Botanical composition and estimated seasonal nutrient quality of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) diets from the Canadian River and Clarendon areas of the Texas Panhandle were determined from 1979 to 1980. Deer from the Canadian River area consumed annually 62% browse, 34% forbs, 1% grasses, and 3% unknowns. Deer from the Clarendon area averaged 56% browse, 28% forbs, 11% grasses, and 5% unknowns annually. Deer consumed more grass at Clarendon because they had access to cultivated small grains, primarily winter wheat and rye. Annual deer diets from the Canadian River area contained 8 +/- 1% crude protein (CP), 0.14 +/- .03% phosphorus (P), and 47 +/- 2% in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD). Deer diets from the Clarendon area averaged 10 +/- 3% CP, 0.15 +/- .03% P, and 50 +/- 2% IVOMD annually. Higher nutrient quality of mule deer diets at Clarendon suggests cultivated small grains/legumes have excellent potential to enhance Texas Panhandle deer herds that normally subsist on a fair to poor nutritional plane. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol. 1, 1948 up to 5 years from the current year. Formerly Journal of Range Management (JRM). More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.