Preliminary X-Ray Studies Of Deer Productivity Near Crossville, Tennessee

Handling techniques for x-raying trapped doe deer are described. Myothesia was used as an anaesthetic at the rate of 1.5 cc. per 5 pounds body weight. A portable x-ray machine with maximum output of 30 MA and 80 KV was used to x-ray eight dead and forty-eight live deer. Pictures were made of yearling deer (12-14 cm. width) at 0.5 second exposure time, 36-inch focal-film distance, 25 milliamps and 65 kilovolts. Machine settings were the same for older deer, except kilovoltage, which increased 2 kilovolts per cm. of deer width. Radiographs indicated that 52 deer contained an average of 0.83 fetus and none of the 23 yearlings were shown to be pregnant. The adult does averaged 1.5 fetuses. Aging of fetal images on the x-ray is discussed. Evidence of prenatal mortality was not found.

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