R. Larry Marchinton

Behavioral Responses of Male White-tailed Deer to Antler Rattling

We observed 111 male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) responses to four antler rattling sequences performed 171 times during 1992-1995. Thirty-three additional sessions were performed within 200 m of 18 radio-transmittered males during 1994-96. The four sequences, short and quiet (n = 43), short and loud (n = 45), long and quiet (n = 43), and long and loud (n = 40), varied by rattling duration and volume. Sequences were randomly chosen and performed near 17 observation towers to test which attracted the greatest number of males. Loud rattling attracted nearly three times as...

Physical Characteristics for Age Estimation of Male White-tailed Deer in Southern Texas

Criteria for visually estimating age of live white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the field are becoming more important as the popularity of non-traditional deer management programs increase. We measured gross Boone and Crockett Club (BCC) score, number of antler points, inside antler spread, main beam length, antler basal circumference, chest girth, stomach girth, shoulder height, head length, and interorbital width and evaluated which characteristics had the greatest potential for use as predictors of age for <766 live-captured males and live and dressed mass for <65...

Mass Estimation of White-tailed Deer in Southern Texas

Predictive equations based on various body measurements have provided wildlife managers with practical and reliable estimates of deer mass, but have not been reported for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Western Rio Grande Plain region of Texas, nor for male white-tailed deer in Texas. To address this need, we assessed relationships among live mass and dressed mass, chest girth, shoulder height, hoof length and width, and gross Boone and Crockett Club (BCC) score. Regression analyses indicated live mass of mature (>5.5 years old) males can be predicted with a model...

Prenatal Selection In White-Tailed Deer

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) (N = 1341) were collected from 7 locations in Georgia and South Carolina. Sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) activity was analyzed using starch-gel electrophoresis. Four types of prenatal selection, Female Gametic Selection, Random Mating, Male Reproductive Selection and Female Sexual Selection, were analyzed for this locus using genotype frequency data including mothers and offspring. Spatial and temporal heterog;eneity were analyzed for the Savannah River Plant (SRP) herd. Pooled genotype frequencies for SDH were essentially the same over 3 years but...

Dispersal and Adjustment to Habitat of Restocked Wild Turkeys in Georgia

Range parameters of 16 wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) restocked in a Georgia Piedmont habitat were evaluated folloWing early spring releases. Turkeys were tracked by radio telemetry. On 152 occasions, they were radio-located every two hours all day; other radio and visual locations were determined randomly for a total of 1,850. Turkeys were released in what was considered to be the best habitat; their activities remained oriented around that area throughout the study. Ranges increased throughout the study and turkeys had adjusted to their environment within five weeks after release....

Legal Hunting Of White-Tailed Deer With Dogs: Biology, Sociology And Management

In recent years hunting white-tailed deer with dogs, a tradition in many parts of the South, has been the subject of much controversy, but this type of hunting has received little scientific research and there is little data upon which decisions can be based. The effects of dogs on behavior, movements and welfare of 57 different radio-equipped deer in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina were studied. Six of these animals were experimentally chased with hunting dogs in a way designed to simulate very intensive dog hunting. Information from telemetric and pen studies, field...