Deer Management News This Week

Wolf plan gets skeptical greeting at Flagstaff meeting July 19, 2017 Arizona, Arizona Daily Sun
...  recovery goal of 320 wolves in Arizona and New Mexico and 170 wolves in Mexico,  ...  The 320 target also reflects the highest number the agency determined would be socially tolerable before the wolves would start affecting native ungulates like deer and elk as well as livestock ...

...  the third year of Wisconsin's elk translocation efforts and the first year that elk have been released into the Clam Lake elk range in over 20 years. Following two years of translocation efforts in Jackson County, focus shifted back to the original northern herd that resides primarily in Sawyer County ... Twenty-eight elk arrived at the holding pen in late March, but numbers grew slightly as pregnant cows gave birth ..,

On March 23, 2017, 28 elk from Kentucky arrived at their new home in Sawyer county, Wisconsin. This is the third year of a five-year elk reintroduction project being conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and many other local partners.


... Last year, more than 64,000 people applied for a deer-hunting license ... “The supply is way less than the demand,” ... folks who own 160 or more acres of land get the first crack at about half of the licenses available to the general public. Landowners also have access to reduced-price, deer- hunting licenses ...

Killing predators isn't always wise game management July 17, 2017 Alaska, Alaska Dispatch News
... Recently published research by state and federal biologists on the Fortymile Caribou Herd in the eastern Interior provides strong evidence that both nonlethal and lethal wolf control were ineffective as methods of increasing caribou numbers in this herd. Growth of the herd from 6,000 to 52,000 during 1973-2014 could not be attributed to either form of control...

... studies show the Sex-Age-Kill (SAK) method of calculating deer populations is ineffective at the individual deer management unit level... while past studies had concern over SAK because of how small the deer units were, the DNR now has larger units that provide better data...

... Georgia’s hunting and fishing licenses have been restructured. Customers will now need fewer licenses, and fees have increased... There will also be many new either-sex day opportunities to take advantage of this year during deer season. The Ridge, Valley and Piedmont regions have 21 additional either-sex days, and the lower coastal plains region added an additional 14...

... prion infections in deer, elk and moose (‘cervids’ collectively) is causing Chronic Wasting Disease ...  wild horses (an American native species: click here) are uniquely immune to prions  ... by abating grasses and brush (each horse consuming 30lbs. of dry grass and brush daily) one of the suspected vectors, wild horses can meaningfully reduce environmental prions affecting other grazing animals, including cervids...

New game feeder feeds only your desired species July 16, 2017 North Carolina, North Carolina Sportsman
...  The Species Specific feeder allows you to set it up to feed whatever animals you desire ... If you only want it to open for only deer, it will open for only deer, then close within seconds of the deer disappearing from the feeder’s view...

Bald eagle threat: Lead ammo left behind by hunters July 16, 2017 New York, Island Packet
... In New York ...  growing number of eagle deaths from lead poisoning in recent years... eagles and other scavengers eat the guts of deer ... Bits of lead bullets consumed along with the meat ...

Head of the Harbor, Village considers allowing dart guns to control deer population July 16, 2017 New York, Newsday
... trustees decided last year to pursue nonlethal means of population control and contacted researchers from the Humane Society of the United States and Tufts University exploring use of porcine zona pellucid, or PZP, a substance derived from pig ovaries that uses an animal’s own immune system to prevent pregnancy in wildlife populations ...

Flat Rock Brook puts up fence to keep deer out July 16, 2017 New Jersey, NorthJersey.com
... Construction is underway of an eight-foot fence meant to keep deer out of the Flat Rock Brook Nature Center. The center is creating two exclosures ... About 55 acres will be left open for deer ...

More money spent on deer cleanup in W.Va. July 15, 2017 West Virginia, Herald-Mail Media
... Litter-control expenditures totaling $800,599 in the seven eastern West Virginia counties in the state agency's District 5 included $433,897 for "dead deer pickup and disposal," according to figures released Friday by the state Department of Transportation...

