Effect of Antler Restrictions on Harvest and Survival Rates of Yearling Male White-tailed Deer and Hunter Satisfaction
In 2002, the Pennsylvania Game Commission adopted statewide antler restrictions to reduce harvest rate of 1.5-yr-old male deer and increased antlerless permit allocations to increase doe harvest. Research to accompany these harvest regulation changes has assessed effects of these demographic manipulations on socially influenced components of white-tailed deer ecology, specifically dispersal and breeding behavior of male deer, and hunter satisfaction and perceptions of the effects of antler restriction regulations. Current research is studying the spatial distribution of hunters and deer harvest and factors that influence harvest rates.

Black Bear Population and Harvest Characteristics
Pennsylvania's black bear population has the highest reproductive rates of anywhere in the world. Annually, Pennsylvania harvests approximately 20% of a population of about 12,000 bears. In collaboration with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, I have been studying factors that influence the harvest rate to develop more accurate and efficient population estimators.

Use of Reclaimed Surface Mines by Grassland Birds: Identifying Strategies to Conserve and Manage Grassland Landscapes for Viable Songbird Populations
We have estimated densities of several species of grassland sparrows on reclaimed surface mines in western Pennsylvania (Mattice et al. 2005). Henslow’s Sparrow densities range from 0.65 singing males/ha on high quality reclaimed mine areas to 0.10 singing males/ha on lesser quality reclaimed habitats. Current research is studying (1) methods of estimating abundance of grassland birds (Diefenbach et al. 2003, 2007), (2) developing predictive models to identify surface mines best suited for grassland sparrows, and (3) studying annual survival, nest success, and fidelity to breeding sites.