SCALE-DEPENDENT SUMMER RESOURCE SELECTION BY REINTRODUCED ELK IN WISCONSIN,USA

Abstract: Identifying how habitat use is influenced by environmental heterogeneity at different scales is central to understanding ungulate population dynamics on complex landscapes. We used resource selection functions (RSF) to study summer habitat use in a reintroduced and expanding elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) population in the Chequamegon National Forest, Wisconsin, USA. Factors were examined that influenced where elk established home ranges and that influenced habitat use within established home ranges. We also determined grain sizes over which elk responded to environmental heterogeneity and the number of categories of habitat selection from low to high that the elk distinguished. At a large spatial extent, elk home-range establishment was largely explained by the spatial distribution of wolf (Canis lupus) territories. Forage abundance was also influential but was relatively more important at a small spatial extent when elk moved within established home ranges. Areas near roads were avoided when establishing a home-range, but areas near roads were selected for use within the established home range. Elk distinguished among 4 different categories of habitat selection when establishing and moving within home ranges. Spatial and temporal cross validation demonstrated that to improve the predictive strength of habitat models in areas of low inter-annual variability in the environment, it is better to follow more individuals across diverse environmental conditions than to follow the same individuals over a longer time period. Last, our results show that the effects of environmental variables on habitat use were scale-dependent and reemphasize the necessity of analyzing habitat use at multiple scales that are fit to address specific research questions.     

Effects of Season and Scale on Response of Elk and Mule Deer to Habitat Manipulation

Abstract: Manipulation of forest habitat via mechanical thinning or prescribed fire has become increasingly common across western North America. Nevertheless, empirical research on effects of those activities on wildlife is limited, although prescribed fire in particular often is assumed to benefit large herbivores. We evaluated effects of season and spatial scale on response of Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) to experimental habitat manipulation at the Starkey Experimental Forest and Range in northeastern Oregon, USA. From 2001 to 2003, 26 densely stocked stands of true fir (Abies spp.) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) were thinned and burned whereas 27 similar stands were left untreated to serve as experimental controls. We used location data for elk and mule deer collected during spring (1 Apr-14 Jun) and summer (15 Jun-31 Aug) of 1999–2006 to compare use of treated and untreated stands and to model effects of environmental covariates on use of treated stands. In spring, elk selected burned stands and avoided control stands within the study area (second-order selection; large scale). Within home ranges (third-order selection; small scale), however, elk did not exhibit selection. In addition, selection of treatment stands by elk in spring was not strongly related to environmental covariates. Conversely, in summer elk selected control stands and either avoided or used burned stands proportional to their availability at the large scale; patterns of space use within home ranges were similar to those observed in spring. Use of treatment stands by elk in summer was related to topography, proximity to roads, stand size and shape, and presence of cattle, and a model of stand use explained 50% of variation in selection ratios. Patterns of stand use by mule deer did not change following habitat manipulation, and mule deer avoided or used all stand types proportional to their availability across seasons and scales. In systems similar to Starkey, manipulating forest habitat with prescribed fire might be of greater benefit to elk than mule deer where these species are sympatric, and thus maintaining a mixture of burned and unburned (late successional) habitat might provide better long-term foraging opportunities for both species than would burning a large proportion of a landscape.     

Varied tastes: home range implications of foraging‐patch selection

Despite evidence of home range behaviour across many taxa, the mechanisms underlying the development of home ranges are still unknown. Recently, models have been developed to explore these mechanisms for both territorial and non‐ territorial species. One such model for a generic forager suggests animal memory and optimal foraging theory as underlying mechanisms driving forager movement and the development of stable home ranges. Although this is a promising model for ungulate home range development, assumptions of the model have yet to be evaluated. Using GPS relocation data from two populations of elk, we explored how foraging patch selection might influence the structure and development of home ranges in elk Cervus elaphus. During the summer growing season, we identified and sampled foraging patches used by elk. Points along elk paths not used for foraging were sampled identically for comparison. We contrasted ‘patch’ and ‘nonpatch’ data points, to identify foraging selection differences across herd, sex and season using a combination of directly sampled and remotely sensed covariates. In general, elk selected patches with higher biomass, cover, slope and lower traffic on the nearest road. These patch‐selection results speak directly to differences between foraging areas and other areas used by elk and demonstrate that both physiographic and anthropocentric features influence foraging patch selection. Our results offer insight as to what defines a valuable foraging patch for elk and how these patches might influence the development and structure of home ranges in a free‐ranging ungulate.     

