Reproductive Characteristics of White-tailed Deer in Mississippi

Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) in Mississippi have been shown to respond morphometrically to soil resource area, but have not been evaluated for reproductive differences. We analyzed data from herd health checks (1978-2007) and fall harvests (1991-2007) to determine if soil resource area influenced reproductive parameters, and if assumed resource quality interacted with age. Ovulation rates approached unity and were similar across all soil resource areas and age classes, but there was some influence of soils and age class on number of corpora lutea. Pregnancy rate differed only between 2 of 8 soil resource areas, and was unaffected by age. Fetal counts increased with age class, and the incidence of twins among 1.5-year-old females was half that of females >= 2.5 years. Lactation rates differed among 1.5-year-olds by soil resource area, and reflected assumed soil quality among >= 3.5-year-olds. Because lactation occurs later in the reproduction cycle than ovulation or pregnancy, it is more indicative than other metrics of reproductive success. However, because lactation is a binary indicator, age-specific recruitment data is needed to determine potential effects of soil resource area on deer population dynamics.