Deer and cattle diet overlap on Louisiana pine-bluestem range
January 23, 2021
| Seasonal diets of 5 cattle and 3-5 tame white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on 3 subunits of a rotationally burned, continuously grazed longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)-bluestem (Andropogon spp.) range in Louisiana are compared with diets of these same deer on 3 similarly managed ungrazed subunits. Forage-class use by deer was more affected by burning than grazing, except during winter. Winter diets were affected by grazing, with deer selecting more herbage and less browse on grazed than on ungrazed sites. February burning reduced diet overlap substantially during spring. Within the 1st year after burning, diet overlap averaged 21.5, 11.2, 19.6, and 30.9% during spring, summer, fall, and winter, respectively. |