Roadkills of vertebrate species on two highways through the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve,southern Brazil

We assessed the magnitude, composition, and spatial and temporal patterns of road mortality of native vertebrates on two highways in southern Brazil from 18 January 2003 to 26 January 2004. The highways cross remnants of the Atlantic Rainforest, a global biodiversity hotspot, and differ in vehicle traffic and surrounding landscape. We compared the road-kill magnitude and composition of birds, mammals, and reptiles between roads and seasons. We used a modified K statistic to depict the spatial patterns of roadkills of these groups and tested the association between vehicle traffic and road mortality through linear regression. We recorded 869 kills of 92 species. The two roads differed regarding the abundance and composition of roadkills. Reptile road mortality was higher in summer than winter, but all other groups did not show significant difference in the magnitude of mortality between seasons. The composition of killed assemblages differed significantly for some of the taxonomic groups among seasons. We found only one positive association between roadkills and vehicle traffic (reptiles on one of the roads), suggesting that vehicle flow does not explain the road-kill temporal variation on these roads. Total vertebrate, bird, and mammal roadkills showed significant spatial aggregations possibly due to variation in vehicle traffic, highway design, and local landscape condition and arrangement. With expected expansion of the road network, mitigation measures for multi-species assemblages should include habitat protection, soil use regulation, road crossing structures, speed reducers, and campaigns to raise people’s awareness about road impacts on wildlife.     

Habitat Selection of Rocky Mountain Elk in a Nonforested Environment

Abstract: Recent expansions by Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus) into nonforested habitats across the Intermountain West have required managers to reconsider the traditional paradigms of forage and cover as they relate to managing elk and their habitats. We examined seasonal habitat selection patterns of a hunted elk population in a nonforested high-desert region of southwestern Wyoming, USA. We used 35,246 global positioning system locations collected from 33 adult female elk to model probability of use as a function of 6 habitat variables: slope, aspect, elevation, habitat diversity, distance to shrub cover, and distance to road. We developed resource selection probability functions for individual elk, and then we averaged the coefficients to estimate population-level models for summer and winter periods. We used the population-level models to generate predictive maps by assigning pixels across the study area to 1 of 4 use categories (i.e., high, medium-high, medium-low, or low), based on quartiles of the predictions. Model coefficients and predictive maps indicated that elk selected for summer habitats characterized by higher elevations in areas of high vegetative diversity, close to shrub cover, northerly aspects, moderate slopes, and away from roads. Winter habitat selection patterns were similar, except elk shifted to areas with lower elevations and southerly aspects. We validated predictive maps by using 528 locations collected from an independent sample of radiomarked elk (n = 55) and calculating the proportion of locations that occurred in each of the 4 use categories. Together, the high- and medium-high use categories of the summer and winter predictive maps contained 92% and 74% of summer and winter elk locations, respectively. Our population-level models and associated predictive maps were successful in predicting winter and summer habitat use by elk in a nonforested environment. In the absence of forest cover, elk seemed to rely on a combination of shrubs, topography, and low human disturbance to meet their thermal and hiding cover requirements.     

Effects of Humans on Behaviour of Wildlife Exceed Those of Natural Predators in a Landscape of Fear

Background

Human disturbance can influence wildlife behaviour, which can have implications for wildlife populations. For example, wildlife may be more vigilant near human disturbance, resulting in decreased forage intake and reduced reproductive success. We measured the effects of human activities compared to predator and other environmental factors on the behaviour of elk (Cervus elaphus Linnaeus 1758) in a human-dominated landscape in Alberta, Canada.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We collected year-round behavioural data of elk across a range of human disturbances. We estimated linear mixed models of elk behaviour and found that human factors (land-use type, traffic and distance from roads) and elk herd size accounted for more than 80% of variability in elk vigilance. Elk decreased their feeding time when closer to roads, and road traffic volumes of at least 1 vehicle every 2 hours induced elk to switch into a more vigilant behavioural mode with a subsequent loss in feeding time. Other environmental factors, thought crucial in shaping vigilance behaviour in elk (natural predators, reproductive status of females), were not important. The highest levels of vigilance were recorded on public lands where hunting and motorized recreational activities were cumulative compared to the national park during summer, which had the lowest levels of vigilance.

