64 R. C. Pais, W. C. McComb, and J. Phillips 



Gulf Coastal Plain; 70 ha in the West Gulf Coastal Plain (Hood 1971); 

 58 ha in the Piedmont Upland (Marshall and Wittington 1969); 514 ha 

 in the Ozark Highlands (Cartwright 1975); and 84 ha in the North 

 Carolina mountains (Marchinton 1968). 



Habitat Analysis. The habitat categories for which home ranges of 

 resident does differed significantly (P < 0.05) from those of relocated 

 does included sideslopes, natural vegetation, slopes between 35% and 

 50%, deciduous forest, and disturbed sites (Table 2). Random availability 

 of these features also differed (P < 0.05) between the two samples, so 

 resident does were not pooled with relocated does for habitat analysis. 



Actual home ranges of resident does contained significantly more 

 (P< 0.03) bottomland (jc = 10%, SE = 1.2) than did randomly available 

 home ranges (Jc = 6%, SE = 1.5) (Table 2). Wildlife openings planted 

 with winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) were located in these bottomlands. 

 Winter wheat is a preferred forage of white-tailed deer (Whitehead 

 1967). In eastern Kentucky, open water is found almost exclusively in 

 bottomlands; its presence may have been a factor in the relatively high 

 percentage of bottomland within home ranges of resident does. 



Actual home ranges of relocated does had significantly more (P < 

 0.05) young forest (Jc = 3%, SE = 2.6) than did randomly available home 

 ranges (jc = 1%, SE = 0.3) (Table 2). Reclaimed surface mines or forest 

 edges created by mining may have provided the does with dense shrubs 

 for browse and cover (Harlow and Hooper 1971, Knotts 1975). 



Mangement Implications. Two factors may have caused does in 

 eastern Kentucky to have large home ranges. First, the presence of large 

 tracts of contiguous forest may have induced the does to expand their 

 home ranges in search of food and cover; from 88% to 95% of the 

 habitat available to deer was deciduous forest (Table 2). Second, 

 harassment by dogs, which has been a source of mortality of deer on the 

 Cumberland Plateau (Anderson 1979, Pais 1987), can increase deer 

 dispersal and may have done so in this instance. 



The future success of reintroducing white-tailed deer on the 

 Cumberland Plateau may be enhanced by choosing release sites in high- 

 quality habitat. That the percentages of bottomlands and young forests 

 in home ranges were higher than expected (10% and 3%, respectively) 

 suggests that release sites need not be selected on the basis of their 

 remoteness from human contact. Good habitat could quickly and 

 economically be determined with the GIS. Young deciduous forest, 

 which avergaged 3% (~ 20 ha) in the various home ranges of relocated 

 does, was distributed in patches throughout these ranges. We therefore 

 suggest that future release sites contain >3% young deciduous forest 

 well distributed throughout the area in small patches. 



