Deer Management News This Week

  ... Albright expects this year, "won't be a banner year for growth of the herd, and probably will be lower numbers." ...  late snow cover isn't the only factor. The speed of the green up and growth of forage will be a big factor in the survival of winter stressed deer...  The southwest U.P. did not have as much late heavy snow as northern areas of the U.P...,

Deer-Deterring Tree Protector April 26, 2018 The Family Handyman
  ... cut lengths of 4-in. flexible drainage pipe, slit them and wrapped them around the base of the trees... used the kind with holes in it so air can circulate and keep the trunk from rotting...

... The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, based in Missoula, Montana, has awarded $219,584 in grants for two dozen projects across Utah to enhance more than 51,000 acres of wildlife habitat....

... “It’s critically important that we take every possible precaution to keep captive deer from coming into contact with wild deer,” Barrett said. “Single fences simply aren’t cutting it. They allow wild deer to come nose-to-nose with deer on farms. One sick deer mingling with wild whitetails is all it takes to jeopardize Michigan’s hunting heritage.” ...

...controversial $3.6 million plan to sterilize Staten Island’s growing deer population seems to be working. With no natural predators in Staten Island and migration from New Jersey, the population grew from a documented 763 in 2014 to an estimated 2,000 last year. Two years into the unique program, the deer population declined 8 percent in the past year, while births were also down 50 percent...

... the number of bucks killed: 7,708 ... more than at any time since records started being kept in 1922 ... many males are surviving into their second year ...  In central New Hampshire in the area around Concord, Laconia and Plymouth the estimated population is between 5 and 14 percent higher than the long-term goal... North of the White Mountains, however, the estimated population is as much as 50 percent less ..,

Game commissioners increase doe hunting licenses by 34,000 April 25, 2018 Pennsylvania, PennLive.com
... plans to issue 34,000 more antlerless deer licenses for the 2018-19 hunting seasons... approved an allocation of 838,000 doe permits for the coming hunting-license year...

Are mule deer in decline in Southeast Idaho? April 24, 2018 Idaho State Journal
...we have had some harsh winters where fawn survival was around 25 percent, which could be a possible reason we didn’t see as many deer while hunting in 2017.  The winter of 2016 was devastating for fawns. Only 30 percent of mule deer fawns survived... quaking aspen forests are decreasing in the state ...  provide high-quality forage for mule deer, as well as hiding deer and providing a thermal cover ..,

... While winter 2018 will not go down in history as one of the more severe winters on record, it has stubbornly persisted, reminiscent of 2014 ... Councils take winter data into account, and this has led several to recommend reduced antlerless harvest quotas, compared to original recommendations in March..,

Glenwood, Hunters, farmers talk deer management in Glenwood April 24, 2018 Minnesota, Echo Press
...  it is the public's turn to voice their opinions on the [deer] plan... close doe-to-buck ratios and how that helps lead to a healthier herd. Notably, more does tend to be bred during their first estrous cycle in November, leading to more fawns being dropped at the same time, which helps more of them avoid predators and get to a size that has them ready to face Minnesota's winters...

Minnesota Deer Management Plan, April 24, 2018


CDFW updates Siskiyou supervisors on deer, elk plans April 24, 2016 California, Siskiyou Daily News
... there are approximately 5,700 Roosevelt elk, 1,500 Rocky Mountain Elk, and 5,700 tule elk in California ... the deer plan is still in its early stages, a number of questions remain as to how deer will be managed in the state, and what population trends – and what is driving those trends ..,

Deer trafficking case helps limit spread of chronic wasting disease April 24, 2018 Alabama, United States Fish and Wildlife Service
... The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama recently sentenced a licensed Alabama deer breeder and his associate for illegally transporting captive-bred and raised white-tailed deer from a facility in Indiana to his deer breeder facility in Alabama...

Setting Fires and Restoring an American Landscape April 23, 2018 Illinois, New York Times
... For thousands of years, indigenous Americans ignited the landscape. Fire, they knew, brought bison and deer to hunt, and berries and tubers to harvest.  European colonizers took these strategies and practiced them for centuries — but things changed in the early 20th century... The United States Forest Service started the Smokey Bear campaign, which portrayed all fire as destructive...

Record number of antlered bucks taken April 23, 2018 New Hampshire, NewHampshire.com...
... hunters killed 7,708 antlered bucks in 2017 — more than in any year since 1922, when the state first started keeping records... total kill during deer season was 12,309 ...

