Black-tailed and mule deer represent one of the largest distributions of mammals in North America and are symbols of the wide-open American West. Each chapter in this book was authored by the world's leading experts on that topic. Both editors, James R. Heffelfinger and Paul R. Krausman, are widely published in the popular and scientific press and recipients of the O. C. Wallmo Award, given every two years to a leading black-tailed and mule deer expert who has made significant contributions to the conservation of this species. In addition, Heffelfinger has chaired the Mule Deer Working Group sponsored by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies for more than 15 years. This working group consists of the leading black-tailed and mule deer experts from each of 24 states, provinces, and territories in western North America, putting them at the forefront of all conservation and much of the research on this species.
The book represents all current knowledge available on these deer, including how changing conditions such as fires, habitat alteration and loss, disease, climate change, socio-economic forces, energy development, and other aspects are influencing their distribution and abundance now and into the future. It takes a completely fresh look at all chapter topics. The revisions of distribution, taxonomy, evolution, behavior, and new and exciting work being done in deer nutrition, migration and movements, diseases, predation, and human dimensions are all assembled in this volume.
This book will instantly become the foundation for the latest information and management strategies to be implemented on the ground by practitioners and to inform the public. Although this book is about deer, the topics discussed influence most terrestrial wildlife worldwide, and the basic concepts in many of the chapters are applicable to other species.
About the Author: James R. Heffelfinger is Wildlife Science Coordinator for Arizona Game and Fish Department and Full Research Scientist in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at University of Arizona, Tucson. He received a B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (1986) with majors in Wildlife and Biology and an M.S. from Texas A&M University - Kingsville (1989). For the last 17 years, he has served as Chairman of the Mule Deer Working Group sponsored by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. This working group consists of the leading black-tailed or mule deer expert from each of 24 states, provinces, and territories in western North America. James has worked as Manager of Wildlife Operations for Horlock Land and Cattle in South Texas (1989-1990), Research Assistant at Mississippi State University (1990-91), Wildlife Biologist for U.S. Department of the Interior - Bureau of Land Management (1991-92), and for the Arizona Game and Fish Department as Regional Game Specialist (1992-2015) and Wildlife Science Coordinator (2015-present). His interests center on game bird and large mammal conservation, conservation genetics, taxonomy, evolutionary history, wolf recovery, and hunting as the cornerstone of wildlife conservation. James is a Certified Wildlife Biologist, and recipient of the O. C. "Charlie" Wallmo Award for contributions to black-tailed and mule deer knowledge and conservation in North America, Mule Deer Foundation's Professional of the Year Award, Lee Gladfelter Memorial Award, and Distinguished Alumnus University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. He has authored and coauthored >65 scientific papers, 29 book chapters, 295 magazine articles, several TV scripts, and the book Deer of the Southwest published by Texas A&M University Press. James lives in Tucson, Arizona.
Paul R. Krausman is Professor Emeritus from the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson. He was raised in North Africa, Europe, and Asia, and returned to the United States for college where he graduated from The Ohio State University with a B. S. in Agriculture (1968). He then served in the United States Air Force in New Mexico and Texas as a research assistant with the space program. During his service, he also attended New Mexico State University and obtained his M. S. degree in wildlife management. Upon his discharge from the Air Force, he attended the University of Idaho where he received his Ph.D. in wildlife science (1976). After graduation he was appointed Assistant Professor at Auburn University (1976-1978) and Professor, and Associate Director of the Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of Arizona (1978-2007) before accepting the Boone and Crockett Professor of Wildlife Conservation at the University of Montana (2007-2015). He was also Visiting Professor at the Wildlife Institute of India intermittently (1989-2000) and at the Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal (2005-2006). His research interests primarily revolved around large mammals and their response to anthropogenic influences in arid areas of the world. Paul is a Certified Wildlife Biologist, Wildlife Fellow, Honorary Member of The Wildlife Society, and served as faculty advisor for the student chapters of The Wildlife Society at Auburn, Arizona, and Montana. He has served as editor, associate editor, and guest editor for numerous scientific outlets including the Journal of Wildlife Management, Wildlife Monographs, and the Wildlife Society Bulletin. He is currently the Editor- in-Chief of the Journal of Wildlife Management. Paul has published 41 book chapters, 14 books, >100 conference proceedings, and >270 peer-reviewed monographs and manuscripts. He has received numerous awards for his teaching and research including the O. C. "Charlie" Wallmo Award (1999), the Desert Ram Award (2000), and the Aldo Leopold Memorial Award (2006). Paul R. Krausman currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife, cat, dogs, and horses.
