Size and Fidelity of Home Ranges of Male White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Southern Texas

We studied size and fidelity of home ranges of adult (≥3.5 years) male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) during 2 years in southern Texas. Size of core areas, determined using the 50% fixed-kernel method, averaged 86 ± 14 ha, whereas size of home ranges, determined using the 95% fixed-kernel method, averaged 403 ± 61 ha. Deer shifted centroids of home ranges 363 ± 45 m from year 1 to year 2. Overlap in home ranges averaged 66 ± 2% between years. These data provide additional support that home ranges of adult male white-tailed deer in southern Texas are relatively small and stable. However, the majority of home ranges are larger than most landholdings. Therefore, development of cooperatives among neighboring landowners may be necessary to effectively manage age structure of males.