![Deer at Upcott deer farm](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Deer_at_Upcott_deer_farm.jpg)
Deer management is the practice and philosophy of
wildlife management employed to regulate the population of
deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
in an area. The purpose of deer management is to regulate the population's size, reduce negative effects of population on the ecosystem, and maintain the integrity of other populations. Due to economic activity of
hunting
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
(coming from fees and licenses), deer management can be an important contributor for state and government revenue.
Background
![Dead deer beside the A21 Hastings Road - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Dead_deer_beside_the_A21_Hastings_Road_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1656778.jpg)
As a deer population grows it will begin to reach the
carrying capacity
The carrying capacity of an environment is the maximum population size of a biological species that can be sustained by that specific environment, given the food, habitat, water, and other resources available. The carrying capacity is defined as t ...
of an ecosystem, causing issues for other plants and wildlife. Plant life can begin to disappear locally because of
browsing.
These local disappearances directly affect the population of that plant species and indirectly affect other wildlife populations that also depend on the plant species for food.
This ultimately lowers the biodiversity and changes the composition of the habitat, region, or area until the population of deer is lowered and the location is given time to recover.
In many cases, habitats are unable to recover from deer overpopulation on their own because deer extirpate a variety of native species from the area. Once these organisms are lost from an area, they typically do not return without human intervention, meaning that forests that have reached ideal deer population levels may still lack most of their biodiversity. When deer browse an area and remove native plants, exotic and invasive species tend to take over the forest floor, further hindering a forests health and ability to recover from previous deer overpopulation.
Deer populations may reach the carrying capacity, leading to an increase in human and deer interactions.
These interactions can result in car accidents, crop damage, property damage,
Lyme disease
Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a vector-borne disease caused by the ''Borrelia'' bacterium, which is spread by ticks in the genus ''Ixodes''. The most common sign of infection is an expanding red rash, known as erythema migran ...
transmission, and much more.
These species interaction occur both in
rural
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...
and
urban areas where population of deer come into contact.
Each area comes with its own set of challenges as to which management practice is the most appropriate and effective. These challenges have led to the development of alternative methods of deer management. In suburban area,
sharpshooting is used.
Other locations may use methods like hunting, birth control, or repellents to manage the deer population.
Deer population may be negatively impacted by infectious disease in the population, such as
chronic wasting disease. Chronic wasting disease is present in 25 states in the United States, three Canadian provinces,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
, and
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. Chronic wasting disease was first discovered in white-tailed deer and elk in 1978. Chronic wasting disease has no cure and is 100% fatal to deer.
Organizations
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...
(USFWS or FWS) is a bureau under the Department of the Interior that runs national programs for the public to learn about natural resources like fish and wildlife. The USFWS advise the conservation, management and advancement of the wildlife and fish in the United States as well as assists in international conservation efforts.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service deals with the enforcement of federal wildlife laws, protects endangered species and conservation and restoration wildlife habitat such as
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
s.
Methods
There are various methods that can be employed to have deer management and they can be broken down into two main types: lethal and nonlethal. These methods are used to regulate the population of deer in a specific area. If a deer population remains high for long periods, an ecosystem can suffer long term damage, forestry practices become more restricted and overall biodiversity can decline.
Areas with an abnormally high deer population density often have a variety of native plants extirpated (adding to the loss of biodiversity), and replaced with competing, invasive species.
Lethal management
Hunting
Deer hunting
Deer hunting is hunting for deer for meat and sport, an activity which dates back tens of thousands of years. Venison, the name for deer meat, is a nutritious and natural food source of animal protein that can be obtained through deer hunting. ...
is a practice employed to regulate the population of deer. Hunting is a form of
predation
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...
in which the deer are a food source or a trophy. Deer hunting is conducted in seasons that are regulated by government agency with tag limits for both bucks and does. Deer hunting can be conducted using a
bow and arrow
The bow and arrow is a ranged weapon system consisting of an elastic launching device (bow) and long-shafted projectiles ( arrows). Humans used bows and arrows for hunting and aggression long before recorded history, and the practice was comm ...
,
rifle
A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...
,
muzzle loader
A muzzleloader is any firearm into which the projectile and the propellant charge is loaded from the muzzle of the gun (i.e., from the forward, open end of the gun's barrel). This is distinct from the modern (higher tech and harder to make) des ...
or other approved weapons. Hunting is only an effective method of population control when antlerless deer are targeted. The hunting of bucks has little impact on the population overtime because one buck is able to breed numerous does. Currently, hunting targeting antlerless deer is considered the most effective form of population control.
Nonlethal management
Chemical repellents
If an area is being heavily affected by deer, repellents can be used to keep them away or minimize the damage. Deer repellent can produce a bad smell, burn the tongue, and taste bad. The repellents can be natural or artificial but both use chemicals to deter the deer from causing damage. Repellents benefit gardens and orchids the most.
Fencing
Fencing forms a physical barrier, preventing the deer from entering an area. Deer fences can range from 3 ft. to 10 ft. tall.
There numerous types of fences used to prevent deer from causing damage, some types are electrical or high tensile.
The amount of time and type of management will typically determine the type of fence that is required for optimal deer damage prevention.
Wildlife birth control
![One Deer Tests Positive for Chronic Wasting Disease](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/One_Deer_Tests_Positive_for_Chronic_Wasting_Disease.jpg)
Another way to control the population of deer is to regulate the birth rate. Decreasing the birth will limit the growth rate of the herd. Birth control vaccines have been invented that will prevent doe from having fawns for up to 3 years.
These vaccines can be administered by dart or by a shot. This type of management would be an alternative to hunting and most effective in urban areas where hunting may pose an issue.
[{{Cite web, url=http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/deer/tips/deer-humane-control.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/, title=Controlling Deer Populations Humanely : The Humane Society of the United States, website=www.humanesociety.org, language=en, access-date=2017-09-14]
References
Deer