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“Deer of the Southwest” consolidates and condenses historical and contemporary information pertaining to the desert mule deer and Coues' whitetail of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico and presents it in a consistent way that is solidly based in research and yet easily understood by the non-biologist. 

Many of the researchers and managers who spent their careers working with deer in the Southwest were routed out of retirement and badgered with questions.  These questions sometimes yielded information that has not been captured in any previous publications and would have been lost to the deer world.  The historical deer information from the literature and experiences of past biologists have been intertwined with results from the most recent research on deer not only in the Southwest, but throughout the country. 

Readers are treated to authoritative but non-technical discussions of deer evolution, natural history, human use, physical characteristics, antler growth, movement, home ranges, density, diets, water requirements, mortality rates, rutting behavior, hybridization, and management.  Special attention is given to the questions that continually arise regarding deer:

· What do they eat in my area?

· How large is an average home range?

· When is the peak of rut?

· What causes nontypical antlers?

· Are “antlered does” really does?

· Do predators affect deer populations?

· Do mule and white-tailed deer interbreed?