Abstract
We analyzed the demographic trends of red deer and roe deer populations between 2009 and2011, using various indexes in a study area in Tuscany where hunting management is carried out.The indexes were derived from direct field surveys (counts) and from hunting data (harvestindexes). The following indexes from counts (IDs) were chosen: density of roe deer/100 ha derivedfrom the application of drive counts and, for red deer, the density of roaring males/100 ha derivedfrom roaring adult male census. Selected IDs were compared with harvest indexes (ICs) chosenamong those most commonly used in the literature, and for which a relationship has been demonstratedwith the effective density of the population: IC1 = n. animals killed/100 ha, IC2 tot = n.hunting sessions / tot. n. animals killed, IC3 tot = n. hunting sessions /tot. animals killed in thefirst 10 days of hunting, IC4 = average n. hunting sessions to kill adult male in the first 10 days ofhunting, IC5 = average n. hunting sessions to kill first head. The study showed that for each indexconsidered there are no significant differences in the three years in question.The study underlines the importance of using density indexes and particularly harvest indexes,for the assessment of population trends of roe deer and red deer, and points out thecriticalities of their possible use on a large scale for management purposes
