Behavior and dispersal of white-tailed deer during the breeding season

Sexual competition and aggression by adult females have been hypothesized to prompt dispersal by male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We observed behavioral interactions of 21 yearling males (14 dispersers and 7 nondispersers) at Chesapeake Farms during the early part of the breeding season prior to actual breeding. Interactions with adult males and females constituted a small portion of all interactions and yearling males were similarly subordinate to adults. Dispersers participated in breeding-season behaviors with yearling males more often than nondispersers did (P = 0.005), and tended to be more subordinate than nondispersers (P = 0.095). Behavioral differences related to sexual competition with other yearlings appeared to be correlated with dispersal by yearling males at Chesapeake Farms. We recommend that both sexual competition and aggression by adult females be considered in future attempts to understand the dispersal behavior of white-tailed deer.