The emphasis is a science-based approach to managing of mule deer populations and factors affecting deer populations. Michigan: 31 deer per square mile. Predation and Deer Population. Put up a fence but it has to be tall. They consider the population stable. The 2020-2021 deer season showed hunters how . If the deer population gets too large, it can damage forest growth and destroy native vegetation. This number can drift up and down depending on the severity of the winter and how many harsh or mild winters there may be in a row. While nobody knows exactly what the deer population was before the European settlers showed up, it is believed there are many more today than there were historically. The distribution of hunted deer is about 60% mule deer and 40% Coues deer. The harvest was 10.9% lower than the 2020/21 record harvest of 17,265 deer, but marked the ninth consecutive year that the Delaware harvest exceeded 14,000 deer. Deer populations and the deer kill across most of the state should be stable to increasing. They may occasionally eat small animals like mice or birds, but it isnt very common. Unfortunately, this is also where the majority of the states human population live, and too many deer can increase car crashes and crop loss. Overall the state reports the population is currently stable or slightly declining. The majority of the North American population lives east of the Rocky Mountains. Arizona has a small population of whitetails, though they tend to prefer areas with more vegetation. Overall outlook: "Unless there is a significant EHD event, deer populations and the deer kill across most of the state should be stable to increasing," Matt Knox, deer project coordinator with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, wrote in his 2022 forecast. Deer live in every county of the state. Florida Coastal White-tailed Deer (panhandle and northwestern portion of the state), Florida White-tailed Deer (northwestern, central and southern portion of the state). Deer enjoy eating mushrooms, nuts, berries, pumpkins, spinach, and apples. The Columbian white-tail is a rare species named after the Columbia River. Nebraska is another state that is home to both white-tailed and mule deer. Managers have been able to relax hunting regulations over the years in response to increasing deer herds. While populations often have good and bad years, the state feels its time to step in and try to improve the situation. Its 2020 estimate . That number sure has come a long way from 1900 when they were thought to have been completely wiped out with no wild populations left. The numbers above do not include deer . New Hampshire's Fish and Game Department says human feeding has damaged its deer populations. Tag numbers are approximately 20% of the estimated mule deer population for the year (low . Vehicle collisions as population density increases, so does the likelihood of deer-vehicle collisions. Deer Population by State: How Many Deer are in the U.S.? Tennessee hunters harvested 159,879 deer in the state this hunting season. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission: white-tailed deer overview. Key deer are the smallest subspecies of white-tailed deer in North America, weighing only about 55-65 pounds. Hunters harvested 168,427 deer during the 2021-22 season; a robust number indicative of a strong population. The Axis deer, also known as the chital, is native to the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the few states where mule deer are a more popular game animal than whitetails. See the 2021 report. Most of the population growth in recent years has occurred in the southern half of the lower peninsula. This can have a Catch-22 effect on the wildlife population in the state. While overall the deer population is considered to be stable, the migratory populations in the Sierra Nevada and the black-tailed deer in the northwest are likely in decline, while suburban populations are increasing. There are more than 490,000 acres of wildlife management areas in West Virginia. I could not find a specific estimate for the smaller white-tailed deer population. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources: deer hunting resources. Most of these are mule deer. Deer hunting has become a major industry in Alabama, the state has 33 wildlife management areas totaling over 700,000 acres where white-tailed deer can be hunted with a permit. Archery (including crossbows) accounted for 14% of the deer kill; muzzleloaders, 23%; and firearms, 63%. The TWRA page states that the deer population has expanded from just a few counties in eastern Tennessee during the 1940s to being present in all 95 counties state-wide today. The white-tailed deer gets its name from its white patches, which are behind the nose, around the eyes, inside the ears, over the chin and throat, and beneath the tail. Washington State Mule Deer Management Plan Deer are found throughout the state with three subspecies broken up by geographic location. Hunters in Region B the remainder of the state harvested 62,916 deer, down 13% from 72,346 . White-tailed deer have bounced back from near extinction in Rhode Island. