Robert L. Downing

Movement Patterns of White-Tailed Deer in a Virginia Enclosure

Approximately 10,500 locations of 234 individually marked white-tailed deer (Odocoileus cirginianus) in an 826-ha enclosure at Radford Anny Ammunition Plant in Dublin, Virginia, were analyzed to determine when and why deer wander and disperse from their home range. For the first 10 months after birth, over 95 percent ofall locations were within O.8km ofeach deer's center ofactivity, but of those which lived past 15 months ofage, 30 percent ofthe does and 53 percent ofthe bucks are known to have wandered beyond 1.6km, considered the limit of normal activity, sometime during their lives. The...

Effect of Dogs on Deer Reproduction in Virginia

Dogs were used to chase female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in a 2.04Q-acre enclosure at Radford Army Ammunition Plant, Dublin, Virginia, during late pregnancy from April to June 1972 (Phase I) and throughout pregnancy from October 1972 through May 1973 (Phase II) to determine the effect on reproduction. During Phase I, trained deer hounds were used to chase approximately 40 percent of the deer in the study area; the other 60 percent were used as a control. During Phase II, hounds and other dogs were used for chasing deer on the entire study area. All healthy deer easily...

Comparison Of Crippling Losses Of Whitetailed Deer Caused By Archery, Buckshot, And Shotgun Slugs

Of the 126 deer killed by hunters within a 746-acre enclosure at Albany, Georgia, during a 10-year period, 24 (19 percent) were not found by the hunter. Archers lost 4 of 8 deer killed (50 percent), gunners using buckshot lost 16 of 61 (26 percent), and gunners using shotgun slugs lost only 4 of 57 (7 percent). Antlered bucks were lost at more than twice the rate of antlerless deer. Only 2 of the 24 lost cripples were fawns, the lowest rate recorded for any group. In both sexes, yearlings were lost at a higher rate than older deer. Archery loss data from Virginia are inĀ· eluded for...