Conclusions/Significance

In a human-dominated landscape, effects of human disturbance on elk behaviour exceed those of habitat and natural predators. Humans trigger increased vigilance and decreased foraging in elk. However, it is not just the number of people but also the type of human activity that influences elk behaviour (e.g. hiking vs. hunting). Quantifying the actual fitness costs of human disturbance remains a challenge in field studies but should be a primary focus for future researches. Some species are much more likely to be disturbed by humans than by non-human predators: for these species, quantifying human disturbance may be the highest priority for conservation.     

Brown bear habitat selection in relation to anthropogenic structures in the Bieszczady Mountains,Poland

In Europe, brown bear Ursus arctos habitats frequently overlap with human settlements and infrastructure. We tested whether anthropogenic structures played an important role in habitat selection by brown bears in the Bieszczady Mountains, Poland. We analysed 668 signs of brown bear presence recorded during 6 counts along 246 km of transects (total 1,476 km) in spring, summer and autumn of 1993 and 1994. Habitat selection of bears was more related to habitat and altitude than to human factors. Avoidance of roads, settlements and forest clearings influenced habitat selection by brown bears in spring but less in summer and autumn.     

Road avoidance and its energetic consequences for reptiles

Roads are one of the most widespread human‐caused habitat modifications that can increase wildlife mortality rates and alter behavior. Roads can act as barriers with variable permeability to movement and can increase distances wildlife travel to access habitats. Movement is energetically costly, and avoidance of roads could therefore impact an animal's energy budget. We tested whether reptiles avoid roads or road crossings and explored whether the energetic consequences of road avoidance decreased individual fitness. Using telemetry data from Blanding's turtles (Emydoidea blandingii; 11,658 locations of 286 turtles from 15 sites) and eastern massasaugas (Sistrurus catenatus; 1,868 locations of 49 snakes from 3 sites), we compared frequency of observed road crossings and use of road‐adjacent habitat by reptiles to expected frequencies based on simulated correlated random walks. Turtles and snakes did not avoid habitats near roads, but both species avoided road crossings. Compared with simulations, turtles made fewer crossings of paved roads with low speed limits and more crossings of paved roads with high speed limits. Snakes made fewer crossings of all road types than expected based on simulated paths. Turtles traveled longer daily distances when their home range contained roads, but the predicted energetic cost was negligible: substantially less than the cost of producing one egg. Snakes with roads in their home range did not travel further per day than snakes without roads in their home range. We found that turtles and snakes avoided crossing roads, but road avoidance is unlikely to impact fitness through energetic expenditures. Therefore, mortality from vehicle strikes remains the most significant impact of roads on reptile populations.     

Patterns of space and habitat use by northern bobwhites in South Florida,USA

The manner by which animals use space and select resources can have important management consequences. We studied patterns of habitat selection by northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) on Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area, Charlotte County, Florida and evaluated factors influencing the sizes of their home ranges. A total of 1,245 radio-tagged bobwhites were monitored for 19,467 radio days during 2002–2007. The mean ( ± 1 SE) annual home range size, estimated using the Kernel density method, was 88.43 ( ± 6.16) ha and did not differ between genders. Winter home ranges of bobwhites (69.27 ± 4.92 ha) were generally larger than summer home ranges (53.90 ± 4.93 ha). Annual and winter home ranges were smaller for bobwhites whose ranges contained food plots compared to those that did not; however, the presence of food plots did not influence summer home ranges. We used distance-based methods to investigate habitat selection by bobwhites at two scales: selection of home ranges within the study site (second-order selection) and selection of habitats within home ranges (third-order selection). Across both scales, bobwhites generally preferred food plots and dry prairie habitat and avoided wet prairies and roads. This pattern was generally consistent between genders and across years. Our data indicate that management practices aimed at increasing and maintaining a matrix of food plots and dry prairie habitat would provide the most favorable environment for bobwhites.     

Can seasonal home‐range size in pike Esox lucius predict excursion distance?

The hypothesis that vagility, or tendency to move, in pike Esox lucius can be predicted from individual home range was tested using telemetry. Independently of fish size, mean annual excursion distance was positively correlated to winter (0·02–0·95 ha) and spring (0·02–0·59 ha) home ranges but not summer and autumn home ranges.     

