Duane Diefenbach

Adjunct Professor of Wildlife Ecology

Duane Diefenbach

Research Summary

Wildlife ecology, estimation of population parameters, and harvest management of game populations.

Huck Graduate Students

Huck Affiliations

Links

Publication Tags

Deer Odocoileus Virginianus Harvest Regulation Decision Making Sampling Rate Vegetation Birds Population Density Insecticides Loss Hunters Grassland Grasslands Dispersal Behavior Winter Population Decline Modeling Methodology Aluminum Predation Contraction Wild Population Genetic Variation

Most Recent Publications

Demographic changes and loss of genetic diversity in two insular populations of bobcats (Lynx rufus)

Cassandra M. Miller-Butterworth, Duane R. Diefenbach, Jessie E. Edson, Leslie A. Hansen, James D. Jordan, Tess M. Gingery, Amy L. Russell, 2021, Global Ecology and Conservation

Modeling how to achieve localized areas of reduced white-tailed deer density

Amanda N. Van Buskirk, Christopher S. Rosenberry, Bret D. Wallingford, Emily Just Domoto, Marc E. McDill, Patrick J. Drohan, Duane R. Diefenbach, 2021, Ecological Modelling

Assessment of spatial genetic structure to identify populations at risk for infection of an emerging epizootic disease

William L. Miller, Cassandra M. Miller-Butterworth, Duane R. Diefenbach, W. David Walter, 2020, Ecology and Evolution on p. 3977-3990

Evaluating inter-rater reliability and statistical power of vegetation measures assessing Deer Impact

Danielle R. Begley-Miller, Duane R. Diefenbach, Marc E. McDill, Christopher S. Rosenberry, Emily H. Just, 2018, Forests

Addressing wild turkey population declines using structured decision making

Kelly F. Robinson, Angela K. Fuller, Michael V. Schiavone, Bryan L. Swift, Duane R. Diefenbach, William F. Siemer, Daniel J. Decker, 2017, Journal of Wildlife Management on p. 393-405

Biological and social outcomes of antler point restriction harvest regulations for white-tailed deer

Bret D. Wallingford, Duane R. Diefenbach, Eric S. Long, Christopher S. Rosenberry, Gary L. Alt, 2017, Wildlife Monographs on p. 1-26

Proximate influences on female dispersal in white-tailed deer

Clayton L. Lutz, Duane R. Diefenbach, Christopher S. Rosenberry, 2016, Journal of Wildlife Management on p. 1218-1226

Retention of riveted aluminum leg bands by wild Turkeys

Duane R. Diefenbach, Wendy C. Vreeland, Mary Jo Casalena, Michael V. Schiavone, 2016, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management on p. 162-164

Evidence for Range Contraction of Snowshoe Hare in Pennsylvania

Duane R. Diefenbach, Stephen L. Rathbun, Justin K. Vreeland, Deborah Grove, William J. Kanapaux, 2016, Northeastern Naturalist on p. 229-248

Population and genetic outcomes 20 years after reintroducing bobcats (Lynx rufus) to Cumberland Island, Georgia USA

Duane Diefenbach, Leslie Hansen, Justin Bohling, Cassandra Miller-Butterworth, 2015, Ecology and Evolution on p. 4885-4895

Most-Cited Papers

Habitat availability is a more plausible explanation than insecticide acute toxicity for U.S. grassland bird species declines

Jason M. Hill, J. Franklin Egan, Glenn E. Stauffer, Duane R. Diefenbach, 2014, PLoS One

Population Density Influences Dispersal in Female White-Tailed Deer

Clayton L. Lutz, Duane R. Diefenbach, Christopher S. Rosenberry, 2015, Journal of Mammalogy on p. 494-501

Can managers compensate for coyote predation of white-tailed deer?