... Both sides are upset the agency no longer intends to count wolves the way it has for the past 20 years ...  a rule change that would allow hunters to use bait such as road-kill deer and elk to lure wolves into shooting range...

New bill could increase deer hunt July 15, 2017 Kentucky, WYMT News 
... Senate Bill 83 went into effect June 29th. It places new responsibilities on Fish and Wildlife Department officials to reduce the number of traffic accidents caused by deer and elk collisions...

... The dreaded chronic wasting disease has shown up for the first time in wild deer in Clearfield County — the heart of Pennsylvania’s traditional hunting territory and adjacent to the state’s famous elk herd... a program to kill deer in the immediate vicinity with sharpshooters and to issue 2,800 deer permits for hunters ...

... Michigan's Natural Resource Commission did not add statewide APRs, or any substantial APR additions to deer hunting seasons in the state during their monthly ...

Protecting farm feed from deer July 13, 2017 Michigan, Michigan State University Extension
... The most important step in protecting cattle from getting tuberculosis (TB) is to protect feed intended for cattle from deer... Deer that graze pastures, and are subsequently grazed by cattle, can be a transmission point ... 

... After 2 positive tests in St. Claire county, all counties within a 25 mile radius are now subject to a non-feeding policy, as well as mandatory sampling stations in the fall. Hunters that harvest a deer will be required to bring the carcass to one of those stations ...

...  the second-lowest winter survival in nearly 20 years.  About 30 percent of radio collared fawns and 90 percent of collared does survived the harsh conditions last winter with deep snow and frigid temperatures on low-elevation winter range...

Drought weighing on minds of South Dakota pheasant biologists July 12, 2017 South Dakota, The Capital Journal
... just how big a problem the drought will be for pheasants, deer and grouse, similar conditions have led to population declines in past years. The northcentral portion of the state in particular may be in rough shape when October rolls around..,

CWD Found in the Wild in Clearfield County July 12, 2017 Pennsylvania, PGC News
... Chronic wasting disease has spread to free-ranging deer in an area of the state where it previously had been detected only in captive deer.  The Pennsylvania Game Commission today announced a free-ranging whitetail buck in Bell Township, Clearfield County, has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD)...

... The Mule Deer Foundation announced today that it had provided $1.2 million for mule deer and habitat conservation efforts in Utah. The investment helped leverage $20 million total dollars for projects which included the restoration or improvement of more than 50,000 acres, repair or installation of water structures, translocation of urban mule deer, contribute to purchase of 2,000 acres of critical mule deer habitat and conservation education events that reached more than 15,000 youth...

... In 1997 the state's first APR restrictions came to be with hunters only allowed a second buck with at least four antler points on one side... in 1986 ... 226,970 hunters participated in the archery deer season, 702,070 took part in the firearm season, and an additional 60,280 participated in the muzzleloading season...

... , the Environmental Protection Agency has approved the registration of the immunocontraceptive vaccine, Zonastat- D, for the management of deer populations.  Similar to the Zonastat-H vaccine, whose use in the humane control of wild horse populations is well established and effective ...  When used properly, PZP reduces fawning rates by 85 to 90 percent...

See the experts at the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife explain how to properly get an estimate of how many deer are on your property. - July 11, 2017 Kentucky


Redding site for tick study July 11, 2017 Connecticut, The Redding Pilot
... “Where we used the combination of rodent bait boxes and fungal spray only is where we had the most success in reducing encounters with blacklegged (“deer”) ticks in people’s backyards,” ... deer reductions caused ticks to feed on alternative other available hosts, such as small- and medium-sized mammals... not able to remove enough deer to reach targeted goals [controversy regarding the deer count]

... The questionnaire came after the village’s deer sterilization project with White Buffalo Inc. was stalled last August after the village and the company it hired to sterilize the population had no new contract prepared for the third phase of the project. The first two phases of the project were completed in 2015...