Validation of elk resource selection models with spatially independent data

Knowledge of how landscape features affect wildlife resource use is essential for informed management. Resource selection functions often are used to make and validate predictions about landscape use; however, resource selection functions are rarely validated with data from landscapes independent of those from which the models were built. This problem has severely limited the application of resource selection functions over larger geographic areas for widely distributed species. North American elk (Cervus elaphus) is an example of a widely-distributed species of keen interest to managers and for which validation of resource selection functions over large geographic areas is important. We evaluated the performance of resource selection functions developed for elk on one landscape in northeast Oregon with independent data from a different landscape in the same region. We compared predicted versus observed elk resource use for 9 monthly or seasonal periods across 3 yr. Results showed strong, positive agreement between predicted and observed use for 2 spring and 3 late summer-early fall models (3-yr r = 0.81–0.95). Predicted versus observed use was negatively or weakly positively correlated for 3 summer models and 1 mid-fall model (3-yr r = −0.57–0.14). Predicted and observed use correlated well when forage was limited (spring and late summer or early fall), corresponding to important biological stages for elk (parturition and breeding seasons). For these seasonal periods, model covariates such as rate of motorized traffic and canopy closure often were effective predictors of elk resource selection. The models we validated for spring and late summer-early fall may be used to evaluate management activities in areas with similar landscape characteristics. © 2010 The Wildlife Society.     

唐家河国家级自然保护区川金丝猴生境适宜性评价

生境适宜性评价是濒危物种保护的重要基础。川金丝猴（Rhinopithecus roxellana）是栖息于温带森林的、中国特有的珍稀灵长类动物。位于岷山山系的四川唐家河国家级自然保护区是川金丝猴的重要分布地之一,但涉及该地区川金丝猴的生境信息却较缺乏。运用最大熵（Maximum entropy,MaxEnt）模型对四川唐家河国家级自然保护区川金丝猴不同季节的生境适宜性进行了研究,发现四个季节的训练集和验证集的受试者工作特征曲线下面积（Area under the receiver operator characteristic curve,AUC）值均超过0.8,说明模型预测结果较好。结果显示：（1）影响不同季节川金丝猴分布的主要因子是海拔、河流和道路。（2）川金丝猴的适宜生境面积存在季节性变化。其中,春季的适宜生境面积最大,为233.94 km²,占全区面积的58.48%;夏季的次之,为192.75 km²,占48.19%;秋冬季的适宜生境面积相对较低,分别为145.54 km²（占36.39%）和142.63 km²（占35.66%）。（3）川金丝猴的适宜生境分布具有明显的季节性垂直变化。研究揭示保护好完整的森林植被带对川金丝猴的生存具有重要意义,尤其要重视对人为干扰较强的低海拔生境的保护。     

Evaluating distributional shifts in home range estimates

A variety of methods are commonly used to quantify animal home ranges using location data acquired with telemetry. High‐volume location data from global positioning system (GPS) technology provide researchers the opportunity to identify various intensities of use within home ranges, typically quantified through utilization distributions (UDs). However, the wide range of variability evident within UDs constructed with modern home range estimators is often overlooked or ignored during home range comparisons, and challenges may arise when summarizing distributional shifts among multiple UDs. We describe an approach to gain additional insight into home range changes by comparing UDs across isopleths and summarizing comparisons into meaningful results. To demonstrate the efficacy of this approach, we used GPS location data from 16 bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) to identify distributional changes before and after habitat alterations, and we discuss advantages in its application when comparing home range size, overlap, and joint‐space use. We found a consistent increase in bighorn sheep home range size when measured across home range levels, but that home range overlap and similarity values decreased when examined at increasing core levels. Our results highlight the benefit of conducting multiscale assessments when comparing distributions, and we encourage researchers to expand comparative home range analyses to gain a more comprehensive evaluation of distributional changes and to evaluate comparisons across home range levels.     

Habitat selection by capercaillie in summer and autumn: Is bilberry important?

The use of habitat by female and male adult capercaillie Tetrao urogallus during summer and autumn was studied by comparing the distribution of radio locations of birds with the availability of habitat at forest stand, home range and landscape level in an area of the Bavarian Alps, Germany. Capercaillie preferred forests with structural features typical of their main distribution range, the boreal forest: they selected large patches of old forest with moderate canopy cover of about 50%, and a well developed field layer with high proportions of bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus. Hens selected both home ranges and sites within home ranges in old forest. Ranges selected by cocks did not differ from availability in the study area, but they preferred old forest within their ranges. The size of home ranges was negatively related to bilberry cover both in hens and cocks. The distribution of bilberry also determined habitat use by capercaillie at the landscape scale. The study demonstrated that bilberry is the major determinant of the selection of habitat by capercaillie in landscapes with sparse and fragmentary cover of ericaceous shrubs, such as central Europe.     

