Morphometric Predictors of Neonatal Age for White-Tailed Deer

We examined development of 60 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns from birth to 31 days postpartum to evaluate morphometric measures for predicting neonatal age. We investigated variations in growth due to gender and maternal nutrition that might affect age prediction. Of 8 morphometric measures examined, hoof growth provided the most reliable and accurate aging model and was least affected by gender or maternal nutrition. Hoof growth was best represented by linear regression, which explained 87% of the variation and classified 74% of the fawns to within 3 days of age. Because maternal nutrition influenced body mass, chest girth, and total body length measures of fawns, aging models based on these variables should be avoided.