ZLV Online

White-tailed deer is bred on the territory of the Czech Republic more than 150 years. The first successful introduction was recorded in 1853. The most of breeding herds is kept in game preserves, but after the 1920s, small populations have occurred also in free range. Development of population dynamics of this game species was monitored in the game preserve Hůrky (College of Forestry of Bedřichov Schwarzenberg in Písek) in years 1991-2007. The average number of bred herd was 12.5 (3-20) pieces. Sum total, gender of individuals, number and gender of natal calves and death were monitored. Population growth was evaluated in terms of all bred herd, and population growth of calves was separately evaluated as an average year-on-year chance of abundance. Natality was expressed as a rate of born calves and does in population. Population growth of the population is obvious in the figure 2, population growth of calves is evident in the figure 3. In both cases increasing trend was not proved, although absolute anundance gently increased in the period under consideration (table 1). Stagnant trend was interrupted only for a short term – always after game preserve extension (see Methodology). The main reasons of population stagnation were evidently low average natality 0.51 (0.13-1.00), high calf mortality 25.2% (0-75%) and low ratio increment 0.41 (0.13-1.00). Low reproduction is more distinct in this intensive breeding.