Elko County, Big game, predators on county wildlife agenda April 26 April 23, 2018 California, Elko Daily Free Press
... Tags for California bighorn sheep and mule deer could increase in 2018 ... State law allows NDOW to develop an annual program to manage and control predatory wildlife; protect nonpredatory game and species; and research management and control techniques...

... Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency biologists are expected to recommend a reversal of the contentious "3-inch antler" rule defining a legal buck in Tennessee... changed that rule to say any deer with "hard antler protruding through the hairline" is legally a buck and counts against a hunter's season limit...

East Tehama Deer Herd, Northern California Regional Land Trust April 23
Action News Now
... One specific species now more fully protected from development, is the largest migratory deer herd in California; the East Tehama Deer Herd. The animals roam the acreage and conservationists say development could threaten their health and future...

Killed deer underreported in Alabama despite mandate April 22, 2018 The Tuscaloosa News
... Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries officials estimate that only about 30 percent of the deer killed in Alabama are reported through the Game Check system, even though it is now mandatory. This year, the actual number reported dropped from 84,000 two years ago to about 78,000 last year.  Game Check is a mandatory reporting system ...

Deer Tests Positive for CWD in Oneida County April 22, 2018 Wisconsin, WSAU
...  a wild deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease in Oneida County, in the Town of Crescent.  As required by law, this finding renews Oneida County's existing baiting and feeding ban for another three years...

Stand up if you love the Ruby Mountains April 21, 2018 Nevada, Elko Daily Free Press
... a proposal to lease land in the Ruby Mountains for oil and gas drilling has galvanized resistance from a variety of interest ... if the land is opened to leasing there would be separate environmental reviews before any drilling could begin. Hyslop says there are plenty of factors to consider, including winter range for mule deer and priority sage grouse habitat...

... Hunters harvested 26,537 deer, when counting special and general permits. A total of 106,977 Washingtonians received deer licenses.  The state’s 54,638 licensed elk hunters harvested a total of 5,465 elk..,

Mule Deer Foundation Launches Talking Mule Deer Podcast Series April 20, 2018 Utah, MDF
... The Mule Deer Foundation will be launching a new podcast series called Talking Mule Deer with the first episode available on the MDF website on Monday, April 23. Talking Mule Deer is intended to be an entertaining and educational listening series featuring interviews with MDF staff, mule deer biologists, land managers, hunting industry experts ...

... April’s cruel blasts of snow and cold have punished Michigan’s whitetail deer, especially in the Upper Peninsula ... we are going to be losing some of last year’s fawns ... Michigan’s whitetail herd is estimated at more than 1.5 million, with perhaps 300,000-400,000 animals in the U.P...

... Board of Animal Health staff don’t adequately monitor when farmers submit the required tissues, according to Nobles’ office... From 2014 to 2017, about a third of deer and elk farmers that reported dead animals in their operations failed to submit tissues from at least one of the animals for CWD testing ...

Durkin County Deer Advisory Councils don't have tools to control deer herds April 20, 2018 Wisconsin, Green Bay Press-Gazette
...  deer herds have rebounded across much of Wisconsin ... “The antlerless-only option is more toxic than earn-a-buck, so it’s not really an option at all,” said Mike Amman, a county forester who serves on Bayfield County’s CDAC, the only such council in the Northern forest region whose 2018-2020 goal is to reduce deer numbers...

... The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is concerned about how chronic wasting disease or CWD may affect the future of the state’s deer. In reaction, Wyoming teamed up with Arizona, Colorado, Montana and Canada to create three management strategies...

300 attend annual deer association dinner in McCloud April 19, 2018 California, Siskiyou Daily News
... “We got into this because the deer herds in California are having a hard time and we want to help,” said Trenton Willis, one of the organizers and chapter co-chairmen of the CDA... “Our goal is to raise as much money as we can to bring back our deer population into Siskiyou County,” ...

... the Missouri Department of Conservation has reported seven positive cases of chronic wasting disease, also known as CWD, in Perry (1)  and Ste. Genevieve (6) counties... A total of 33 new cases have been found within Missouri...

Proposed Oil and Gas Leasing Threatens a Legendary Mule Deer Hunting Destination April 19, 2018 Nevada, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
... the Ruby Mountains in Elko County ... Parcels under consideration for leasing extend in places from the foothills to the top of the range, and several directly abut the boundary of the Ruby Mountain Wilderness... the Forest Service has extended the comment period on the proposed leasing until April 23, 2018 ... link to comment page

... For quite some time now, hunters can’t help but acknowledge the game to be substantially smaller than a decade ago. It was also noticed that fewer bucks were allowed to gain maturity as more and more tags were made available...  an online petition which was circulated in 2016 ... Nearly 4,000 hunters supported the idea of shortening deer seasons for the Clearwater Region...

