RESOURCE SELECTION, HOME RANGES, AND MOVEMENTS OF WHITE-TAILED DEER (ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS) IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN GEORGIA

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations on Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia declined substantially in recent decades. Despite harvest restrictions, populations have not recovered. Simultaneously, black bears (Ursus americanus) and wild pigs (Sus scrofa) increased, potentially competing with deer. My objectives were to estimate deer home ranges, seasonal resource selection by deer on public versus private lands, and deer space-use deer relative to acorn (Quercus spp.) abundance, bears, and pigs. I GPS collared deer, deployed an infrared camera grid, and assessed acorn abundance. Deer home ranges were smaller in fall 2018. Overall, deer selected for roads/development, deciduous forest, and mixed forest. I found no spatial relationships among acorn abundance and species occurrences. In 2018, bears exhibited peak daytime activity while deer and pigs were crepuscular. In 2019, deer, bears, and pigs were crepuscular, perhaps due to improved acorn production. Our results indicate young forests are important habitats of adult female deer.