Social behavior during rut and breeding system of the desert mule deer

Kucera, Thomas

Desert mule deer were observed in Big Bend National Park, Texas, during the rut in order to determine their breeding system and to describe and quantify other social behavior. The deer were gregarious throughout the study; group sizes ranged from one to 24, with a mean of 5.2. Male-male acts such as the head-toss, rub-urination, antler thrash-forehead rub, and chase were performed in dominance and antagonistic interactions, most frequently by the larger antler classes, and were closely associated with rut. Sparring, inversely associated with rut, was engaged in most often by the smaller antler classes. Among female-female acts, the strike and flail were inversely associated with the rut. Tending bonds were formed between individual bucks and estrous does. No attempt by bucks to herd or defend groups of does was seen; rather, the dominant buck in any group tended a doe until mating, or until displaced by a more dominant buck. Frequency of heterosexual behavior was positively correlated with antler classes and increased among larger classes at an accelerating rate. Heterosexual behavior by males of lesser dominance was not tolerated

Social behavior during rut and breeding system of the desert mule deer

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