Carrying capacity of the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus texanus) in northeastern Mexico

The white-tailed deer is distributed in the desert scrublands of Mexico and represents an ecological and economic importance. Knowledge about forage production in its habitat is essential to design management plans. The objective was to evaluate the aboveground biomass production in a microphyllous desert scrubland and the carrying capacity (K) of the white-tailed deer to serve as a reference in the extensive management of this species in the municipality of Monclova, Coahuila, in northern Mexico. The research was carried out in the Wildlife Conservation Management Unit "Rancho San Juan", from October 2018 to August 2019. To estimate production in the high, medium and low strata, the Adelaide method was used. The estimation of K was based on the Holechek model. An average production of 621.19 kg DM ha(-1) was calculated. The middle stratum contributed the highest production (377.77 +/- 73.92 kg DM ha(-1)), and the high stratum had the lowest (37.59 +/- 23.59 kg DM ha(-1)). The highest production was recorded in summer and fall, with values of 744.35 and 607.93 kg DM ha(-1), respectively. K was estimated at 4.94 ha per deer annually, equivalent to 209 deer in an area of 1,030 ha. However, through an aerial census in October 2020, a density of 1.77 ha per deer or 582 deer in the same 1,030 ha was estimated. Although this analysis suggests overuse of the habitat, it is observed that habitat improvement can maintain deer population growth.