Characteristics of hemlock stands related to deer use in east-central Ontario.
Abstract
In a study of the preferred winter shelter of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), it was found that deer use (measured by faecal pellet numbers) was correlated with crown closure of Tsuga canadensis and also with the interaction between food availability, crown closure, and proportion (by b.a.) of balsam fir. Sites selected by deer for bedding down in severe weather had dense crown closure and less wind flow than surrounding areas.