> 40 



Q. 

 O 



O 



20- 



| Yearling Males 

 [3 Mature Males 

 Females 



Jul 



Sep - Oct 



Late Nov 

 Rut 



Month 



Late Dec- 

 early Jan 



Late Jan 

 - May 



Figure 7.5. Percent yearling and mature males in groups 

 containing females and percent females in groups 

 containing males during various time periods. 



diminished, mature males were well distributed among all 5 

 types of groups. From mid-January through mid-May, 55.9% 

 occurred in groups containing only mature males . 



Over 80% of all adult females observed were solitary or 

 associated only with new fawns during July. This percentage 

 varied among years, depending upon the percentages of yearling 

 and non-producing mature females in the population. Most 

 females that were not solitary during July did not have fawns. 

 Only about 8% of mature females were observed with males 

 during July (Table 7.6, Fig. 7.5). Yearling females, however, 

 were grouped with other adult deer in 57% of 170 observations 

 of 25 marked yearling females during June-August. By early 

 autumn, females were about equally as commonly observed as 

 solitary adults accompanied only by fawns or grouped with 

 other females and fawns. Females were most commonly grouped 

 with other females and fawns during and after the rut. At the 

 peak of rut, 35% of all females observed were in groups 

 containing a male (Fig. 7.5). The percentage of females 

 observed with males declined thereafter. Of all males 

 associated with mature females, the percentage that was mature 

 males reached a peak during November and December (Fig. 7.6). 

 Most males observed with females at other times of the year 

 were yearlings. 



189 



