# Does Temporary Baiting Affect White‐Tailed Deer Space Use and Movement? New Insights Leveraging Subhourly Location Data

## TL;DR

This study examines how temporary baiting affects white-tailed deer behavior, finding that baiting does not attract deer from outside their usual range or cause them to leave after bait removal.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into deer movement and space use using subhourly GPS data during and after baiting.

## Key findings

- Deer exposed to bait expanded their ranges and moved more during active periods but less during inactive periods.
- Baiting did not shift deer activity centers toward bait sites or cause them to abandon established areas after bait removal.

## Abstract

Temporary baiting is often used to increase detection rates during camera surveys, particularly for white‐tailed deer (
Odocoileus virginianus
). However, the effects of bait on deer space use and movement have not been examined using location data sampled at intervals matching typical bait‐site visits. We defined three bait periods (pre‐bait, bait, post‐bait) to evaluate the effects of presence and removal of bait (i.e., shelled corn) on deer space use and movement relative to control deer not exposed to bait. We captured and fitted 61 deer (32 F, 29 M) in central Texas with GPS collars, that attempted a GPS location every 15 min from July 22 to September 2, 2012–2013. Of these (3 recaptures), 41 (20 F, 21 M) and 23 (15 F, 8 M) collars were assigned to the impact and control groups, respectively. We used generalized linear mixed‐effects models to evaluate the effect of bait on daily estimates of range size (ha), range overlap (proportion, 0–1), distance of activity centers to the nearest bait site (m), and distance traveled (m/15‐min) by deer. Deer exposed to bait expanded ranges and moved more during the active period (crepuscular, night) but moved less during the inactive period (day) relative to the pre‐bait period, indicating complex, time‐dependent responses. Deer exposed to bait did not shift their activity centers toward bait sites when bait was present. After bait removal, deer continued foraging within previously established ranges rather than abandoning the area. These results suggest that temporary baiting is unlikely to attract deer from outside their normal ranges, and bait removal is unlikely to cause deer to leave established areas, preserving the closure assumption. Our findings have implications for wildlife managers concerned about post‐bait movements and improve understanding of time‐dependent behavioral responses to supplemental food resources.

We evaluated the impact of presence and removal of bait (i.e., shelled corn) on range size (ha), range overlap (proportion, 0–1), distance of activity centers to bait sites (m), and distance traveled (m/15‐min) by deer in central Texas from 2012 to 2013. Deer exposed to bait did not shift their activity centers toward bait sites when bait was present, and, after bait removal, they did not abandon the area in search of new resources but continued to forage within previously established ranges. These results suggest that temporary baiting is unlikely to attract deer from outside their normal ranges, and bait removal is unlikely to cause deer to leave established areas, preserving the closure assumption.