... State officials want hunters to shoot more deer in northeastern Lower Michigan ... Infected deer in this area spread a disease called bovine tuberculosis. It can kill cows ...

Batavia, Deer Management Task Force settles for non-lethal recommendations July 10, 2017 New York, The Daily News Online
...  it was determined by the task force that the City should not take a lethal approach to managing the deer population, but rather manage deer-related impacts,” the final report states... citing the city’s density and inadequate hunting environment in most areas...

Iowa cuts deer tags to maintain population, combat disease July 9, 2017 Iowa, Charlotte Observer
... Twelve deer harvested last hunting season tested positive for chronic wasting disease ... cutting the deer tag quota in some counties and adding to it in others — is a strategic move to better respond to the impacts or potential impacts of disease ... 

... The free demonstration went well, as the elk looked up at the strange thing above them but didn’t bolt. Gue got some great photos and video of the elk ...

Mineral blocks, salt licks and other deer feed now banned here July 9, 2017 Missouri, Ozark County Times
... The Missouri Department of Conservation has expanded restrictions on feeding deer and placing minerals for deer from 29 to 41 counties throughout the state, effective July 1. The restrictions now include Ozark County ... intended to help limit the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD)...

... The incorporation of the Aransas NWR deer hunts into the TPWD-run public hunting program expands a cooperative effort between the TPWD and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal agency overseeing the national wildlife refuge system...

Changes proposed for subsistence hunting July 8, 2017 Alaska, Ketchikan Daily News
... subsistence hunters in the area may soon be able to hunt deer anywhere on federal public lands in Southeast Alaska... Public comment for both of these issues ... is open until Aug. 4... [read the proposals]

KDWPT: 30 Kansas deer reported for foot rot disease in 2016 July 8, 2017 Kansas, Capital-Journal Online
... a rare type of potentially fatal foot rot disease... hardest hit counties were in the southeast portion of Kansas ... “Diagnostics showed the hoof disease story is more about trauma to the hooves with the onset of secondary bacterial infections,” ...
Big tick year can be tough on wildlife, fatal for deer July 7, 2017 Oklahoma, Tulsa World
... ticks can infest a deer so heavily that it can die ... people have sent in pictures of fawns  ... anemia — or, more importantly, secondary infection — played a role in the deaths. They had weepy, puss-filled eyes from all the ticks around them.” ...

Cedar County included in MDC deer feeding, hunting rules July 7, 2017 Missouri, Cedar County Republican 
...  the placement of grain, salt products, minerals and other consumable natural and manufactured products used to attract deer is prohibited year-round within counties of the disease management zone... “CWD [chronic wasting disease] is spread from deer to deer, and the potential for transmission increases when deer gather in larger, concentrated numbers," ...

Bovine tuberculosis – a disease still worth fighting July 6, 2017 Michigan, UPMatters.com
... “We are the only state in nation that has bTB established in wild deer.” ... Severely infected animals can struggle to even breathe,” Straka said. “By not eradicating this in the herd, we risk the spread of the disease to new areas of Michigan and into our wild elk herd...

... continuation of surgical sterilization and sharpshooting services at a cost of up to $170,000 per year, or $340,000 over two years... White Buffalo killed another 96 deer in Ann Arbor's parks and nature areas during the second cull earlier this year, while also sterilizing 54 female deer ...

Forest management planning process moves forward July 5, 2017 North Carolina, Smoky Mountain News
... Whitmire has been an advocate of increased logging in the national forest so as to create more of the young forest habitats that game animals such as grouse and deer need to thrive, and he likes that the new management area scheme provides the possibility of timber harvest across much of the forest...

... Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) observed declines in black-tailed deer populations since the late 1980’s and attributes these declines to reduction in quality and availability of habitat, following the decline of timber harvest on federal lands... my results support the hypothesis that food and cover are more readily available and used by female black-tailed deer on industrial forestlands than federal forestlands in western Oregon...

