A Die-off in White-Tailed Deer of the Central Mineral Region of Texas

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Abstract
A die-off of 20,000-31,000 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) occurred during January-August, 1962, on a 350,000-acre study area in the Central Mineral Region of Texas. This loss was indicated by both deer census data and carcass counts. From the fall of 1957 to the fall of 1961, deer populations increased from 16.9 ± 2.7 deer per 100 acres to 26.1 ± 3.7. The 1962 census, following the die-off, was 14.6 ± 2.1 deer per 100 acres--a reduction of approximately 44 percent, of which some 30,000 were lost in the die-off. The deer herd responded to lowered population pressures with a higher reproductive rate, and the 1963 deer census showed a population of 26.7 ± 3.7 deer per 100 acres. Searches of 30, 128-acre plots (3,840 acres) for carcasses revealed a loss of 7.3 ± 1.7 deer per 100 acres (20,000-31,000 deer). This agreed closely with mortality losses estimated from census counts. Deer harvests, though the highest reported for North America, were inadequate. Deer lost in this die-off approximated the legal kill during the preceding three seasons combined. Antlerless deer harvest was reduced following the die-off. Since population recovery occurred in 1 year, hunting pressure on antlerless deer should have been maintained in the face of natural herd reduction to hold deer populations at an acceptable level.

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