SEX AND AGE RA.TICS AND W".filIGHTS OF T~ DEER HARVESTED DURIMG THE DEER SEASONS IN Ey WGnd&11 never. .il~.stract

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SEX AND AGE RA.TICS AND W".filIGHTS OF T~ DEER HARVESTED DURIMG THE DEER SEASONS IN 95 Ey WGnd& never.il~.stract The sex ~nd age rati~e plus weights of deer killed during the various hunting sea.

1 SEX AND AGE RA.TICS AND W".filIGHTS OF T~ DEER HARVESTED DURIMG THE DEER SEASONS IN 95 Ey WGnd& never.il~.stract The sex ~nd age rati~e plus weights of deer killed during the various hunting sea.spns in Squth Dakota were col.lected by State Pittman-Robertson persr:r..a~l : ton Wildlife students fr~m the Strte College, and b~r perso.nnel from the Refuge Division and the Misst_rori River nasin Studies Divisi?,n of the Fish and Wildlife Se rvice. Since the data collected 3.-o tco volumino-us for this abstract, refer to ToJ,les, 2, ~.nd 3 for sex cind for weight comparison data. age ra f i~ data 8nd T~b\es 4, 5; 6, 7, 8 t'nd?

$33 STATE South ~--~~----.-...-..---~-..-;...;...= Dakota PRCJJECT NC. 2-R-9 DATE ---J-ul---.y---.-.--9_5_2~~- SEX.A.l. 'ID AGE Rt\TIOS AND WEIGHTS vf THE DEER HARVEST3ID DURil~G THE D2ER SE.A.Su~rs IN 95 :By Lester M.$

2 33 STATE South ~--~~ ~-..-;...;...= Dakota PRCJJECT NC. 2-R-9 DATE ---J-ul---.y _5_2~~- SEX.A.l. 'ID AGE Rt\TIOS AND WEIGHTS vf THE DEER HARVEST3ID DURil~G THE D2ER SE.A.Su~rs IN 95 :By Lester M. Berner lbjective:. To obtain comparative age r~_tio and weight data for the different c-c H3.:.' herds of South Dakota. 2. To obta.in comparative weight data for the different sex and age cla~ ;::": for the different deer herds in South Dakota. TECID:H Q]JES: Emphasis was placed on the collection o-:f sex and age ratio data with the physical characteristic data secondary. D-q.rin.g the regular buck season and special seasons in the ]lack Hills the regular Dig Game Survey Personnel collected all of the dci.t a. During the short eastern a.eer season, the cooperation of a. possible g:cc:ups was request ed. Twelve men from South Dakota P-R Projects 9-D and 7-R assisted the three members of the Big Game Survey during the entire season. Ten Wildlife Studen~s from the State College were hired by the Big Ga.me Survey for the first two a~r 3 of the sea.son. The Refuge Division and the Missouri River :Basin Studies Divl sion of the Fish and ~ildlife Service cooperated directly by collecting sex and a e r atio data and indirectly by collecting kill per unit area data..all cooper ating groups were g iven a few aged deer jaws and were briefed in aging deer. All da.ta collected \ tere tabulated by the :Big Game Survey.

RESULTS: During the regular November -20 buck season 424 deer were aged and sexed a»d 36 were weighed. During the special season (November 22-27) deer were aged and sexed end 77,,;ere weighed.

3 RESULTS: During the regular November -20 buck season 424 deer were aged and sexed a»d 36 were weighed. During the special season (November 22-27) deer were aged and sexed end 77,,;ere weighed. During or shortly after the eastern see.son 283 deer were examined by the J3ig Game Survey :personnel and 977 were examined by cooperators for a total of 260 deer. Age ratio d Bta obtained a.uring the three seasons e.re given in the follo w 3:tg Te.bles (i. 2 and 3). Table. The :percente.ge age classes of the Deer He.rvested During the :Black m..::..lr; Buck Season in ~ 3-} 4-2 ~ ~ 7! ~ % % 'T en:;~, Whitetail Percent g i rv Sample Size 0~ 96 6o y,._(; Mule Percer~ t lc 0 Sample Size 6c 2S g 6 2./ 5 The kill of whitetailed bucks, 2!- years old or older made up 44 percent of the bucks killed. For the la.st several years this figure has been about 4o percent. Yearlings made up 5r percent of the mule deer kill. Usually this figure is also about 4o percent. The sex and age data. for the special Black Hills seasons are given in Table 2 but the only data of value are the doe ratios since in Unit 7 which was opened at the same time deer of all ages and both sexes were legal. The doe: fawn ratio for the whit eta.iled deer in the :Black Hills (0030) i.s tnu.ch ower than t he.t of the east em area which was 00.: 24. The age ratios for the eastern season are given in Table 3. The buck:doe: fawn ratio of 437:338:48 (29:00:24) substantiates the belief that this dee r herd is very productive. If.the yearling does are excluded the doe: fawn ratio is 00 to 94 or almost two f~;wns for evefy doe more than a year and a half old. 'he udders of the yearling does examined iy the. Big Game

4 Survey did not produce evidence to substantiate the theory that a number of 35 the deer in this herd produce f~nms on their first birthday.

