Seasonal Food Habits of White-Tailed Deer in the South Texas Plains

From October 1972, through September 1974, rumen analyses were used to determine food habits of white-tailed deer on the H.B. Zachry Randado Ranch in south Texas. Sixty-nine plant taxa were identified in the diet. Year-round preferences for various forage classes were 21.1% cactus, 32.7% browse, 26.6% forbs, 8.3% grasses, and 11.3% unknown. Cactus was heavily selected from June through September, and was consumed less but still heavily during October through January. Highest forb consumption occurred during March, April, and May. Browse usually was an important part of the diet, and grass consumption on untreated range was constantly low. A direct relationship was found between frequency with which a plant species was eaten and variability in the amount of that species consumed. Perennial plant species were more important as forage than annual species. Application of 2, 4-D herbicide caused grass consumption to increase 30 times over nonsprayed areas.