Deer & Tick members battle over planned survey July 3, 2017 New York, Shelter Island Reporter
... contains leading questions on attitudes about 4-poster units — feeding stands that brush deer with a tickicide, permethrin... which he said have been effective on Ram Island.  “You can shoot all the deer you want, but you’re not going to get rid of ticks,” he said. “The problem here is mice,” Mr. Amann said...

The First 10 Years (2006–15) of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus Serotype 6 in the USA  MG Ruder, D Johnson, E Ostlund, AB Allison… - Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 2017
... The results demonstrated that EHDV-6 was detected from ruminants every year since 2006 and was widespread in the central and eastern US, providing evidence that EHDV-6 is likely now established in the US...

7 western states report heavy winter losses of deer, elk July 2, 2017 Idaho, Idaho State Journal
... Mule deer and pronghorn antelope west of the Continental Divide in Wyoming suffered significant losses this winter, probably the worst in more than 30 years ... Above-average losses of mule deer fawns were recorded in northern Utah ... Idaho saw its third worst winter for mule deer fawn survival in the past 18 years ...

... The Red Desert loosely encompasses about 4 million acres in southwest Wyoming... home to the largest desert elk herd in the country and the longest migrating mule deer herd on the continent...

... still up for debate is what hunters will be allowed to use in their heated scent dispenser.  They operate using either actual deer urine or synthetics. Some commissioners are OK with either. Others want only the latter.  Chronic wasting disease is the reason... It's possible for prions that carry the disease to be dispersed in the air ...

Elk on the loose: F&W fearful of CWD July 1, 2017 Vermont, Rutland Herald
... Captive deer or elk that have escaped from any fenced-in enclave can pose a deadly threat to Vermont’s wild deer and moose ... seven elk have returned to the farm on their own, one was tranquilized and returned, and one was shot by an employee of the Nelson farm...

How can lawmakers ignore CWD threat? June 30, 2017 Wisconsin, Green Bay Press Gazette
... Senate and Assembly Republicans voted 20-13 on June 14 and 60-37 on June 21, respectively, to enact a sunset provision on Wisconsin’s deer baiting and feeding ban... through previous budget cuts targeting the Department of Natural Resources, lawmakers made it impossible to systematically test for CWD, even when it’s found in new areas... 

Couple accused of trying to sell deer parts taken from trash June 30, 2017 Pennsylvania, York Dispatch Online
... restaurant owners accused of scavenging deer parts from trash bins outside butcher shops...
... Misdemeanor charges of illegally selling deer parts have been refiled against the former owners of a Chinese restaurant in Lititz...

... The U.S. Forest Service issued a final decision Wednesday green-lighting an extensive motorized trail system that would add 137 miles of new off-highway vehicle (OHV) trails ... the Western Environmental Law Center, challenged the decision ... disruptions to elk calving and security areas on the forest...

... State officials want hunters to shoot more deer in northeastern lower Michigan... to thin the deer herd ... There are folks up there that are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars on their properties for deer hunting... 

Is there a way to control the deer population without killing them? This group hopes so. The Clifton Deer Fertility Control Pilot Program is Cincinnati's first non-lethal deer control program. Volunteers at the non-profit tranquilize and sterilize female deer. Then, deer are given a long-acting pain medication and returned to an area close to where they were captured. - June 29, 2017 Ohio







Searching the internet to find and conserve deer information.

Deer in the News
Disney's 'Bambi' benefited from Maine connections, Chinese artist July 19, 2017 Maine, Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel
... Partly because of Day’s influence, two white-tailed deer — orphaned fawns named Bambi and Faline — were sent by the Maine Development Commission to Hollywood by train for Disney animators to study ...

Dog Rescues a Drowning Deer and Becomes a Social Media Hero July 18, 2017 New York, New York Times
... Storm, a 6-year-old English golden retriever, pulled a fawn from Port Jefferson Harbor. The fawn is recovering at Save the Animals Rescue Foundation in Middle Island, N.Y...
     Dog Helps Owner Rescue Deer Stranded In Long Island Sound July 16, 2017 New York, CBS New York
 ... grabbed it by the neck, and started swimming to shore ...  likely spooked by the dogs — ran right back in the water...  fawn is rescued at an area animal rescue ...