Kelly F. Robinson, Duane Diefenbach, Angela K. Fuller, Jeremy E. Hurst, Christopher S. Rosenberry, 2014, Journal of Wildlife Management on p. 571-579

Biological and social outcomes of antler point restriction harvest regulations for white-tailed deer

Bret D. Wallingford, Duane R. Diefenbach, Eric S. Long, Christopher S. Rosenberry, Gary L. Alt, 2017, Wildlife Monographs on p. 1-26

Mark-resight abundance estimation under incomplete identification of marked individuals

Brett T. Mcclintock, Jason M. Hill, Lowell Fritz, Kathryn Chumbley, Katie Luxa, Duane R. Diefenbach, 2014, Methods in Ecology and Evolution on p. 1294-1304

Evidence for Range Contraction of Snowshoe Hare in Pennsylvania

Duane R. Diefenbach, Stephen L. Rathbun, Justin K. Vreeland, Deborah Grove, William J. Kanapaux, 2016, Northeastern Naturalist on p. 229-248

Hidden Markov Model for Dependent Mark Loss and Survival Estimation

Jeffrey L. Laake, Devin S. Johnson, Duane R. Diefenbach, Mark A. Ternent, 2014, Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics on p. 524-540

Proximate influences on female dispersal in white-tailed deer

Clayton L. Lutz, Duane R. Diefenbach, Christopher S. Rosenberry, 2016, Journal of Wildlife Management on p. 1218-1226

Experimental removal of woo dy ve getation doe s not increase Ne sting Success or fledgling production in two grassland sparrows (ammodramus) in pennsylvania

Jason M. Hill, Duane R. Diefenbach, 2013, Ornithology on p. 764-773

Addressing wild turkey population declines using structured decision making

Kelly F. Robinson, Angela K. Fuller, Michael V. Schiavone, Bryan L. Swift, Duane R. Diefenbach, William F. Siemer, Daniel J. Decker, 2017, Journal of Wildlife Management on p. 393-405

News Articles Featuring Duane Diefenbach

Jun 05, 2022

Bear encounters have more than doubled this year in N.J.

A woman attacked by a bear while checking her mail in May. Two small dogs mauled to death in their backyards weeks apart in January. It’s been a rough start for bear encounters in New Jersey, with a number of prominent incidents happening in the northernmost counties.

Full Article

May 31, 2022

Number of deer hunters is in decline, posing serious questions about future of deer management

As large numbers of hunters age out of the sport without enough newcomers to replenish the ranks, state wildlife agencies will need to consider new ways to manage deer populations and to find the money to pay for wildlife conservation, according to a leading deer researcher at Penn State.

Full Article

May 10, 2022

Future of deer management clouded by coming steep decline in hunter numbers

Because so many deer hunters are aging out of the sport — and new hunters are not being recruited to replace them — deer management strategies will need to change to manage populations of whitetails in many states.

Full Article

May 05, 2022

People are seeing more black bears in Ferguson and across PA this spring. Here’s why

Ferguson Township police are experiencing an uptick in calls from residents reporting black bear sightings, so much so the department is asking locals to make sure they don’t leave out food for the hungry hibernators.

Full Article

Feb 18, 2021

Unique study of isolated bobcat population confirms accuracy of extinction model

The reintroduction of 32 bobcats to an island off the coast of Georgia more than three decades ago created an ideal experiment to examine the accuracy of a genetic-modeling technique that predicts extinction of isolated wildlife populations.

Full Article

Jan 11, 2021

Levels of stress hormone in saliva of newborn deer fawns may predict mortality

The first-ever study of the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the saliva of newborn white-tailed deer fawns yielded thought-provoking results that have Penn State researchers suggesting predation is not the only thing in the wild killing fawns.

Full Article

Oct 29, 2020

Penn State researcher defends deer antler point harvest restrictions

For more than 80 years, young Pennsylvania bucks have been protected by an antler point restriction banning the harvest of deer with spikes shorter than 3 inches. In the last 20 years, additional antler restrictions were imposed to ensure that male deer live long enough to breed.

Full Article

Nov 03, 2018

Why knowing the science behind the rut can help bowhunters this season

The rut, the mating period for white-tailed deer, is upon us. It is the time of year that bowhunters look forward to, beginning in late October and lasting about a month.

Full Article