Persistence of Black-Tailed Deer Fecal Pellets in Coastal Habitats

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Abstract
The persistence of fecal pellets from Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) was determined for 2 levels of 3 environmental factors: moisture substrate, and canopy. Pellet persistence was least in moist, vegetated forest and greatest in dry, bare cutover. After 1 year, the mean number of pellets remaining in pellet groups on moist sites was between 16 and 48% of the original complement of 50 pellets. On dry sites between 50 and 70% of the pellets were present after 1 year. Similar trends occurred for visibility of pellet groups. After 2 years, 5-25% of the pellet groups were visible at moist, cutover, sites, whereas 25-75% of the pellet groups were visible at dry, cutover sites. Rates of change of pellet group visibility indicate that the number of pellet groups counted on uncleared plots represent from 1 to 3 .times. the number of pellet groups that were deposited the previous year.

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