Abiotic,bottom-up,and top-down influences on recruitment of Rocky Mountain elk in Oregon: A retrospective analysis

Understanding the relative effects of the many factors that may influence recruitment of ungulates is fundamental to managing their populations. Over the last 4 decades, average recruitment in some populations of elk (Cervus elaphus) in Oregon, USA declined from >50 to <20 juveniles per 100 females, and several competing hypotheses address these declines. We developed a priori models and constructed covariates spanning 1977–2005 from hunter-killed elk, elk population estimates, cougar harvest, and weather statistics to evaluate abiotic, bottom-up, and top-down factors that may explain annual variation and long-term trends of pregnancy, juveniles-at-heel in late autumn, and recruitment of juvenile elk in spring. In models of pregnancy status, August precipitation, age, and cougar index had positive effects, whereas previous year (t − 1) winter severity or winter precipitation_(t−1) and elk density had negative effects. In models of juvenile-at-heel in late autumn, August precipitation, August precipitation_(t−1), cougar index × elk density_(t−1), and age had positive effects, whereas cougar index, elk density_(t−1), and winter precipitation_(t−1) had negative effects. Juvenile recruitment was best explained by positive effects of August precipitation_(t−1), lactation rate, and cougar index × elk density_(t−1) and negative effects of cougar index and elk density_(t−1). Winter severity, precipitation, and temperature were not significant in explaining variation in elk recruitment. Annual variation in pregnancy, juvenile-at-heel, and recruitment was most influenced by August precipitation, whereas long-term trends in recruitment were most influenced by cougar densities with relatively weak effects of elk density. These results provide insight into causes of year-to-year and long-term trends of elk recruitment and provide a basis for more rigorous evaluation of factors affecting recruitment of elk. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.     

A radiotelemetric study of movements and thermal biology of insular Chinese pit-vipers (Gloydiusshedaoensis, Viperidae)

Because of their low metabolic costs, ectothermic predators can specialise on prey resources that are available for only a brief period each year. Endemic pit-vipers ( Gloydius shedaoensis ) on a small island in north-eastern China offer an extreme example of this phenomenon, with adult snakes feeding only on seasonally migrating birds that are available for a few weeks in spring and autumn. We surgically implanted radiotransmitters in 16 pit-vipers, and located the snakes at weekly intervals for the next 12 months to record activity, movements, home ranges, habitat use, body temperatures and associated environmental temperatures. The snakes were extremely sedentary, with daily displacements averaging <2 m and home ranges <0.3 ha. The snakes maintained diurnal body temperatures around 25°C throughout the active season. Diurnal activity was reduced in summer, when birds were unavailable. Males and females were similar in most aspects of their ecology, except that females were often found in trees in autumn (feeding) while males were more often on the ground at this time (probably mate-searching). Males also tended to shelter under vegetation rather than under rocks. The low vagility, relatively low body temperatures and summer inactivity of these snakes may reduce energy expenditure, and thus facilitate survival in a habitat where food is available only in brief periods several months apart.     

Habitat Selection and Home Range Dynamics of Eastern Spotted Skunks in the Ouachita Mountains,Arkansas, USA

ABSTRACT Since the 1940s, eastern spotted skunks (Spilogale putorius) have declined dramatically throughout the Midwest. One hypothesis for the decline is the loss of suitable habitat, although little is known about the ecological requirements of this species. To elucidate seasonal home range and habitat selection by eastern spotted skunks, we conducted telemetry-based field work in the Ouachita Mountains of western Arkansas, USA. During 2 years of field work, we collected day- and nighttime radiolocations for 33 eastern spotted skunks. We used kernel-based utilization distributions, volume of intersection indices, and weighted compositional analysis to evaluate seasonal home range dynamics and habitat selection. Although we found moderate adult male site fidelity, there were large seasonal differences in home range size, with ranges of between 76 ha and 175 ha (± 22–62 SE) during summer, fall, and winter, and home ranges of 866 ha (± 235 SE) during spring. Male home range increases in the spring were likely caused by questing behavior in search of reproductive females. Females maintained home ranges of 54 ha to 135 ha (± 7–30 SE) and moderate site fidelity during all seasons. During each season, we observed selection of young shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) and hardwood stands over other available cover types, likely due to a preference for a dense, complex understory and a closed canopy overstory to reduce predation risk. Most habitats in the study region were managed for an herbaceous understory and an older, more open canopy, in part to benefit red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) populations. Thus, if simultaneous management for these 2 vertebrates is a goal, a balance of early and late successional habitat should be reached.     

