. From 2010 to 2014, we used remote cameras to monitor ungulates at 32 water sources in the Great Basin Desert... both native ungulates used water sources less often where horse activity at water sources was high, indicating that spatial avoidance occurred. Further, we observed significant differences in peak arrival time for pronghorn, but not mule deer at horse-occupied sites versus sites where horses were absent or uncommon, indicating that temporal avoidance may be more important for pronghorn than mule deer... feral horses further constrain access to an already limited resource for native species in a semi-arid environment...
Influence of Wildfire and Feral Horse Use on Mule Deer Summer Range Occupancy
2023, Oregon - Wildlife Research
... We investigated factors affecting mule deer summer range occupancy within a study area that experienced both wildfires and the presence of feral horses. Methods. We deployed 72, 77, and 75 camera traps throughout the Murderers Creek and Northside wildlife management units located in north-eastern Oregon during summer 2019, 2020, 2021 respectively... Our results add to the growing body of literature indicating that wildfires in forested ecosystems benefit mule deer and add to the limited body of literature indicating that feral horse use of a site negatively impacts mule deer...
Understanding drivers of caribou decline and feral horse dynamics in the Chilcotin Plateau of British Columbia. University of British Columbia, KG Tjaden-McClement - 2024
... wildfire may be an important contributor to caribou decline in this population, emphasizing the importance of fire management going forward. I investigated the potential for competition between feral horses and two important native ungulates: moose and mule deer. Despite concerns about competition for wetlands and water resources, I found no strong evidence of competitive exclusion or avoidance by moose or mule deer in the presence of feral horses ...
News
Wildlife rebounds from ecological ‘crisis’ following wild horse roundups on Wind River Reservation October 21, 2024 Wyoming, WyoFile on MSN
... “We used to drive around and see horses,” Lawson said during the June outing. “Now we can drive around and see wildlife ... The cheatgrass that’s leftover after horses have been there for a while, it’s horrible ... There’s no nutrition in cheatgrass.” ...
The complex world of wild horses in the West January 9, 2024 Nevada, WSHU
... Biologists warn that rising wild horse populations are wiping out the winter forage mule deer depend on for survival through the long, harsh Nevada winters...
Creative Misdirection: One Day at a Presentation November 14, 2022 Nevada, Sierra Nevada Ally
... While mule deer numbers have declined from about 135,000 at the turn of this century to about 85,000 now, habitat changes and climate change are among other critical factors identified by NDOW as reasons for decline. Deer are browsers, horses are grazers. They eat different things and live in different places...
... Recent decades have seen Northwest Nevada’s mule deer herds decline, resulting in fewer tags issued and low-quality hunt experiences. Several factors may be contributing, including predation, drought, wildland fire, invasive plant species, and competition from feral horses. A combination of these factors are likely at play, it is the Department’s desire to better understand the situation...
Senate Joint Resolution 3 (SJR3): Postscript and Sayonara May 17, 2021 Nevada, The Sierra Nevada Ally
... Mule deer numbers are well below historic high levels in Nevada (and around the West) due to habitat and climate conditions. No one is postulating that wild horses and burros are the cause. Mule deer are browsers (bitterbrush being a favorite shrub); wild horses and burros are grazers, consuming grasses, and other vegetation not used by deer...
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