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Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences
Quantifying White-Tailed Deer Density And Its Impacts On Agricultural Systems, Jonathan A. Matthews
Quantifying White-Tailed Deer Density And Its Impacts On Agricultural Systems, Jonathan A. Matthews
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) commonly consume row crops, with yield losses often attributed to their browsing. Deer density and field morphology may predict yield losses within local areas. We sought to 1) determine the effects of deer browsing on corn and soybean yields and investigate if deer density or field morphology correlated to yield loss in western Kentucky, and 2) compare pellet-based distance sampling to game camera surveys to determine if a distance sampling technique could accurately estimate deer density during the growing season. Overall, deer reduced corn and soybean yields on one-half of surveyed properties. Deer density …