White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) like all mammals, must maintain body temperature. High summer temperatures in South Texas negatively influence the growth of deer, but the magnitude of those effects is largely unknown. The goal of this study is to quantify the effects of metabolic heat on growth rate and health of fawns. I hypothesize the individuals with access to the cooled areas will be able to dissipate digestive and metabolic heat more readily and therefore have higher intake rates, leading to higher growth rates and better health. This study will determine the effect of summer temperatures on growth and food consumption of fawn and yearling deer. To observe the impacts of summer heat, I will randomly assign fawns to either an ambient temperature treatment or a treatment in which they can access a cooler environment. I will record food intake, growth rate, behavior, and indices of health. The control group will be held in four 4.5- X 9.3-m pens in ambient temperature while the test group will be held in similar pens that have an area cooled by air conditioners. I will use video cameras to record the time and duration of feeding by each individual. Preliminary results indicate that there is no significant difference between the consumption or growth rate of individuals, however data are still being collected and analyzed.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.