David F. Urbston

On the Ouachita National Forest of Arkansas and Oklahoma, mean total forage yields in various age shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) stands ranged from 1,914 kg/ha in young stands to 172 kg/ha beneath mature stands. Forage nutrient analysis in late summer revealed low phosphorus (0.12%), low crude protein (7.72%), high calcium (1.07%), and wide Ca:P ratio (9.5) averages. Average crude protein was significantly higher (8.22%) in stands with site index <61 than in stands with site index ≥61 (7.23%). Timber stand age and basal area related to deer (Odocoileus virginianus) forage yields will...

Relationships between heart girth and body weight were determined in 545 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) killed in South Carolina during the period September 1965 to December 1966. Data for heart girth, total body weight, and "hog-dressed" weight were recorded for 102 male fawns. 127 female fawns. 113 adult males, and 203 adult females. Data for males and females were pooled. Prediction equations developed for hog-dressed weight. (W, lb.) based on heart girth, (H, in.) were: W = 3.9499H - 55.6158 (R' = 0.71) for fawns; and W = 5.6037H - 94.0982 (R' ~ 0.74) for adults. Prediction...

The rumen contents of 384 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) collected seasonally from the Savannah River Project in South Carolina were compared with 184 rumen samples collected from six widely scattered areas throughout the Southeastern Coastal Plain. The two sets of rumina differed significantly in the volume of hardened woody twigs and fungi in the spring, dry leaves and fungi in the fall, and succulent twigs in the winter. The decision to collect local samples or rely on regionwide completed studies will depend on the intensity of management and the feasibility of collecting...