Little is known about water consumption by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). The highly variable rainfall and high temperatures that occur in South Texas have the potential to cause stress in animals that are unable to maintain water balance. Factors that could affect an animal's ability to maintain water balance include temperature, rainfall, body size, productive processes, diet, and activity level. This study was replicated on the Faith and Comanche ranches in Dimmit County, Texas. Both ranches contain one 81-ha enclosure with 60 deer and one supplemental feeder and another 81-ha enclosure with 20 deer and one supplemental feeder. Each enclosure has one centrally located water trough which was covered with plywood during data collection. Five bucks and five does, individually identifiable by ear tags, of varying ages were selected in each of the 4 described enclosures. The amount of water consumed by the selected deer was monitored using a motion-activated video camera monitoring the digital readout from a scale supporting a water tub from which deer drank. Water consumption data were collected for one year and compared to rainfall, temperature, Palmer Drought Severity Index, productive processes, and deer density in order to determine the effects these variables have on water consumption. Preliminary data from the Faith Ranch study site indicated bucks in the 20 deer enclosure consumed an average 0.462 L�wk while bucks in the 60 deer enclosure consumed an average 1.191 L�wk. Faith Ranch does consumed an average 0.269 L�wk and 0.265 L�wk in the 20 and 60 deer enclosures, respectively. At the Comanche Ranch study site, bucks in the 20 deer enclosure consumed an average 2.988 L�wk while bucks in the 60 deer enclosure consumed an average 1.256 L�wk. Comanche Ranch does consumed an average 0.594 L�wk and 0.602 L�wk in the 20 and 60 deer enclosures, respectively.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.