Current Estimates of Key Deer Numbers on Sugarloaf and Cudjoe Keys

Nova J. Silvy^1,*, Philip A. Frank², Israel D. Parker², Roel R. Lopez¹, and Brian Powell³

¹Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. ²Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, College Station, TX 77843. ³South Florida Ecological Services Field Office, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Vero Beach, FL 32960. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 23, Issue 3 (2024): 331–338

First published early online: 3 August 2024

Abstract
We surveyed Cudjoe and Sugarloaf keys in Florida to estimate Odocoileus virginianus clavium (Key Deer) numbers using 14 motion-detecting infrared cameras to determine population numbers after deer had been translocated to these keys in 2005. We activated 6 cameras deployed on Sugarloaf Key and 8 cameras on Cudjoe Key on 11 March 2023 and retrieved them on 1 April 2023. We obtained 1340 and 2192 photos of Key Deer on Sugarloaf and Cudjoe keys, respectively. We individually identified 8 males on Sugarloaf Key and 15 males on Cudjoe Key by their antler configuration and considered them “marked” for a Lincoln–Petersen mark–resight population estimate. The Lincoln–Petersen method estimated 36 Key Deer on Sugarloaf Key and 74 Key Deer on Cudjoe Key. These estimates indicate the translocation thus far has been effective, but there is a need to monitor the efficacy of translocations over time to ensure the long-term viability of the species.

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