Annual, seasonal, and daily space-use of Common Fallow Deer (Dama dama) in Australian agricultural landscapes

Abstract

The Common Fallow Deer (Dama dama; hereafter “fallow deer”) has been widely translocated from its native Mediterranean range and is now present on all continents except Antarctica. In some countries—such as Australia—introduced populations of fallow deer have increased in range and abundance, negatively affecting agricultural production. However, little is known about how this species uses these agricultural landscapes annually, seasonally, or daily. We used GPS collars to track the hourly movements of 68 adult fallow deer (25 males, 43 females) at 3 sites in mixed pastoral farmland (a mosaic of open eucalypt woodland and pasture) in eastern Australia between 2020 and 2024. We estimated annual and monthly home ranges, daily distance moved, and diel movement cycles. As expected, annual home ranges (using the biased random bridge method) were larger for males (median = 1,848.1 ha, 95% CrI: 929.2 to 3,584.0 ha) than females (median = 646.3 ha, 95% CrI: 368.1 to 1,068.5 ha), and home ranges and core areas were similar across the 3 sites. Both sexes had a strong crepuscular movement pattern that was consistent across sites. Male fallow deer increased their movement rates in April–May (i.e., during the mating season), and their movement patterns were most restricted during summer. Female fallow deer movements were more consistent across the year than those of males, but movement patterns were also most restricted during summer. There was substantial individual variation in daily movement patterns between and within sites, especially during the mating season. Most individuals exhibited strong site fidelity, but some males and females made short excursions (up to a week and 10 km) from their home range. The strong site fidelity of fallow deer suggests that management strategies utilizing repeated culling will be most effective at reducing overabundant fallow deer populations in Australian agricultural landscapes.