Canopy cover of vegetation was sampled at bed sites of 30 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns in south Texas during August 1986. Visual obstruction by vegetation to I m height was sampled at the bed sites, within 25 m of the bed sites, and at random points within 2 pastures. Mean canopy cover at bed sites was greatest for grasses (50.2%) and forbs (15.9%). Cover of woody plants within 25 m was 19%. Mean visual obstruction at the bed sites was consistently greater than that within 25 m or at random points within the 2 pastures. Fawns selected bed sites with more screening cover than the surrounding area and often (50%) bedded under or next to a woody plant. Net productivity of deer in October in the 2 pastures sampled averaged 0.28 fawns/female, based on results from a helicopter flight.
