K. A. K. Stromayer

Our objectives were to determine population and ecological characteristics for an unmanaged white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) herd on Chickamauga Battlefield National Military Park, Georgia, and to predict the potential for overpopulation in this herd in the future. We radio-collared 67 deer on the park over 4 years (1991-1994). An additional 295 deer were killed by vehicles on the park's roads, and 36 were collected for herd health analysis in August of each year (8-10 deer per year). The range of estimates for population density was 10-41 deer/km2. The deer herd was in good...

A safe and effective muscle biopsy procedure that can be used to sample genetic variation in live white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is described. The validity of this procedure for estimating genetic variability was confirmed by sampling blood and muscle from 78 road-killed and 57 captured deer at Chickamauga Battlefield National Military Park, Georgia, between June 1991 and June 1992. Six polymorphic loci were detected in muscle tissue and 2 polymorphic loci were found in blood using starch-gel electrophoresis. We compared levels of genetic variation in 3 sampling groups: road-...