Stephen S. Ditchkoff

Male white-tailed deer are subjected to a variety of factors that influence body and antler development when they are yearlings. Nutrition and genetics have received considerable attention as factors that influence this development; however, date of birth has yet to be adequately investigated and theoretically could dramatically influence development in later years. To determine how date of birth influences development of antler and body characteristics at 1.5 years of age, we collected data from yearling male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) harvested on 23 Alabama Wildlife...

Use of crossbow equipment to hunt white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has increased in recent years. Concurrently, beliefs about efficiency of crossbows relative to upright bows has spawned concerns among many hunters that use of crossbows during standard archery seasons will lead to overharvest and herd degradation. To examine relative efficiency of crossbows as weapons for harvesting deer, we collected 5 years (1996-2000) of deer harvest data from special hunts in southeast Oklahoma where hunters were restricted to either crossbows or traditional (recurves or longbows) archery...

We captured and affixed radio collars to 80 male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) during 1995-1997 to ascertain the wounding rate and proportion of deer that die from hunter-inflicted wounds. Our study population was hunted only with traditional archery equipment (recurve and longbows). Of the 22 deer shot by archers, 11 were recovered by the hunter, resulting in a 50% wounding rate (deer shot but not recovered). Only 3 (14%) of the 22 deer shot by hunters died and were not recovered. Based upon demographic and harvest statistics, these estimates indicate that approximately 4% of...

Quality management for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is becoming increasingly popular in the southeastern United States, yet surprisingly little information has been published that describes quality or trophy management strategies in detail. The quality deer program at the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant (McAAP) is unique because it maintains high hunter opportunity while producing high-quality white-tailed deer. Several strategies have been incorporated into the management program to help maintain its unique characteristics. The first is a regulation that limits hunters to...

Resource managers require accurate estimates of hunter success rates with various weapon types to predict annual harvests and design management strategies. We obtained harvest data for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant in southeastern Oklahoma during periods of compound (1983— 1988) and traditional archery (1989-1995) hunting to compare hunter success rates and the sex and ages of deer harvested. Hunter success was greater (P = 0.001) with compound (¯x = 17.8%; SE = 1.3) than traditional archery equipment (¯x = 10.7%; SE = 0.9). Total harvest...