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. It may be that monitoring of this species separate from overall deer in the state has not yet been established. After many years of stability, the state reports deer population trended downwards between 2003 and 2015. The most credible white-tailed estimate I could find came from the 2017-2023 South Dakota white-tailed and mule deer management plan, which listed the 2016 preseason population estimate at 425,000. Population expansion is expected at about 1-2% each year in the near future, how some areas of middle and west Tennessee may be trying to lower the deer numbers to a more manageable level. Sampling of ticks in the ESA, conducted in May 2021 by the MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife found a high number of black-legged ticks (42 juveniles and 1 adult), which are known vectors for a number of diseases, including Lyme disease . Overall outlook: New York's 2021 deer hunting forecast said biologists expect 2021-'22 to be another productive season for hunters. Arkansas Game & Fish Commission: deer hunting information. Hunting is now an important part in keeping populations managed in the state, especially to help reduce populations in urban areas. This study from 2020 says that while imprecise, their best estimate is 333,000 346,000 black tailed deer live across Alaska. Washington state is home four subspecies of deer. It is estimated by 1925 only about 400 deer remained. We will be looking at the population of white-tailed deer, mule deer, and black-tailed deer. Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources: Kentuckys Deer Restoration. Ready for more deer facts? Even though black-tailed deer are considered subspecies of mule deer, there is still some debate on their origins and they are often counted separately. Lets find out. According to this article current estimates are about 40,000 60,000 on Molokai, 20,000 on Lanai and 30,000 50,000 on Maui. Deer harvests began to increase again in 2016, possibly due to coyote densities declining. There are nearly 2,000 different species! After two days of flying, they counted 796 elk - 172 were bulls with 460 cows and 160 calves. What is the White-Tailed Deer Population by State? In public hunting areas the population is estimated at 950-1050 deer. However they are not out of the woods with continued habitat loss and disease (such as the 2017 screwworm epidemic that killed a large portion of male Key deer) threatening their numbers. During the 2020 deer season it is estimated that a total of 107,212 bucks and 90,681 does were harvested for a statewide total of 197,893 deer ( Table 1 ). Why do so many states allow deer hunting? Estimating Deer Populations on Your Property: Population Dynamics Be on the lookout. After gathering 2020 data the state reported stable mule deer herds and slightly increasing whitetail herds. Learn more. "With roughly 35 calves per hundred cows, we know the herds are increasing. Over time this heavy hunting and habitat loss took a real toll. Wyoming is home to both mule deer and white-tailed deer. 2021 Oregon Deer And Elk Hunting Prospects By Region The first recorded sightings of the white-tailed deer in Utah happened in the northern part of the state, Cache county, in the late 1990s. 2021 Virginia Deer Season Review. Deer Management | University of Michigan-Dearborn They theorize habitat change, two decades of aggressive antlerless deer harvest, and the complete colonization of the state by coyotes and their impact on fawn survival as possible causes. Wildlife managers are tasked with the difficult mission of maintaining or recovering deer populations, dampening the magnitude of potential future declines, and stabilizing hunter . States With Minimal Deer Populations. However world-wide there are 26 known subspecies, with 17 of those occurring in the U.S. Over the years, she raised livestock animals, small animals, dogs, cats, and birds, which is where she learned most of what she knows about various animals and what allowed her to work as a dog groomer and manager of a specialty pet store. Their tail is thinner than the white-tailed deer, with a distinctive black tip at the bottom. According to the Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937, most of the state conservation efforts are funded through hunting and fishing license sales and firearms sales. The white-tail deer is the most common type of deer hunted in the United States. By the turn of the century people began to realize they needed conservation programs or the deer would go the way of the buffalo. The numbers game: Best WV deer counties, by hunting method South Dakota has more than 80,000 mule deer and 420,000 white-tail deer. According to a quote in the Michigan Bridge made by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, there may be as many as 2 million deer in the state today. While the white-tailed deer more or less stop east of the Rocky Mountains, the mule deer take over west of the Rockies. They are the most hunted big game in the state. When Europeans first came to America, they found deer a plentiful resource in most states. How many deer live in the United States? While overall population is down from the peak years of the mid to late 1990s, density of deer still remains a problem in many suburban parts of the state. The mule deer working group lists the 2021 population in the badlands at 21,000. According to data from State Farm, U.S. drivers had 1.9 million animal collision insurance claims in the U.S. between July 2021 and June 2022, down 5.5 percent from the same period a year ago. Last year, both rifle and archery harvests were below average. The states Department of Natural Resources and other groups want to attract more hunters to reduce deer populations. Estimated at 314,850 in 2020, down from 372,500 in 2018. 