... heard the deer’s cries and when they arrived on the scene, they realized the deer was stuck and desperate to get out... After the painful rescue, the deer ran free ...

Displaced fawns relocated to Williams July 11, 2017 Arizona, Williams News
... These Arizona fawns have become famous as a result of their rescue from the Goodwin Fire near Mayer... hree of them were reunited with their mothers, but the fourth was found still loitering around so they picked her up and brought her in...

The Key Deer Expedition July 11, 2017 Florida, The Ledger
... Key Deer may be endangered by numeric and emotional reasoning, their habitat is fragile, but they’re essentially tame park animals with tourism value... as evidenced by the swift response by numerous governmental agencies and volunteers to eradicate the screwworm threat. Close human interaction might cost a few lives, human interaction will save a few more...

Officials warn against picking up young ones July 10, 2017 New Mexico, Silver City Daily Press and Independent
... July and August are when 90 percent of baby deer are born ... Wildlife leave their babies for hours on end. Fawn are born without scent and they are camouflaged. They need to be left alone.” ...

1 of 3 endangered Key deer found tied up in car euthanized July 7, 2017 Florida, St. Augustine Record
... a buck was put down Thursday morning because of a leg injury...

... What their group first thought was a log actually turned out to be a fawn struggling to stay afloat in the lake... 

Did you spot the swimming deer on Hilton Head? July 3, 2017 South Carolina, Island Packet 
... When she swam ashore, people ran toward her. So the spooked deer dashed between swimmers and headed back out to sea... last seen well offshore, drifting south...

Key Deer Kidnap Attempt Averted July 3, 2017  Florida, WLRN
... pulled over in the Lower Keys Sunday — and found to have three endangered Key deer "hog-tied" in their car ... They had wounds all over their body and head and were struggling to break free...
     Two South Florida men charged in 'taking' of Key deer July 2, 2017 Miami Herald
... Charged with three felony counts each of killing or wounding a protected species ... Key deer, which are federally protected because their population is so small ...

Two men are facing animal cruelty charges after allegedly tying up three Key deer, an endangered species found only in the Florida Keys. CBS Miami has more. - July 4, 2017


    Baby deer saved by elite firefighters from Arizona wildfire July 3, 2017 Arizona,  FOX News
... [from U.S. Forest Service - Prescott National Forest]:    two #FlagstaffHotshots who brought a pair of fawns out of danger last night ahead of an advancing line of fire...

The fawns got separated from their mother, and were trapped in the path of the flames.


... sentenced to one and a half years of unsupervised probation and was ordered to pay $23,000 in fines and restitution and will lose his hunting and fishing privileges in 45 states — including Louisiana — until 2019 for allowing an antlerless elk to go to waste and for hunting without a proper license...

Wildlife rehabilitator taking care of 'smallest deer ever' June 28, 2017 North Carolina, WBTV
... Most newborn deer are in the six-pound range. This female fawn was less than three. Whisenant says in the week that she had had it, the fawn's prognosis has improved markedly. It was thin and full of maggots when she got it, but now the tiny deer is eating and thriving...

  Watch These Deer Battle It Out While Standing On Hind Legs June 24, 2107 Tennessee, NDTV
... The unusual sight was captured by wildlife officers at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, or TWRA, and a short 10-second clip was posted to TWRA's Facebook page ...

  Trooper's family takes in orphaned baby deer after crash June 22, 2017 North Carolina,  FOX Carolina
... a woman who struck a deer ... had given birth as she died, due to the impact...  no way he would have had any chance of survival ...  "He's like a part of the family now," ... Buckshot will have to leave them because of State Wildlife Laws...

