Consider this quote from one of the sources below:
Incorporating the rose petal concept into a model of population growth shows that removal of deer by family unit can potentially alleviate conflicts in localized areas for as many as 10–15 yr
There's plenty of info about female social groups in whitetail deer if you look for it. Here are a few sources I found in just a few minutes to use as examples.
FINE-SCALE GENETIC STRUCTURE AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
IN FEMALE WHITE-TAILED DEER
CHRISTOPHER E. COMER,1 D. B.Warnell School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
JOHN C. KILGO, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, P.O. Box 700, New Ellenton, SC 29809, USA
GINO J. D’ANGELO, D. B.Warnell School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
TRAVIS C. GLENN, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA, and Department of Biological Sciences,
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
KARL V. MILLER,2 D. B.Warnell School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
Abstract: Social behavior of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can have important management implications.
The formation of matrilineal social groups among female deer has been documented and management strategies
have been proposed based on this well-developed social structure. Using radiocollared (n = 17) and hunter or vehicle-
killed (n = 21) does, we examined spatial and genetic structure in white-tailed deer on a 7,000-ha portion of the
Savannah River Site in the upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina, USA. We used 14 microsatellite DNA loci to calculate
pairwise relatedness among individual deer and to assign doe pairs to putative relationship categories. Linear
distance and genetic relatedness were weakly correlated (r = –0.08, P = 0.058). Relationship categories differed
in mean spatial distance, but only 60% of first-degree-related doe pairs (full sibling or mother–offspring pairs) and
38% of second-degree-related doe pairs (half sibling, grandmother–granddaughter pairs) were members of the
same social group based on spatial association. Heavy hunting pressure in this population has created a young age
structure among does, where the average age is <2.5 years, and <4% of does are >4.5 years old. This—combined
with potentially elevated dispersal among young does—could limit the formation of persistent, cohesive social
groups. Our results question the universal applicability of recently proposed models of spatial and genetic structuring
in white-tailed deer, particularly in areas with differing harvest histories.
http://ddr.nal.usda.gov/bitstream/10113/38535/1/IND44328217.pdfSOCIOSPATIAL CHARACTERISTICS AND GENETIC STRUCTURE OF WHITE-TAILED
DEER IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS OF WEST VIRGINIA
by
BENJAMIN ROBERT LASETER
(Under the Direction of Karl V. Miller)
ABSTRACT
Despite numerous investigations of deer sociobiology and genetic attributes, the effects
of social organization on the genetic structure of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
populations are not well understood. Furthermore, previous investigations of deer sociobiology
have typically focused on low-density and/or migratory populations. Given the considerable
behavioral plasticity documented in white-tailed deer in different demographic contexts,
sociobiological attributes among populations will vary accordingly. I compared sociospatial
characteristics and genetic structure of female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
inhabiting a forested environment in the central Appalachian Mountains. I utilized an extensive
telemetry dataset for 127 female white-tailed deer captured during the winters of 1999-2002 on
the MeadWestvaco Wildlife and Ecosystem Research Forest (MWWERF) in West Virginia. I
delineated spatial groups of female white-tailed deer and used genetic measures to evaluate
spatial and genetic relationships. I also evaluated a genetic marker panel in the context of a
group of closely related individuals, and used this genetic information to retrospectively assess
the relatedness of both the deer included in an experimental removal and those remaining. My
results demonstrate that female white-tailed deer do not distribute themselves randomly across
the landscape of my study area, but are clumped into groups of spatially tolerant individuals. My
data also suggest that while the patterns of inter-relatedness observed in our study are consistent
with matriarchal social structure reported in previous studies, higher population density may
affect the composition of deer groups removed in spatially-based localized management efforts.
Overall, the rose-petal model of white-tailed deer population expansion applies to my study
population, but high population density forces overlap among matriarchal groups and may limit
the effectiveness of localized management efforts.
http://athenaeum.libs.uga.edu/bitstream/....pdf?sequence=1Social organization in deer: Implications for localized management
William F. Porter, Nancy E. Mathews, H. Brian Underwood, Richard W. Sage and Donald F. Behrend
Abstract
Populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) inhabiting many state and national parks and suburban areas have grown to the point that they conflict with human activities. Conflicts range from destruction of vegetation through browsing to public perception that diseases carried by deer pose threats to human health. Traditional modes of hunting to control populations are inappropriate in many of these areas because of intense human development and activity. This article explores an alternative approach for population reduction based on deer social organization. Female white-tailed deer are highly philopatric and female offspring remain near their dams for life. This suggests that a population expands slowly as a series of overlapping home ranges in a form analogous to the petals on a rose. Incorporating the rose petal concept into a model of population growth shows that removal of deer by family unit can potentially alleviate conflicts in localized areas for as many as 10–15 yr.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/v423w653463mp670/Not a study, but good info to help you do further research:
Information bulletin
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 1992
FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE No. 59
The Rose Petal Theory: Implications for Localized Deer Management
http://www.global-scientific-inc.com/tcru/kc/pubs/mathews/m54rose/54rose.htm[Caveat: Research Information Bulletins (RIBs) are internal Fish and Wildlife Service documents whose purpose is to provide information on research activities. Because RIBs are not subject to peer review, they may not be cited. Use of trade names does not imply U.S. Government endorsement of commercial products.]
