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"Deer
Population" Lesson Plan
Keywords: population,
white-tailed deer, management, overpopulation
Prepared by: Robert Cooper, Wilmington Area School District
Grade Level: ninth grade
Total Time for Lesson: 40 minutes
Setting: classroom
Topic: deer population
Concepts to Be Covered
- Deer live and reproduce
in Pennsylvania.
- Deer may reproduce
at such a rapid rate that they overpopulate a given area.
- Deer are difficult
to manage due to reproduction, but there may be an answer.
Goals for the Lesson
- The students will
be able to estimate the deer population in a given area over a
5-year period.
- The students will
be able to suggest possible management tools to prevent overpopulation.
Materials Needed
State Standards Addressed:
4.2.10C, 4.6.10A, 3.2.10C
Introduction (5
minutes)
"Today you will
project and evaluate the deer population on the Wilmington Area
Conservation Club deer farm from 2001 to 2005. The farm is a 1 square
mile fenced area of forested land that is open to public hunting.
There are 10 buck and 10 doe living on the farm at the present time.
This number--20 deer per square mile--is the ideal population according
to the PA Game Commission. Doe reproduction at the farm will be
estimated at the same rate as the state of Pennsylvania--1.7 fawns
per adult doe. The harvest rate will be calculated at 80 percent
of the mature buck present at the start of the year. Again, this
is comparable to the state harvest rate. However, no doe or fawns
will be harvested on the farm. Everyone likes to see deer. During
reproduction, 50 percent of the fawns will be buck and 50 percent
will be doe. If there is an odd number of births, we will err on
the side of the doe, rounding up for doe and down for buck. Please
read the PA
Game Commission Field Notes on White-Tailed Deer."
Lesson Activity
(30 minutes)
- Students will work
in groups oftwo to project the deer population over the next 5
years and answer the analysis questions.
Activity Procedure
- To complete the data
table, follow the steps listed below it.
Conclusion (5
minutes)
- Students will be asked
to discuss the PA Game Commission's management procedure in which
not only buck but also doe must be harvested.
Assessment
- Data Table #1 Deer
- Deer Management Plan
Reference
PA
Game Commission Field Notes on White-Tailed Deer.
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