2022 - 2023 Deer Statistics for Alabama - Game Harvest Menu White-tailed deer in Florida tend to be a little smaller than in other states, due in part to the warm climate. The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is one of the most populous animals in the United States, and it is found in almost every state. Alaska Department of Fish & Game: deer hunting information and regulations. It was sometimes an up and down battle for the deer, but things really began to improve in the early 1970s when management of deer was turned over from the state legislature to the department of natural resources. With laws enacted and amount of farmed land decreasing, deer began to rebound. Although it has some mule deer, most of the deer in this state are members of the white-tailed family. New Mexicos game & fish page states that while poor conditions in the early 2000s suppressed deer numbers, things have since improved and today populations are stable with most experiencing growth. It is important they have access to both the cover provided by the forest and the grazing in open areas and along the forest edge. In some areas, state wildlife officials have increased the number of hunting permits to help bring down deer populations. Producers working to lower deer populations in their fields have found that these early hunts are critical in reducing the total number of female deer over the course of the year. A useful trick if they are grazing and need to quickly flee from a predator. Recently the state has been increasing their any-deer (does or bucks) permits in an effort to bring down the population due to complains about too many deer and high levels of Lyme disease in certain areas. Tennessee's Most Efficient Deer Hunting Counties - ArcGIS StoryMaps Predation is a natural form of mortality for white-tailed deer. Deer live in almost every country of the world. 2021 WAFWA Deer & Elk Business Meeting: Jim Heffelfinger: 1:00-2:40 PM: Deer Session 3: Disease: Whitetail Deer - North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Field studies from across the United States, including Pennsylvania, show that predators - notably coyotes, bears, and bobcats - prey on white-tailed deer. Spotlight surveys have been used by biologists nationwide since the mid-1900s and are effective for monitoring population trends, determining the distribution of species, identifying habitat use, and predicting disease outbreaks. All this brings us to today. The rut, which is their mating season, occurs in the fall and the fawns are born in the spring. The estimated all-time low whitetail deer population numbers in Louisiana was about 20,000 in 1925. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Like many other states, Kentucky outlawed deer hunting in the early part of the 20th century. Deer Population - Georgia Wildlife Blog Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day. The Wisconsin DNR annually estimates the size of deer populations in each deer management unit (DMU). This not only allows them to digest a wide variety of foods, but they can eat and wait until later to digest. The deer mostly live in the northeastern part of the state. There is also a population of white-tailed deer in Utah, however I could not find any credible estimates other than 1,000 back in 2008. Unregulated commercial hunting and subsistence hunting threatened to eliminate the white-tailed deer from much of its range. While deer are not naturally found in Hawaii, an invasive species has taken over in the last 150 years, the Axis deer. Deer are thriving in the states forested areas. A deer stocking program began in 1932 and continued for nearly 30 years. 27. The male white-tailed deer will grow a new set of antlers every year. . Ohio's average harvest compiled from the past three seasons is 184,746 deer. Montana has a large population of two types of deer, the mule deer and the white-tailed deer. The data are then monitored over time to improve deer management and inform decisions about harvest goals. Recently, the number of hunters applying for a deer tag (residents and out-of-state applicants combined) is in the range of 60,000 to 80,000. 2021's deer season in Kentucky exceeded already high numbers coming out of the pandemic-affected 2020 . Things began to turn around when state refuges were created and periodic deer stocking occurred. Colorado Parks and Wildlife wants to hear from you about the current Colorado big game hunting season structure and possible changes for 2025-2029. We researched to find out. In the 1800s, however, several Axis deer from India were sent to Hawaii. This represents a 2.4 percent increase in harvest from 2019 (193,073) and is 38 percent below the record harvest established in 2002 (319,902). Vermont has more deer hunters than any other New England state. Which states have the most white-tail deer? Many animals, such as songbirds, rely on this understory habitat. At that time, many state wildlife agencies were formed with the goal of conserving the nation's depleted wildlife resources. The states population declined when coyotes returned to South Carolina in large numbers, but it remains stable. Indiana Department of Natural Resources: White-tailed Deer History & Biology. Deer adapt to changing environments, and that adaptability has helped them make a strong comeback.