Genetic and Environmental Interaction in White‐Tailed Deer

Abstract

ABSTRACT We applied an 8‐year selection process in an attempt to determine if yearling antler quality in subsequent cohorts could be improved by selecting for yearling male white‐tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) exhibiting relatively superior antler potential under suboptimal nutritional conditions. In 41 single‐sire (breeding M) breeding herds, 217 yearling males were produced on an 8% protein diet of limited quantity. All antler measurements increased significantly ( P < 0.001) during the study: number of points (+3.2), inside spread (+96.5 mm), main beam length (+129.1 mm), basal circumference (+21.6 mm), and total antler weight (+231.3 g). Furthermore, mean gross Boone and Crockett (GBC) score increased ( P < 0.001) linearly throughout the study, with the GBC of the 1999 cohort exceeding that of the 1993 cohort by 36.4 in (923.0 mm). These data provide insight to the effectiveness of a selection process (i.e., culling) in an overall deer‐management program.