Edge Effects of Gated and Ungated Roads on Terrestrial Salamanders

ABSTRACT Roads through forest habitats reduce the abundance of many animal species. These reductions are often referred to as edge effects and their causes include roadkill, degradation of forest habitat, and changes in biotic interactions. Which of these causes are operating can have important implications for management. Terrestrial salamanders in the southern Appalachians have previously been shown to be subject to edge effects from forest roads that are open to traffic. In this study, I examined edge effects on red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) along forest roads that were either open or gated to prevent vehicle entry. I also included roads that varied in the width of the gravel surface, the width of the roadside verge, and the magnitude of habitat gradients at the forest edge. I found that ungated roads were associated with consistent edge effects on salamanders, whereas no detectable edge effects were found for gated roads. Road width was as good a predictor of the magnitude of edge effects as was the presence of a gate, though the width of the roadside verge was largely unrelated to the magnitude of edge effects. Gradients in habitat variables (soil moisture, temp, leaf litter thickness) were not closely related to the magnitude of edge effects. These results demonstrate that narrow, gated roads do not typically produce edge effects on terrestrial salamanders of the same magnitude as wider, ungated roads. In addition, the apparent importance of road type or road width and the relative unimportance of habitat characteristics suggest that traffic-related factors may be a substantial contributor to edge effects on terrestrial salamanders. These findings provide some support for the closing of redundant forest roads as a low-cost method for diminishing the negative effects of roads on forest ecosystems.     

Road verges as habitat for small mammals in Britain

There are 370 000 kilometres of roads in Great Britain, mostly bordered by a verge that is potential habitat for small mammals. The present study assessed the importance of road verges as small mammal habitat and investigated the influence of some key features on rodent abundance. Five rodent and three shrew species were live‐trapped on 14 road verges in late summer 1994 and nine verges in autumn 1996 in north Cambridgeshire, UK. On average, between three and four species were captured per verge. Bank Voles Clethrionomys glareolus, Wood Mice Apodemus sylvaticus and Field Voles Microtus agrestis were the most abundant species, with mean densities of 45.5, 40.2 and 29.5 animals km^–1 in summer and 52.8, 181.9 and 47.2 animals km^–1 in autumn. Numbers varied between verges and this was significantly correlated with particular features on the verge. Bank Vole and Field Vole numbers showed a significant positive correlation with the dimensions of hedges and the width of the tall grass area, respectively. Wood Mice were also more numerous on verges with big hedges but the relationship between mouse abundance and verge structure was complex. The number of mice in 1994 was positively and significantly correlated with hedge features and with the width of the short grass sightline, whereas, in autumn 1996, they were only significantly correlated with total verge width (positive association) and ditch width (negative association).     

Comparing Global Positioning System and Very High Frequency Telemetry Home Ranges of White-Tailed Deer

ABSTRACT Use of Global Positioning System (GPS) collars on free-ranging ungulates overcomes many limitations of conventional very high frequency (VHF) telemetry and offers a practical means of studying space use and home range estimation. To better understand winter home ranges of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), we evaluated GPS collar performance, and we compared GPS- and VHF-derived diurnal home ranges (for the same animals) and GPS-derived home range estimates for diurnal and nocturnal locations. Overall, the mean fix success rate of our GPS collars was 85% (range = 14–99%). Kernel density estimates of home range (using the 95% probability contour) derived from GPS and VHF locations were generally similar, as were GPS-derived diurnal and nocturnal home ranges. Overlap indices between GPS and VHF utilization distributions (UDs) ranged from 0.49 to 0.78 for the volume of intersection (VI) index and from 0.67 to 0.94 for Bhattacharyya's affinity (BA); overlap indices for GPS-diurnal and nocturnal UDs ranged from 0.29 to 0.81 for VI and from 0.56 to 0.94 for BA. Despite similarities of home ranges estimated from GPS versus VHF locations and GPS-diurnal versus nocturnal locations, our data also indicate that differences may have important implications for studies focused on deer use of space, habitat, and resources at a finer scale.