William S. Bartush

Using Condition Indicators to Evaluate Habitat Quality for White-tailed Deer

We examined the usefulness of condition profiles, incorporating postmortem morphologic, physiologic, and dietary indices from fall-harvested deer and seasonal fecal indices of diet quality, for evaluating differences in habitat quality between adjacent populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). This study was conducted on East Range (4.5% of 12,000 ha cultivated) and West Range (0.8% of 18,000 ha cultivated), Fort Sill Military Reservation, southwestern Oklahoma, from November 1987 to August 1989. Analysis of postmortem blood and digesta samples revealed that deer collected...

Physical Characteristics Of White-Tailed Deer Fawns In Southwestern Oklahoma

Eighty-three white-tailed deer fawns (Odocoileus virginianus texanus) were captured in the Wichita Mountains of southwestern Oklahoma between 1974 and 1977. General physical appearance was documented and 10 body measurements were taken from each fawn. The calculated age of captured fawns ranged from I to 21 days. Three measurements (total weight, total body length, and hind foot length) appeared to be those most descriptive of skeletal and body mass changes with increasing age. Regression models indicated that males were larger and grew faster than females. The rates ofweight gain for male...

Behavior Of Whitetail Does And Fawns During The Parturition Period

Fourteen adult whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus) does were captured (10 in 1976 and 4 in 1977) and fitted with radio transmitters. Eight of the 14 survived through at least I parturition period with properly functioning collars. Eleven fawns of the radiocollared does and 37 other fawns were captured soon after birth, radio-collared, released and monitored regularly. Four other does marked with ear streamers supplemented data from radio-collared deer. Some does shifted or reduced use of established home ranges just before parturition and separated themselves from conspecifics, usually...