Genetic and Environmental Interaction in White-Tailed Deer

We applied an 8-year selection process in an attempt to determine if yearling antler quality in subsequent cohorts could be improved by selecting for yearling male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) exhibiting relatively superior antler potential under suboptimal nutritional conditions. In 4...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of wildlife management 2007-11, Vol.71 (8), p.2732-2735
Main Authors: LOCKWOOD, MITCHELL A, FRELS, DON B, ARMSTRONG, WILLIAM E, FUCHS, EUGENE, HARMEL, DONNIE E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
antler restrictions
Antlers
Breeding
Deer
Developmental biology
Environmental conditions
Federal funding
Herds
Male animals
Males
Nutrition
nutritional stress
Odocoileus virginianus
Population
Research Notes
selective harvest
spike males
white-tailed deer
Wildlife
Wildlife management
Yearlings
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We applied an 8-year selection process in an attempt to determine if yearling antler quality in subsequent cohorts could be improved by selecting for yearling male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) exhibiting relatively superior antler potential under suboptimal nutritional conditions. In 41 single-sire (breeding M) breeding herds, 217 yearling males were produced on an 8% protein diet of limited quantity. All antler measurements increased significantly (P < 0.001) during the study: number of points (+3.2), inside spread (+96.5 mm), main beam length (+129.1 mm), basal circumference (+21.6 mm), and total antler weight (+231.3 g). Furthermore, mean gross Boone and Crockett (GBC) score increased (P < 0.001) linearly throughout the study, with the GBC of the 1999 cohort exceeding that of the 1993 cohort by 36.4 in (923.0 mm). These data provide insight to the effectiveness of a selection process (i.e., culling) in an overall deer-management program.
ISSN:0022-541X
1937-2817
DOI:10.2193/2005-517