Review article
Body Weight and Development of Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) in Eastern Slavonia and Baranja
Dražen Degmečić
; Hrvatske šume UŠP Osijek
Milan Bičanić
orcid.org/0000-0003-4178-1723
; Hrvatske šume UŠP Vinkovci
Abstract
In many areas of Europe regional differences in growth, body size and daily growth in body weight of fawns have been noticed and recorded. Since both the main aims of hunting management and the directions for selection and breeding measures depend on knowing these characteristics (liveweight after fawning, rate of growth and body development), these data are crucial for implementing adequate measures designed for improvement of roe deer breeding. Without long-term data on actual size of population of roe deer and its sex and age structure in a particular hunting ground, not even the best game experts can proscribe adequate breeding measures and rational utilization of roe deer. Without these data it is also impossible to give proper management directions, the implementation of which could enable a permanent high-quality production of roe deer. This paper will point out the existing values in growth and body development of roe deer in eastern Slavonija and Baranja. We also aim to stress the importance of constant monitoring of these values and to show what sort of influence the values of body growth and development have to the trophy value, to successful breeding (number of embryos) and to proper fawn growth as well as what significance these data have for selective and breeding measures. The body weight of fawns in litter was monitored in Haljevo forest, as was the daily increase of fawn body weight. Body weight of fawns, young and breeding stock has been monitored during hunting season in a typical forest habitat of roe deer in Spačva and in a typical field habitat Baranjsko Podunavlje. Research on these three localities confirmed that several values are important for roe deer management: fawn body weight in litter, fast early growth of fawns, death rate during first months of life, body weight of fawns before their first winter, body weight of does, fertility of does, body weight of bucks, trophy structure of bucks.
Keywords
average value of body weight of bucks and does; body weight of fawns in litter; daily growth rate of fawns; roe deer productivity
Hrčak ID:
25853
URI
Publication date:
30.6.2008.
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