Conservation group aims to save one deer at a time April 18, 2018 Maine, Fiddlehead Focus
... Aroostook County Conservation Association ... “A large part of what we do involves habitat improvement projects such as the planting of food plots which are strategically located throughout The County,” ... When winter conditions make the plots unavailable, the group offers the deer limited amounts of supplemental food consisting of a 50-50 blend of oats and barley...

... The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has confirmed that a wild deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease in western Eau Claire County, near the town of Brunswick... the first confirmed wild deer to test positive for the disease in Eau Claire County..,

Deer farmers raise unusual livestock in Brown County April 18, 2018 South Dakota, Gillette News-Record
... According to the most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, there were 231,431 head of deer on 4,042 operations in the country during its 2012 census, with 89 captive deer in South Dakota on just five operations... Now, however, there are 43 farms that have captive nondomestic permits for either deer or elk throughout the state ..,

Study finds malaria parasites prevalent in North American fawns April 18, 2018 Florida, EurekAlert (press release)
... Researchers who analyzed blood samples from 33 farm-raised, white-tailed fawns in Florida report that about 21 percent -- 7 of 33 -- were infected by malaria parasites at some point during the first eight months of life... Biologists have identified more than 600 malaria parasites, or haemosporidians, but only five are known to use humans as hosts...

Why does Winona have a deer park? April 18, 2018 Minnesota, Winona Post
... When Winona first put deer in a pen on Prairie Island in 1961, deer parks were all the rage. Arcadia, Galesville, and Blair all had deer parks, and local newspapers ran updates when a doe was expecting fawns or when a mean buck had to be de-horned...  a few years ago, the city purchased three deer from a nearby deer farm ... In an unlucky turn of events, chronic wasting disease (CWD) was later discovered at that farm...

Michigan House: No future deer sterilization for Ann Arbor April 17, 2018 Michigan, Detroit Free Press
... In a 69-40 vote on Tuesday, lawmakers passed a bill prohibiting the state Department of Natural Resources from issuing more sterilization permits until April 1, 2022...

... 2017 saw the spread of chronic wasting disease in many states. Positive tests for CWD in Pennsylvania deer doubled while Lancaster County saw its first recorded infection. In Arkansas, 70 new cases of CWD were found and the disease spread to three new counties. The first case of CWD in southern Iowa was confirmed, while Nebraska found chronic wasting disease in five new counties. In South Dakota’s Wind Cave National Park, a 2017 research study found 24 percent of deer in the eastern area of the park are infected ...

... The escaped 10-pointer was shot in 2007 by an Illinois man who kept its ear tag and mounted the deer’s head and antlers. The ear tag links the deer to the same deer farm reported by authorities last month to be wholly infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD)... described by the state Board of Animal Health as having “a good history of CWD surveillance”  ...

Ridgefield overpass project derailed by deer April 17, 2018 Washington, The Reflector
... The Port of Ridgefield’s railroad overpass project will have to receive an update to its Environmental Impact Statement assessment to account for possible impacts to Columbian white-tailed deer which have drifted from their original home at the refuge...

Improving deer habitat April 17, 2018 Michigan, The Mining Journal
...  Marquette County Conservation District has been approved for a $14,449 grant by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources .... work with a contractual tree planting company to plant overwintering conifer habitat as well as soft and hard mast trees on seven private landowner parcels ...

... This invention relates to methods to control and prevent tick infestations in immunized non-bovine animals, including deer, which further protects the animals against the transmission of tick-borne pathogens... the reduction in the incidence of tick infestation afforded by the vaccines may concurrently reduce the incidence of diseases caused by these pathogens in susceptible animals...

... State Sen. Chapin Rose recently told lawmakers in Springfield that there are veterinarians who say feeding deer outside of hunting season will help keep the animals healthy... They voted to approve the plan ...

... DeWitt and Fayetteville officials both reported that dog owners who let their pets run unleashed on the sites targeted for deer culling interfered with the operation. It may have been intentional ...

Blue Earth council: deer hunt is a no go April 17, 2018 Minnesota, Fairmont Sentinel
...  Fletcher said that while it is logistically possible for the city to sponsor a deer hunt, he has a few safety concerns, including wounded deer being in the city....Huisman made a motion to authorize the deer hunt  ... with no council member seconding the motion, it failed...