Does engage in a tricky ritual in trying to raise fawns June 21, 2017 Wisconsin, Chron.com
... For the first four or five weeks of a fawn's life, its mother spends relatively little time in direct contact with it. Using verbal and physical cues hard-wired into both mother and fawn, the doe each morning leads her spindly legged fawn to a spot the doe picks. It's usually a spot offering thick, grassy ground cover ...

Davidson County high school student rescues drowning deer June 21, 2017 North Carolina, myfox8.com
... baby deer ... he was drowning ... After Pressley dried the deer off, he thought it would run into the woods. Instead the fawn remained in his lap... next day the family turned the fawn over to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator ...

  Baby deer breaks into New Jersey pool for daily swim June 19, 2017 New York Daily News
... “She’s young and skinny enough that she just walks right through the fence,” Benincasa says. “I’ve seen her. It’s awesome... She was actually enjoying the jets up against her body like a massage...

If this doesn't;'t make you grin from ear to ear... The baby fawns has been released into the brand new deer pen. Look how happy they are!! - June 19, 2017



... Every summer, TWRA officers ... are flooded with calls from people who have picked up a baby deer thinking it’s been orphaned... it’s actually normal for mother doe to leave their newborn deer alone for six to eight hours at a time...

This deer has a shot in the NBA with that vertical jump. Watch as one Staten Islander caught footage of a deer hopping over a fence into his driveway. - June 14, 2017 New York


Southern pudu, world's smallest deer species, born at Queens Zoo June 13, 2017 New York, New York Daily News
... native to Chile and Argentina, don’t grow more than 14 inches tall...


Grass Valley, How to live (peacefully) with deer in a mountain oasis June 12, 2017 California, The Mercury
... “We have five to a dozen deer hanging out here all the time,” Leroy said. “If we leave the gate open, they’ll walk right in. It’s amazing how smart they are; I tell them to leave and they go back through the gate.”...

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Issues Reminder to Not Disturb Deer Fawns June 6, 2017 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
... Does will forage nearby and return periodically to nurse the young fawn. The lack of flight and hiding strategy phase of a newborn fawn often creates the illusion of abandonment. However, as fawns grow and develop, they will begin to forage for food alongside the mother...

Fawn killed by Metroparks' mower horrifies Facebook fans June 2, 2017 Michigan, Detroit Free Press
... A photo zipping around the internet of a fawn run down by a tractor at Stony Creek Metropark triggered a rash of protest comments on Facebook and charges of wildlife abuse ...

... crew members from the Manistee station were doing routine training Wednesday morning when they saw the deer struggling to free itself...

... the dead deer placed onto a folding chair, forced into clothing, and duct taped to a street sign on the side of the Willacoochee Highway...

... . A gaggle of geese in the water nearby swam towards the deer as it struggled on the shore. “They kept squawking at it and scaring it or encouraging it ... Either way, the deer eventually made its way up the rocks and onto a nearby walking path. “If it wasn’t for [the geese] I don’t know if the deer would have made it up the bank ...

I went down to the lake. What I came across was shocking, a deer in the lake without an easy escape.


Summer is growing season in the Deer Woods May 27, 2017 Oklahoma, Stillwater News Press
... While the local doe groups have fractured for the summer to raise their young, the opposite is true for local bucks. Low testosterone levels means that they can be friends once again, typically spending the spring and summer in groups of three to six...

... [deer from Staten Island killed in New Jersey because New Jersey officials said they were concerned about chronic wasting disease] .... Chronic wasting disease hasn't been found in New York State since 2005, when five white-tailed deer from breeding facilities in Oneida County were confirmed to have it, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation. No deer in New Jersey have been confirmed to have it, according to the NJ DEP...
     Sad ending for deer found roaming in Jersey City May 24, 2017 New Jersey, NJ.com
... A one-year-old male deer spotted strolling through the city's McGinley Square
neighborhood this morning was later caught and killed by state wildlife officials... based on tags found on the deer the DEP discovered it was part of a research study of deer population control being performed in the New York City borough...