How do wildfires affect deer?
I'm doing a report on forest fires and I realized I don't know anything about what happens to the deer in those forests. The ones that don't die, do they migrate or move? Do predators just kill them all? Or do hunters have easy times picking them off?
Where would I go to find this out?
Comments
Wildfires destroy deer habitats, and with them a portion of the ecosystem. The small population which isn't killed try to migrate somewhere else to live, making them vulnerable to over predation during that process. Hunters usually have nothing to do with it.
Wildfires can devastate all wildlife. Usually the larger will try to flee but often become confused in smoke and succumb to asphyxiation. In a lot cases, a fire can outrun even deer.
Those that make it to safety, just adapt to a new area.
We had a massive grass fire where I live one year, and because I study spiders, was looking through charred areas after a year, getting an idea how quickly wildlife will repopulate.
Among the new foliage, there was signs of insect life and spiders making an appearance, mostly those that can fly, or balloon on web gossamer. There was evidence of dead rodents, but no sign of larger animals bigger than insects or spiders. By now, I am sure the animals like rodents and prairie dogs are flourishing.
In the case of hunters, there is no further impact than any other time, Usually for food and animal population control.
They'll instinctively flee the fire. It's important to remember that there have been flash fires since the dawn of time - it's not just a manmade problem. In prehistory fires would start from lightning or even spontaneously in very hot weather. (Marsh gas flames are an example of natural, spontaneous fire). So animals that live in woodland/grassland have evolved around that eventuality and many species will have an instinctive knowledge of fire.
Deer will flee the fire - but fires move rapidly and may surround them or they may flee into situations where they're trapped by the fire and die.
Areas damaged by forest fires will often sprout new vegetation very rapidly - the trees will of course take years to regenerate, but grasses will flourish in the newly fertilised soil and the complete absence of competition from other plants. In some places fires are set as a means of grassland or moorland management - for example in Scotland heather is routinely burned back to encourage fresh growth.
Since predators face the same danger from fire as the prey animals, the risk from predators is secondary to the fire. The change in the habitat is likely to be just as disruptive to predators as to prey (so the playing field is very different, but still largely level).
Regarding hunters - I don't know. However if hunters are shooting for food then they won't kill any more than they can eat. If they're shooting for sport then they're unlikely to exploit this situation as the animals would be sitting ducks and that's not 'sporting'.
Large animals must run from forest fires or they will be burned alive. Small animals, such as mice, rats, shrews, lizards and snakes are safe if they are underground. Since heat rises, just a few inches underground would be safe for them. However, many small animals are killed if they come out of their burrows too early after the fire and they breathe in the toxic fumes. Deer will move towards where they can find food. they are not stuck in one place and starve to death if food is not available.