36 Table 2. Age Ratios of the Deer He.rvested Dur ing the Spec ial Seasons in the J3lack Hills in 95. l 2 2 ~ ~ 4l- 2 ~ 6!- 73 g~ % Total 'Whit etail :Bucks Percent 5. 7 27. 6 0. 3 5. 2 3.5. 7 JOQ Sample Size 3~ 6 6 3 2 l 5rs Whitetail Does Percent 23.

5 36 Table 2. Age Ratios of the Deer He.rvested Dur ing the Spec ial Seasons in the J3lack Hills in 95. l 2 2 ~ ~ 4l- 2 ~ 6!- 73 g~ % Total 'Whit etail :Bucks Percent JOQ Sample Size 3~ l 5rs Whitetail Does Percent ~ s o.s 00 Sample Size g 3 2 l 25 Mule Bucks Percent 43. s S ~. t):} Sample Size i C Male Does Percent ~ \~ ~ (' Semple Size ii'_.' Ta:ble 3. Age Tu3.t ios of the Deer Harvested During the Prai rie Season of South De.lcota in 95. (De.ta obtained by all Personnel) 2 l! ~ ~ ~ 2 Q. 7! Bi 'J-- t.:.. ~ 2 Eucks P ercent l 9. ~ o.b 0. 3.:,_C J Sample S Lr6 Does Percent i o _~ c,o Sample S tq As usual and c.s shovm in t he following t ables ( 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) the d eer i n the eastern season were much bigger nnd heavier than the deer from the Black Hills. Table 4. Average Weights of Whitetailed and Mule Deer by Age Chi,sses e,nd Semple Sizes During the Black Hills Buck Season 0f 95 2:.. 4'.l 2 2 Whitetail J3ucks Pounds g ) 3 SC.mple Size ~ ~ule Bucks P ounds 97. s i Sample Size l '3 56 3

37 Table 5. Average Weights <?f Whitet ailed and Mule Deer and Sample Sizes with all Deer over l~ Years Old Lumped. All elder Whit et ail J3ucks Pounds 7.3 Sample Size 64 Mule Bucks Pounds 49.

6 37 Table 5. Average Weights <?f Whitet ailed and Mule Deer and Sample Sizes with all Deer over l~ Years Old Lumped. All elder Whit et ail J3ucks Pounds 7.3 Sample Size 64 Mule Bucks Pounds 49. Semple Size 5 Table 6. Averpge Weights of Whitetail and Mule Deer by Age Classes a nd Samp>. c Sizes During the Special Antlerless Season in the Black Hills in :,'.:)i. c. 2 l],_ 8 ~ 3t ~ 2 5t ~ 7t w~.'lit etail :Bucks Pounds 4S s.6 Sample Size 2 5 Wh itetail Does Pounds gg 86 S8.m:ple Size Mule 3-i!i.cks Pounns Sam>le Size 3 M.ile Does Pounds ~ Sample Size () 3 l Table 7. Sp ecies Average Weig hts of Whitetail and Mule Deer and Sample Sizes with.all Deer Over it Years Old Lumped. 2.All older Wh i tete.il :Bucks Pl)unds 48 s.6 () s~m:p le Size 2 () 5 'Wl'litet ail Does Pound.s S6o5 Sr'mple Size 5 22 Mule J3ucks Pounds e Sample Size 3 0 Mule Do e s Pounds 0, $['J!lple Size n 3 5

$8* 2 Bucks pounds 8l.i. 8 9. 2 69. 2 70 94.3 20 203.8 203.s 20f\ Sample s 25 26 4 5 9 0 5 4 Does Pounds 7.3 0.7 2.7 3 26. 3 27.2 28 5 Sample s 22 9 6 5 6 4 Table 9.$

7 TabJ.e 8. Average Weights of Whitetail Deer by Age Classes and Sample Sizes During the East ern Deer Season in South Dakota in 95 (Data obtained by P. persannel) ~ ~ ~ 2 % ~ 7! 8* 2 Bucks pounds 8l.i s 20f\ Sample s Does Pounds Sample s Table 9. AveragG vfoight s of Whitetail Deer Yea,rs Old Lumped it l 2 ~ All,rylder :Bicks Pounds s4.s s s~.mple Size S Do e s Pounds Sa.mple Size and Sample Sizes with All Deer Ov -3.r The ~Verage weight of the mule wh.h ot ailed fawns taken during the Gast 8".: daer season was gl~.8 p ounds whicn is only about 3 pounds less then the average W3ight of the yed,rling whitetailed bucks in the Black Hills. The t?.verc'ge weight of the female whit etailed fawns during the e ci.stern d.cer season was 7. 3 pounds which is only about 2 pounds less than the average wc:<.g'cd; of the yea.rling whitetailed door in the Black Hills. In the :Black Hills the mature mule deer buck weigh about 35 pounds more than the mature whitetailo.j. bucks. The average mature whiteta.iled bucks tbken during the eastern sea.son.va s 87.8 pounds which is about 74 pounds heavier than the mature whit etail buc j,: s from the Hills.

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