Kevin Lovasik
Texas A&M University – Kingsville
Graduate Research Assistant/ M.S. in Range and Wildlife Management/ Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute
Survival and cause-specific mortality of white-tailed deer fawns in South Texas
Growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania I was able to appreciate the outdoors every chance I could. My love for hunting, fishing, hiking, and the outdoors was fueled by family and friends. This passion was further developed during my undergraduate career at Pennsylvania State University. There I achieved my bachelor’s in Wildlife and Fisheries Science with a minor in Forest Ecosystems. Throughout my career I have been fortunate enough to primarily work with white-tailed deer populations in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Texas.
My project focuses on white-tailed deer fawn survival and cause-specific mortality. Survival rates determine how populations fluctuate through time and can vary dramatically according to environmental conditions. This work aims to identify survival rates and major sources of mortality to better understand deer populations in South Texas. To do this we catch fawns in the summer, fall, and spring and collar individuals for monitoring. The results of this research will hopefully inform managers on how to best practice management in the future.
