Tropical cattle ticks (Boophilus microplus) seeded as larvae on penned white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) completed the entire life cycle on the deer. It has long been known that the tropical cattle tick (cattle fever tick) is sometimes found on white-tailed deer. (For example see Shillinger, J. E. 1938. Deer in relation to fever tick eradication in Florida. Trans. N. Am. Wildl. Conf. 3:882-885). Conflicting conclusions have been drawn from such field observations regarding the effect of the presence of deer where eradication of Boophilus ticks is being attempted by dipping domesThis content downloaded from 40.77.167.89 on Fri, 01 Apr 2016 05:31:54 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms DEER AND CATTLE FEVER TICKS * Park et al. 203 tic livestock (Marshall, C. M., G. A. Seaman, and F. A. Hayes. 1963. A critique on the tropical cattle fever tick controversy and its relationship to white-tailed deer. Trans. N. Am. Wildl. and Nat. Resources Conf. 28:225-232). In the absence of valid experimental evidence as to the relationship between tropical cattle ticks and deer, the potential for controversy increases as the values of the cattle and deer industries of the Southeast increase. The accidental reinfestation of any area of the Southeast by tropical cattle ticks and tick-borne diseases might develop into verbal and economic warfare between cattlemen and deer-loving sportsmen if the cattlemen were to ask for elimination of the deer as a prerequisite to a tick eradication program or in conjunction with one. In May, 1962, a study with three deer, two does and a buck, was set up at the Federal Experiment station, St. Croix. These deer were placed in a small enclosure, 30 x 60 feet, and closely observed for 3 months. No ticks were seen, and we therefore concluded that the deer were free of them from