wildlife management: white-tailed deer
White-tailed deer is the most popular and plentiful big game animal in the United States. The following publications provide advice on habitat management and food plantings for deer, and information on surveying deer.
These resources have been compiled from various resources and agencies and are provided here for educational purposes only. Please if you find information that needs to be updated, broken links, or if you have an additional resource you feel is pertinent.
White-tailed Deer Management - Alabama Cooperative Extension Service. This publication gives a physical description of deer including their size, senses, four-chambered stomach and muscular and skeletal build. It describes their birth, development and mating habits. Their habitat needs including shelter, food and water are also provided. Also given are tips for managing herd populations, bucks and deer habitat. Habitat management practices include prescribed burning, thinning of timbered areas, and the use of food plots and fertilizers. - Planting Warm-Season Forages for White-tailed Deer - Mississippi State University Extension Service.
Overpopulation of deer, especially in the southeast, causes unhealthy herds due to insufficient food supplies. Nothing can replace native vegetation management, but food plantings can help meet the deer’s seasonal needs. This publication describes how to create warm season plantings including where to plant, what soil to use, and the food that should be planted. Detailed information about specific plants deer feed on is given.
AUDIO CLIP: Mississippi State University Extension Service Better Farming Radio Program with Tim Allison: Wildlife Biologist Steve Demarais talks about food plot management for White-tailed deer. REAL | MP3
- Managing for Antler Production: Understanding Age, Nutrition, and Genetic Influences - Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Mississippi State University. This publication discusses the three most important factors that influence the size of a buck's antlers: the age of the buck, the amount of nutritional food that is available for the deer, and genetics. It provides management suggestions for landowners seeking to increase antler size on their property including keeping bucks alive until they are older and planting nutritional forages for the deer.
- Using infrared-triggered cameras to survey white-tailed deer in Mississippi - Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Mississippi State University. An infrared triggered camera sends out a beam that is sensitive to movement and body heat to a receiver. When the beam is disrupted the camera takes a photo. This publication discusses how infrared triggered cameras are used to survey animal populations and the results of the surveys that have been taken.
- Food Plantings for White-tailed Deer in Louisiana - Louisiana State University AgCenter Research and Extension. Many things should be considered before planting food plots for white-tailed deer including size and shape of the plot, the type of forest habitat that the plot will be in, nearby agricultural crops, and the species to plant in the food plot. A list of cool and warm season plantings and management techniques is provided.
