Knowledge of survival and cause-specific mortal- ity is crucial to understanding white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population dynamics. Common causes of mortality include human-relat- ed factors (e.g., legal hunting, poaching, vehicle col- lisions; Fuller 1990, Nixon et al. 1991), weather con- ditions (e.g., winter severity; DelGiudice et al. 2002), predation (Mech 1984), and disease (Matschke et al. 1984). Mortality varies spatially and temporally with sex, age, and density of deer (Gavin et al. 1984, Dusek et al. 1992, Whitlaw et al. 1998, DelGiudice et al. 2002). Deer population models designed to predict spatial and temporal changes in deer populations have stressed the importance of region-specific, sound empirical data (Grund 2001). Without such data,overexploitation of hunted pop- ulations is possible (Hoskinson and Mech 1976, Nelson and Mech 1986, Fuller 1989). WHITE-TAILED DEER SURVIVAL 1 White-tailed Deer Wildlife Society Bulletin 2004, 32(3):1–xxx Peer refereed Address for Todd J. Brinkman and Jonathan A. Jenks: Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, South Dakota State Universi- ty, Brookings, SD 57007, USA; present address for Brinkman: University of Alaska Fairbanks, Biology and Wildlife Department, 211 Irving I, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA; e-mail: fttjb2@uaf.edu. Address for Christopher S. DePerno, Brian S. Haroldson, and Robert G. Osborn: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Farmland Wildlife Populations and Research Group, 35365 800th Avenue, Madelia, MN 56062, USA. Survival of white-tailed deer in an intensively farmed region of Minnesota Todd J. Brinkman, Jonathan A. Jenks, Christopher S. DePerno, Brian S. Haroldson, and Robert G. Osborn Abstract Survival and cause-specific mortality of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been well documented in forested habitat, but limited information has been collected in intensively farmed regions. The objectives of this study were to determine survival and cause-specific mortality of neonate, fawn female, and adult female white-tailed deer in an intensively farmed (>80% land cover) region of Minnesota. We captured and radio- collared 77 female deer >8 months old (61 adults, 16 fawns) and 39 neonates (17 male, 22 female). Hunting was the greatest cause of mortality among adult deer, with 43% of mortalities attributed to firearms hunters. Annual survival rate of all adult and fawn (> 8 months) radiocollared deer was 0.77 (n =58, SE=0.06). Overall (Jan. 2001–Aug. 2002) adult survival was 0.75 (n =77, SE=0.05) and was similar to survival rates reported else- where for female white-tailed deer. Natural causes (e.g., disease, predation) of mortality were minor compared to human-related causes (e.g., hunting, vehicle collision). In total, 67% of neonate mortalities were due to predators. Neonate summer survival rate pooled over years was 0.84 (n = 39, SE = 0.06) and was high compared to other studies. High neonate survival was likely associated with a low predator density, quality vegetation structure at neonate bed sites, and high nutritional condition of dams. Deer management in the highly fragmented and intensively farmed regions of Minnesota relies on hunter harvest to maintain deer populations at levels tolerable to landowners. Key words agriculture, cause-specific mortality, Minnesota, Odocoileus virginianus, predation, sur- vival, white-tailed deer