Survival Rates and Adult Accompaniment of White-tailed Deer Fawns on Remington Farms

During the summer and fall of 1991 and 1992, 48 (21 M:27 F) white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns were captured and radiocollared (N = 43) on Remington Farms near Chestertown, Maryland. Survival of radio-collared fawns, from 1 week old until the fall hunting season, was 91%. Collared fawn mortality (N = 9) was due to abandonment, tick infestation, infection, and roadkill. Visual locations (N = 1,229) were collected to determine adult accompaniment rates for radio-collared fawns. The likelihood of a fawn being with or without an adult was independent of sex of the fawn (P > 0.10). Hunting data from 1981-92 indicate that the number of male and female fawns killed (N = 287) was not significantly different overall (P > 0.10). However, buck fawns were more likely than doe fawns to be killed in the first half of the 1-week shotgun season (P < 0.05, N = 265).

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Starting page
222
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230
ID
23763