Growth of white-tailed deer fawns following dietary protein restriction

Compensatory growth is defined as the faster rate of growth exhibited by nutritionally stunted animals after adequate nutrition is available. The ability of whitetailed deer (Odocoileus virainianus) fawns to recover from nutritional deprivation, specifically protein deficiency, is important from both economic and biological standpoints. The present study was designed to document the effects of a winter and spring protein deficiency on growth of fawns, reproductive characteristics of yearling does, and antler development of yearling bucks; and to quantify compensatory growth in nutritionally stunted white-tailed deer.