Correlation between the parameters of aesthetic value for evaluation of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) antlers

Abstract

A roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) is the most populous and the most widely spread species of European "Hochjagd" and along with the wild boar represents the most important game species for trophy hunting in Serbia. The small size of roe deer trophies, combined with great distance and poor visibility, both common in roe deer hunting, frequently make estimation of trophy's worth in CIC points difficult. The aim of this study was to find the correlation between a number of trophy parameters relevant to CIC beauty score that can and the parameters that cannot be easily assessed while out hunting. In other words, the aim was to establish whether it is possible to estimate the diameter of the coronet based on the length, symmetry and type of the antlers, and to determine how precise such estimation can be. For the purpose of this study, 116 roe deer trophies were measured. Roe deer, the trophies of which have been used in the study, were hunter-harvested over the last four decades on hunting grounds in the Republic of Serbia and on the territory of the former Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Socialist Republic of Croatia. Measurements of antler length, shaft length and coronet circumference were taken and trophies were assorted into one of the five categories according to appearance. The measured assets were tested and compared through the T-, Z-, and nonparametric tests. The observation was that that there is no significant difference in the antler length, shaft length and coronet circumference correlation, regardless of the type of trophy, whereas it was apparent that symmetric trophies with larger tines had shorter shafts and larger crowns. The correlation between the coronet circumference and antler length was established as medium to strong.

Keywords

• antlers
• roe deer
• coronet
• tine
• shaft
• trophy
• correlation