You Be The Wildlife Biologist And Deer Manager

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I have had this discussion a million times it seems either online in hunting forums, on this and other blogs or in person. I got fired up again after reading an article in the Concord Monitor out of New Hampshire about their management goals for deer, mainly to do with controlling populations.

Here’s New Hampshire’s dilemma. They want to increase the whitetail deer population statewide by 45% with the exception of wildlife management area “M”. Ironically, area “M” is the most densely populated region of the state and the deer population is nearly out of control.

Officials have said they want to reduce deer numbers in zone “M” by 30% while at the same time finding ways to increase the numbers in the rest of the state by 45%.

Here’s your chance to offer some insight into the deer management challenges. First, answer this question. Why is it nationwide that deer thrive so easily in heavily human populated areas?

Secondly, how do you go about increasing the deer population by 45%?

You don’t have to live or hunt in New Hampshire to have ideas and understand basic whitetail deer management.

Let’s start a conversation and answer these questions. You can also ask and/or answer other questions you may have. I’ve spouted off my ideas before, now I want to hear yours.

Tom Remington

Matt Wilson

Mr. Remington, Sir. I appreciate all your fine writing. You are a voice I wish more could hear! On the subject of deer populations. I would assume deer do well in human areas, due to lack of predators. Human included. And the feed supply, ie…shrubs, lawns, gardens etc…..
On another note. I find it amusing, no disgusting is more like it, that wildlife regardless of species is managed in such a way. Take Oregon for example. In the major cities they pass laws which dictate we should not hunt specific species as they need to be protected and increased. Like mountain lions and bears. But when the population increases to a point where their numbers are effecting suburbia. WELL…. Something must be done. For suburbia that is, the rest of the rural state can deal with it.
Thanks for doing such a good job.
Matt Wilson. Oregon United Sporting Dogs Association; Central Oregon Director.
http://indianahuntingtoday.com/forums/index.php?sid=0009f5d5912d12e683b35ac5f197eeeb Jack Ryan

It’s not what people want to hear but the truth is pretty simple. You decrease a population of any thing by killing them. In particular you target the killing of reproducing females.

If you want more then you protect the females of reproductive age.

It’s really no more difficult than that.

The more efficiently you kill them the quicker you’ll bring the population down.

If they just want the population to move on they’ll have to quit feeding them.
Albert ladd

Southern Maine has plenty of deer and predators as well “Coyotes” Northern areas had plenty of deer until the coyote moved in. Clear cutting is much of the blame, but hunters, x game wardens, deer guides will tell you that many of these yards have been depleated by the predators, Yet the state’s biologist will not admit to a problem.
Now if you talk about bringing the wolf in some biologists say that the wolf will displace the coyote and help out the deer? So at this point they admit there is a coyote problem!!!
Part of Quebec’s restoration of their deer herd south of the big river was predator control year round! It worked,
If New Hampshire is serious about increasing their deer herd size they should develope a sound predator reduction program
for several years in the northern deep snow areas.

Albert Ladd – Armchair biologist!!!!
Tom Remington

Thanks everyone for the input. What I wanted to hear more about, Albert Ladd began to touch on. He says and his claim seems to be substantiated in other reports out there, that coyotes are also being found in the same human populated areas as we are finding too many deer.

Are there more or less coyote per square mile in these areas compared to sparsely populated areas?

Is Jack Ryan completely right? Is killing the answer and the only reason that there are too many deer in these areas is because hunters aren’t being allowed to kill the animals?
http://www.lifeofahunter.com Frank

Tom,
I do not have any accurate numbers to quote. But here in the Denver suburbs, more and more pets are becoming victims to predatory animals such as coyotes, foxes, raccoons, and mountain lions every year. My opinion is that with the increased amount of easy prey and fewer predators, we are seeing these animals thrive. These predators are losing all fear of humans because they are not being managed properly.
Deer are also becoming problems in more populated areas because they have no reason to fear humans. It is a vicious cycle that we are creating by not managing these animals correctly in human inhabited areas. Everyone wants to look at the cute animals, but no one wants to step up and admit what has to be done to manage them.
Tom Remington

So, how do you answer the person, and believe me there are a lot of them, who say that it is “natural” for animals such as deer to not fear man?

In my outdoor blog, I did an article once about our perception of what is considered wild and not wild and how it is defined. In the article I showed a picture of a deer I took in Baxter State Park in Maine. Baxter, for all intent and purposes, is closed to any kind of hunting. The picture I took was of a deer that walked with30 feet of myself, my wife, my son and three of his kids all under the age of 5.

The deer had absolutely no fear of us or any of the other people around. As a matter of fact the deer stopped in front of me to urinate. That’s when I took the picture.

When I showed this photo and wrote the story, some readers contacted me to tell me this is a prime example of how Nature should be.

And all this time I thought man was at the top of the food chain. I enjoy going to zoos to see exotic animals that I would never have the opportunity to see anywhere but seeing tame deer is a major disappointment to me – sorry, but it’s unnatural.

Here’s the link to my story if anyone is interested.
http://maineoutdoorstoday.com/blog/?p=254

You Be The Wildlife Biologist And Deer Manager

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