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ARS Home » Plains Area » Kerrville, Texas » Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory » LAPRU » Research » Research Project #435053

Research Project: Year 2 CFTEP Funding - Managing White-tailed Deer Density on Federal Land Adjacent to Falcon Reservoir to Control Cattle Fever Ticks

Location: Livestock Arthropod Pests Research

Project Number: 3094-32000-042-036-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jul 15, 2019
End Date: Jun 30, 2021

Objective:
The objectives of this cooperative research are to: 1) Remove 300 female White-tailed Deer (WTD) from the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) lands and monitor deer movements and tick infestations after removal; and 2) Determine the effect of sprayer treatments on Cattle Fever Tick (CFT) infested WTD.

Approach:
We will fit 50 female and 50 male WTD with satellite GPS collars at proposed treatment (removal) sites and control (no removal) sites in IBWC property and adjacent private rangelands in Zapata County, TX. We will monitor daily WTD movements to assess their responses to the reduction in population density. We will conduct aerial WTD surveys on IBWC lands and cooperating private lands. WTD sprayers (50) designed to applicate nematodes will be set up at medicated corn feeders. We will recapture 30 WTD fitted with collars and count CFT populations to determine effect of nematode treatments relative to WTD visitation of feeders with sprayers.