Ashley Hodge
Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Graduate Research Assistant, Master of Science in Range and Wildlife Management
Population Reduction of White-Tailed Deer for the Management of Cattle Fever Ticks in South Texas
I’m originally from NY and graduated with my bachelor’s in biology from Paul Smith’s College. During my undergrad, I assisted in some preliminary research looking into the use of domestic dogs as sentinels for Lyme disease.
Currently, my project is looking at the effects of reducing the white-tailed deer population in an area of southwest Texas to see if the cattle fever tick population also declines. Cattle fever ticks are a large concern for cattle ranchers, as they can carry a Babesia parasite that can be deadly in cattle. Deer can be an alternative host for the tick, creating concerns as tick burdened deer can disperse to new areas in and outside of the permanent quarantine zone.
We will also be analyzing deer movements, vegetation, and other factors that may contribute to tick loads. Along with some genetic analysis that will give us an idea of relatedness between deer on a temporal scale.