Kerr WMA: Deer Research Projects

Effectiveness of Control Measures Designed to Reduce External Parasites on White-tailed Deer:

Dr. J. Mathews Pound, Dr. J. Allen Miller and Dr. John E. George - USDA , Agricultural Research Service

Whitetail Antler Whitetail Antler

White-tailed deer are the principal hosts for the adult stage, and, consequently, are a primary factor in the existence of both the blacklegged tick (which transmits the agents causing Lyme disease) and the lone star tick (which transmits the agent causing human monocytic ehrlichiosis). The Tick Research Unit in Kerrville, Texas, was charged with developing technology to help control these ticks on deer and other ungulates. Research concentrated on tests of a systemically active medicated bait (corn), and a high degree of efficacy was demonstrated on deer within the Kerr Area research facility. This four-year study achieved 92, 93, and 100% control of adult, nymphal, and larval ticks, respectively, in the treated pens.