Ebook Effects of Genetics and Nutrition On Antler Development and Body Size Of White-tailed Deer
In the 1960’s and 1970’s the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department received substantial criticism from landowners and hunters concerning the harvest of spike bucks. Opponents of spike buck harvest maintained that spike bucks must be protected to ensure adequate numbers of bucks in future harvests, while proponents of spike buck harvest contended that these deer are inferior animals and should be removed from the herd or receive no differential protection.
Other studies have been concerned with the relationship between nutrition and the formation of spike antlers with little or no emphasis on genetics. The influence of genetics on antler formation had not been investigated. This study attempts to evaluate nutrition and genetics as contributing factors to antler formation. These penned deer studies were conducted on the Kerr Wildlife Management Area located 13 miles west of Hunt, Texas in a 16-acre research facility consisting of 6 2/3-acre pens, 3 4-acre pens and 24 small individual pens (Fig 1). All deer involved in these studies were fed a commercial pelleted ration and provided free-choice water.
The original deer were native Texas white-tailed deer which were obtained from various locations in the State. No additional deer were added after the fall of 1974 and the herd was maintained as a “closed” herd.
This study was divided into 3 phases, 2 nutritional and 1 genetic, with the following objectives:
- 1. To determine factors which contribute to antler formation in the white ailed deer.
2. To determine the effect of nutrition level on antler formation and body weight.
3. To determine if deer that were spike-antlered at 1.5 years have the same potential for antler development and body weight in later years as deer that were fork-antlered at 1.5 years.
4. To estimate the influence of genetics on antler characteristics.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
NUTRITION PHASE I
- Body Weights
Antler Characteristics
NUTRITION PHASE II
GENETIC PHASE
- Short History of Sires Used in the Genetic Phase
Sire # 73046 - “Leroy”
Sire # 73041
Sire # 73023 - “Rona”
Sire # 73009 - “Little Abbey”
Sire # 73069 - “Little Murph”
Sire # 73068
Sire # 75064 - “Murph Jr.”
Sire # 77037 - “Scrawny”
Sire # 73005 - “Big Charlie”
- Total Deer Produced
Body Weight vs. Total Antler Points
Total Antler Points Between Age Classes
Correlation Between Body Weight and Antler Measurements
Progeny Averages for the Nine Sires
Progeny Averages for Spike and Fork Line
Back-Cross vs. Non-Inbred (Spike Line)
Comparison of 64 Deer
Comparison of 26 Spike-Antlered Deer
Comparison of 38 Fork-Antlered Deer
HERITABILITY ESTIMATES
CONCLUSIONS
Literature Cited and Selected References
Appendix I: Data Used in This Study
Appendix II: Publications Resulting From This Study
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