Factors influencing diet selection by white-tailed deer [Odocoileus virginianus, Missouri, game animal]

• Published in: The Journal of wildlife management 1982-01, Vol.46 (3), p.711-718
• Main Authors: Vangilder, Larry D., Torgerson, Oliver, Porath, Wayne R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Calcium; Deer; Diet; Digestion; Food; Forage; Forbs; Lignin; Odocoileus virginianus; Rumen fermentation; Summer
• ISSN: 0022-541X; 1937-2817
• DOI: 10.2307/3808563

Variables characterizing the use and nutritive value of 34 spring and summer foods of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Missouri Ozarks were subjected to principal component analysis. Four factors, explaining 73.5% of the variation in the data, were extracted. Because the chemical and structural composition of spring and summer foods varied widely, selection of different forage types (forbs, fruits of woody species, leaves of woody species, grasses, and grain) satisfied different nutritional needs. Forbs and grasses had high digestibility and contained high levels of protein, phosphorus, and potassium. Leaves of woody species, although poorly digested, provided significant amounts of rapidly fermented cell solubles, had a high calcium content, and probably were rapidly passed through the digestive system. Fruits of woody species were high in energy. Habitat in nonagricultural areas of the midwest should be managed to stimulate the production of each forage type if deer carrying capacity is to be increased.