Effects of Snowmobiles on White-Tailed Deer

Abstract

The effects of snowmobiles on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were studied in Minnesota during 1973 and 1974. Study areas were in St. Croix State Park where numbers of snowmobiles per day averaged 10 on weekdays and 195 on weekends, and in Mille Lacs Wildlife Management Area, where snowmobiling was prohibited except by project personnel. Home range size, movement, and distance from radio-collared deer to the nearest trail increased with snowmobile activity at Mille Lacs, but remained unchanged at St. Croix. Numbers of deer along a 10-km trail decreased as snowmobile traffic increased at St. Croix. Light snowmobile traffic caused the displacement of deer from areas immediately adjacent to trails at St. Croix; thereafter, increased snowmobile traffic caused no additional response. Deer returned to areas along trails within hours after snowmobiling ceased at St. Croix. Deer responded to very low intensities of intrusion by man and vehicles. /Author/