... the Pine Ridge ... natural habitat to the lions...  the population of deer in the area is low. Deer make up 75-80 percent of the mountain lions diets.  “Our biggest concern is there’s nothing for them to eat and they’re going to start eating on our livestock heavier ...

Deer issues dominate Game and Fish meeting April 15, 2018 North Dakota, The Dickinson Press
... Game and Fish is mandated to hold the meetings twice a year in each of the state's eight Advisory Board districts... 13,402 landowners applied for gratis deer tags last year ... Some hunters who don't own land may not like the gratis system, but all of the gratis laws are set by the Legislature...  less than 5 percent of land in North Dakota is public ...

... "The federal recovery plan for the gray wolf identified a recovered population number of 1,251 to 1,400 wolves," Engwall said. "DNR's winter wolf population survey in 2016-17 estimated the population to be approximately 2,856 ... The wolf has recovered, and management should be returned to the state." ... the wolf population isn't the limiting factor for deer numbers, DNR officials say...

... “DEC regulates hunting in New York State. A local municipality may regulate access to properties they own for any purpose, including hunting, but do not have the authority to regulate hunting on private properties,”  ...

... The idea would be to substantially reduce the number of bucks, which are the main carriers of the disease, in hopes of reducing the spread of CWD ... on the low end a sample size of 112 deer would be needed for a deer population of 250. On the high end a sample of 195 deer would be needed for a herd of 5,000 animals... Montana Draft Chronic Wasting Disease Plan April 2018

Attendance jumps at spring hearings April 14, 2018 Wisconsin, Madison.com
... asked if hunters should be barred from transporting harvested deer from CWD-affected counties to unaffected counties. Attendees OK’d the ban 54-46 on a 3,102 to 2,617 vote, but many questioned why privately run deer farms in CWD-affected
 counties can move live deer to facilities anywhere in the state...

Chronic Wasting Disease, Public meetings, survey on CWD available online April 14, 2018 Arkansas, HarrisonDaily.com
... More than 250 concerned hunters filled the seats at two meetings held in northwest Arkansas ... “Some counties have had only one or two positives, or have not had a positive, but are within 10 miles of one,”  ...

Deer at Rochester Animal Rescue Are ‘Free at Last’ April 14, 2018 Washington, The Chronicle
...  the Supenskys were notified that the young ungulates had been deemed “too friendly” ... in mid-November WDFW staff arrived at the rescue facility ready to capture and euthanize all 15 fawns and the elk calf  ...  11 remaining deer ... were able to avoid capture by the WDFW...  most of the deer, nine, seem to be acting pretty wild ...

... The Deer Study is a collaborative research and education project between Bryn Athyn College and Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust (PERT) that tracks the movements of white-tailed deer fitted with high tech GPS/GSM radio collars ... 






Searching the internet to find and conserve deer information.

Deer in the News

Loss of Deer Park's white doe was tragic, unnecessary April 25, 2018 Minnesota, Winona Daily News
... the little white doe that we have come to know and love is gone... acquired from a deer farm in Winona County a couple of years ago...the DNR decided that these three deer should be analyzed for the disease to make sure that they were not contaminated with CWD... the tests for this disease came back negative on all three deer ...

... Allagash and St. John rivers  ... a young deer floated past on an ice floe... people began to congregate on the riverbank and began to root for the deer... other video of it making it to shore! The deer never panicked and was so nimble ...

Maine deer trapped on floating ice in Allagash


Archaeologists possibly discover the earliest known Greek art inside a cave April 24, 2018 Rhode Island, realmofhistory.com
...  more than 11,000 years ago... first known case of Paleolithic art ever found in Greece, with the 37 portrayals depicting an extinct species of the dwarf deer... According to Dr. Thomas Strasser of Providence College, Rhode Island ...

... “I jumped into the flames and saved the little guy,” Shockley said in a written statement. “He was all by himself and running for his life into the fire.”...

New charges are filed in case of Petersburg teens hitting deer April 19, 2018 Alaska, Alaska Public Media
... The video shows the vehicle approaching and then hitting two deer. Ohmer is heard laughing and Davis is heard saying that they got two of them...


  McLean's neighborhood deer relocated to a new home April 19, 2018 Illinois, WEEK
... A white-tailed doe who had become friendly with residents of the village of McLean was relocated Wednesday to a new home...

