SREL Reprint #1779
Factors affecting productivity of a white-tailed deer herd
Olin E. Rhodes, Jr., Michael H. Smith, Kim T. Scribner, and Paul E. Johns
Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, SC, 29801 USA
Abstract: Reproductive and demographic data on female white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus were collected from 1965 to 1984. Intensive either sex hunting has resulted in a shift towards a younger age structure in the herd. Mean fetal number varies according to female age (0.5 < 1.5 < 2.5 < 3.5 or greater years). Does of all age classes have significantly lower fetal numbers in the swamp than in the uplands, but there is little annual variation in mean fetal number. Conception dates for fawns are significantly later than those of older females. Mean conception date for all females on the site has remained relatively constant over time at November 20 ± 3.4 days (1 se) with no significant habitat differences. The percentage of breeding fawns varies from 16 to 69 percent over years with an average of 39 percent. There was also significant temporal variation in fawn breeding between habitat types. The overall productivity of the herd has remained essentially constant at 126 fetuses per 100 does of any age. The relative consistency of the reproductive rate is maintained in both the swamp and upland habitats, but at different levels.
SREL Reprint #1779
Rhodes, O. E., Jr., M. H. Smith, K. T. Scribner, and P. E. Johns. 1987. Factors affecting productivity of a white-tailed deer herd. pp. 219-222 In: B. Bobek, K. Perzanowski, and W. Regelin. (Eds.). Global Trends in Wildlife Management. Transactions of the 18th IUGB Congress. Swiat Press, Krakow, Poland.
This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).