Abstract
Aspects of the reproductive biology of female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge were investigated by examining the reproductive tracts of 121 deer harvested during the 1985-90 archery seasons. The presence of corpora albicantia in yearlings suggested that 27% of female fawns conceived, producing a mean of 1.0 ova/breeding fawn. Pregnancy rates among yearlings and adults averaged 94% and 97%, respectively. Ovulation rates averaged 1.4 and 2.0 ova/female among yearlings and adults. Some females were ovulating in early-October, but the earliest conceptions occurred during the last week of October. The peak breeding period for yearlings and adults was during mid- and late-November. No fawns ovulated prior to December 1. The implantation rate averaged 91% among yearlings and adults.
Recommended Citation
Nelson, Thomas A.
(1991)
"Reproductive Performance of Female White-Tailed Deer on Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge,"
Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 45, Article 23.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol45/iss1/23