...On Bar MB Ranches lives a pet mule deer named Bambi...The yearling had lost her mother ...  "She was already grown up enough and she made her mind up about where she was going to be...

Baraboo, Deer get new home at Baraboo zoo April 17, 2018 Wisconsin, WiscNews
... The Baraboo zoo’s deer will move from their current home ... A $40,000 gift from the Sauey Family Foundation is funding new fences and a large elevated deck ...


Observing the social structure of deer April 15, 2018 Minnesota, St. Cloud Times
... the segregation of sexes that takes place in the winter months. For the most part, the does are with the does and the bucks form bachelor groups... in the weeks ahead as the mature does will chase away last year’s fawns as they prepare to drop this year’s crop...

Abnormal White Deer Struggle to Survive in Virginia Wild April 14, 2018 Virginia, U.S. News & World Report
... Held for centuries as magical, mystical and even sacred, white deer are simply genetic mutations often crippled by birth defects — from blind eyes to twisted spines and hunched backs — and have a slim chance of survival in the wild...

... new to this year, a deer safari park ... more information ...

Outdoor writer David Figura talks about his guided bus tour through the former Seneca Army Depot. - April 13, 2018 New York


The many ways deer can get into trouble April 13, 2018 Idaho Fish and Game
...items around our homes we don’t see as dangerous - fences, loose wire and bailing string - can harm deer and other wildlife ...

Randolph County woman is the ‘Deer Whisperer’ April 11, 2018 North Carolina, WGHP
... Affectionately called "Baby Girl" the favorite deer has been visiting Allen's home ever since it was an orphan fawn...

First Maine reindeer in 20 years born in Winslow on Easter morning April 4, 2018 Maine, Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel
... at a petting zoo... “We had purchased a couple this fall to add to our herd and they actually had bred,” ...



    Rare white deer roams Kensington Metropark near Milford April 3, 2018 Michigan, Detroit Free Press
... coat is sheer white and which has a pink nose and blue-ish eyes, is one more reason that nature lovers enjoy coming to Kensington Metropark ...

Animal rescue begins with loving kindness towards animals, along with knowledge, experience. And the team with the same heart. Thank you to veterinarian and volunteers. - April 3, 2018


Regional Velvet: elk and deer begin to grow their new antlers March 31, 2018 California, Tehachapi News
... California Mule Deer and American Elk — have begun to grow their new antlers... In Elk, the antlers can reach a length of four feet and weigh as much as 40 pounds...
... Eight deer have been rescued ...  swept down a canal and got trapped inside the power plant ... Two other deer died ...

  SPCA Saves Deer With Bowl Stuck On Head March 30, 2018 New Jersey, USA Patch
... If the SPCA and state Division of Fish and Wildlife officers hadn't come along when they did, the deer probably would have died...

Tennessee's 'Elk Cam' goes live March 29, 2018 WTVC
... you can now view wild elk ...The once-native elk were restored to Tennessee’s North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area north of Knoxville beginning in the year 2000...

... The convergence of three building projects along Fruitville Pike is swallowing an island of open space and has residents wondering what has happened to a small deer herd  ... More deer may get hit by cars ...“That’s what happens when we build malls. Habitat is lost.”  He notes a similar deer range-shrinking is likely to occur a little farther west ... 

This woman was driving through the woods when she came upon a dilapidated couch by the side of the road. Upon closer inspection, she realized there was a deer sleeping on the sofa. - March 21, 2018


Rochester's "Get Away Guy," Mike O'Brian visits Seneca White Deer and takes a White Deer Tour. - March 19, 2018 New York


...Some of the most spectacular species now living in the sea have land-living ancestors. Whales are descended from animals similar to deer ...

... Marion Police killed a deer that was acting strange ... They could have driven that deer back into the woods," ...

Oilman was a winner with the horses March 17, 2018 Texas, Longview News-Journal
... Clifford Mooers ... His horses won 291 races ... relocated to Kendall County in the Texas Hill Country, establishing a deer sanctuary and a horse ranch near Boerne...

... a neighbor took photographs showing three separate deer with arrows lodged in their heads.  Bailey says he hates to see an animal suffering. Bailey is an archery hunter ...

Chehalis Loves Its Piebald Deer March 16, 2018 Washington,
Centralia Chronicle
... “It’s lived its whole life in front of our store in that little section of brush and grass between Hamilton Road and I-5,” he wrote to me. “Not sure what  life has in store for this little girl, but it sure has been fun watching her grow up! I can’t believe that such an animal can live her whole life in an extremely small section of green belt next to I-5.” ...