Using cast antler characteristics to profile quality of white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus populations

Cast white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus antlers from the McAlester Ar my Ammunition Plant (McAAP) in southeastern Oklahoma were used to assess di stributions of selected antler characteristics, illustrate variation in ant ler development in a white-tailed deer population under a quality deer mana gement program, and determine if harvest statistics accurately reflect antl er characteristics of the population. We systematically searched cultivated food plots on the McAAP during the winter of 1995 for freshly cast antlers (N = 77). Gross scores of antlers averaged 41.9 but were slightly skewed ( skewness = -0.283) towards larger antlers, suggesting that a large proporti on of the population is comprised of mature animals (greater than or equal to 3.5 years). Mean beam length, basal circumference, and number of points were significantly greater among cast antlers than among antlers of deer ha rvested by hunters. These data illustrate the results of a management and h arvest strategy designed to produce quality white-tailed deer, and indicate that data collected from hunter harvested deer may not be representative o f the population.