BODY WEIGHT AND ANTLER SIZE OF WHITE-TAILED DEER (ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS) ARE MAXIMIZED TWO YEARS POST-BURN IN EAST TEXAS PINEYWOODS.

Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer) is one of the most recognizable and economically significant keystone herbivores in the United States. To understand the biological repercussions of management activities, and because prescribed fire is one of the most commonly used silvicultural methods in the southeast, we used white-tailed deer harvest records provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, in combination with United States Forest Service prescribed fire history information, to investigate the direct relationship between time since burning and deer body weight and antler size in East Texas. We hypothesized there would be discernable differences in deer body weight and antler dimensions based on prescribed fire history. Data collected by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department from 549 harvested white-tailed deer from four sites (three Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), and one National Forest) were cross-referenced with prescribed fire intervals within the WMAs. Demographic data was compared and body weight and antler parameters correlated to years since last prescribed burn. The results suggest that fire is important for white-tailed deer physiology. ANOVA showed a peak in all measurements two-years post fire, indicating the adaptivity of white-tailed deer to fire-dependent ecosystems, and illustrating the benefits of fire for improving deer body weight and antler dimensions. A mosaic of four- to five-year prescribed burning intervals should provide adequate areas of two-years post fire areas on the landscape to provide the level the diversity of habitat requirements for not only optimum white-tailed deer size and antler measurements and harvesting success, but for other wildlife that utilize these habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]