Breeding Sex Ratio Research Articles

The breeding ages, sex ratios, and densities of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are described for a 746-acre enclosure at Albany, Georgia, where, over a 3-year period, 30 fawns were reared in the ratio of four bucks per doe. The nearly even sex ratio among adults invites consideration of the theory that the first service of a buck each year produces predominantly male offspring, while subsequent breedings produce predominantly female offspring. A 746-acre enclosure at the Marine Corps Supply Center, Albany, Georgia, was stocked in 1959 and 1960 with white-tailed deer. When all deer were killed in 1963 to terminate the first segment of the study, it was found that a very unusual sex ratio of four bucks per doe existed among fawns. A complete description of deer densities, sex ratios, and ages of the population for 3 years under study in Georgia is presented here. POPULATION CONDITIONS Prehunt populations within the enclosure varied from 32 deer in 1960 and 1961 to 16 deer in 1963. Posthunt populations varied from 21 deer in 1961 to 10 deer in 1963. The rut was apparently completed by mid-November of each year. Twelve to 17 deer were removed annually in December with 48 man-days of hunting. In December, 1963, every deer was killed and the herd reconstructed for each year of the study. The breeding and fawning season populations and fawns reared during the last 3 years of the study are presented in Table 1. Only bucks 11/2 years old and older were considered capable of breeding, while every doe, regardless of age, was considered a breeder. The single exception, a fawn which did not ovulate, is not included in the table. Fawns born in 1959 and 1960 were not considered because they were conceived under unknown density and sexratio conditions prior to release in the enclosure. Breeding season ages of the 31 adult bucks and the 23 fawning does are given in Table 2. Sixteen additional does bred but were killed in hunts that followed the

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