Deer Management News This Week

The fall's first firearm deer season is almost upon us October 20, 2018 West Virginia, Charleston Daily Mail 
... “Holding an antlerless hunt this early in the fall is designed to remove female deer prior to the rut ... when you remove females that early, there are few available to bucks during the rut. That compresses all the breeding activity into a tighter time window ... Predators end up having more prey than they can handle, and that helps more fawns to survive.” [ Paul Johansen, the Division of Natural Resources’ wildlife chief]

Mississippi announces second deer found with fatal disease October 20, 2018 WRAL
...  a white-tailed deer found Oct. 8 in Pontotoc County has tested positive for chronic wasting disease...

Studying wildlife ecology through road-killed animals October 19, 2018 Idaho, Rexburg Standard Journal
... I-84 became an impediment to migration...  many were killed ... many deer remained on the east side of the freeway and spent winters near Snowville, Utah. That winter range had insufficient forage for deer, and during the following winters, an estimated 40 percent of the herd died of malnutrition... the deer herd is currently less than half of what it was in the 1960s ...

Hopland Research and Extension Center studying wildlife habits post-fire October 19, 2018 California, Ukiah Daily Journal
... black-tailed deer in the coast ranges spend the vast majority of their lives circling a home range with a radius of about a mile. After a fire, scientists expected home ranges to expand as deer scoured the scorched earth for scant forage. While their ranges have expanded slightly, the change has been smaller than expected ...

... Point Reyes farmers would like the National Park Service to thin a group of elk called the Drakes Beach herd.  “We pay rent for those fields for our animals to graze, and they have to compete with the elk,” ...

... Hunters in Georgia are allowed to harvest 10 antlerless deer and 2 antlered deer during the season. One of the bucks must have a minimum of 4 points, 1” or longer, on one side of the antlers...  Firearm deer season in Georgia runs from Saturday, October 20th, 2018 through January 13th, 2019...

... a deer in Dickinson County carried the first known case of chronic wasting disease in Michigan's Upper Peninsula...  the 4-year-old doe was shot on a farm in Waucedah Township. Laboratories confirmed the animal was infected ... 
     1st deer with wasting disease found in UP October 18, 2018 Michigan, The Detroit News
... The deer was shot on an agricultural farm about 4 miles from the Michigan-Wisconsin border in Dickinson County’s Waucedah Township...

... “We had a very wet winter and there’s plenty of forage for both adults and fawns, so we expect to see high survival. Traditionally, you have a stress period in July and August. That did not exist this year. They’ve had plenty of groceries on the landscape, so they should be in prime condition health-wise.” [Gabe Jenkins, deer and elk program coordinator] ...,

Pender County, Deer numbers slim after Hurricane Florence October 18, 2018 North Carolina, StarNewsOnline.com
... “People have been talking about seeing lots of drowned deer in the Northeast Cape Fear River,” ... “I have been here 20 years. It’s the slowest I’ve seen it on opening day.” ... “I saw a tiny button buck that looked like he was starving,” ..,

APRs work — but not to grow deer antlers October 18, 2018 Michigan, thetimesherald ·
... Higher antler point limits do protect more yearling bucks, giving them a chance to grow older and bigger... Mississippi went with four-points-per-side in 1995 ... The harvest rates of yearlings versus 2.5 years and older bucks completely flipped. The number of bucks taken that were more than 4 years old tripled...

Elk habitat, research efforts receive $500K grant October 18, 2018 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online
... Money from the grants will help provide public access to roughly 48,000 acres of land around the state through a partnership between private landowners and sportsmen. It will also pay to remove encroaching trees ...

EHD, What is killing hundreds of deer in Pennsylvania? October 18, 2018 Lewiston Tribune Online
...  Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) ... an outbreak in Southeastern Pennsylvania. He estimates it could translate to “hundreds of deer dying.” ... periodic outbreaks stretching possibly to 1996 ... first officially confirmed case wasn’t until 2002..,

Gnat-Borne Disease Found In Minnesota Deer For 1st Time


Minnesota hunters asked to observe deer gut piles October 18, 2018 Winona Daily News
... The purpose of this research is to better understand what and when species use deer gut piles provided by hunters across the state... looking for hunters with their own game camera to set the camera on their gut pile and leave it to record pictures ...

Saddle River deer hunt can proceed, judge orders October 18, 2018 New Jersey, NorthJersey.com 
... Farrington dismissed as "unfounded" allegations that United Bowhunters had violated its contract by failing to submit a roster of participants 30 days before the hunt began, to provide time for background checks...  no one has produced a reliable count of the borough's deer population...

Chronic wasting disease affects deer, moose and elk. It is 100 percent fatal and has no treatment or vaccine. This disease spreads when sick animals shed prions through urine, feces, and saliva. These prions stay on the landscape and are infectious indefinitely. CWD in known to exist in hunting unit 3F2, and last year, an animal in Canada near the northwest North Dakota border tested positive for CWD. Learn what is being done to help control the spread of CWD in the state and what you can do to help these efforts in this week’s webcast. - October 18, 2018 North Dakota


...  the attorney general issued an opinion that said Bullock had “unilaterally ignored” the law in making his decision in June to approve a conservation easement without the Land Board’s approval ... The property is considered critical winter mule deer habitat ...

Tribes used fire to maintain area's habitat October 17, 2018 Oregon, Ashland Daily Tidings
... could see where the meadow had been but pines and brush had grown over the meadow through the years... a place where indigenous peoples would come on a seasonal basis to gather camas and tarweed and go elk and deer hunting. They used fire to maintain it, to create the ideal habitat...

Elk restoration moving forward in Buchanan County October 17, 2018 Virginia, Chatham Star-Tribune
... The current restoration project began in 2012. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries supervised the moving of a group of elk from a large herd located in Kentucky. In the last five years, the Virginia herd in Buchanan County has grown to approximately 75 elk..,

Deer Gun Hunting Starts With Youths This Weekend October 17, 2018 Oklahoma, Tulsa World
... A mild summer has yielded once again fantastic habitat across much of the state... said Dallas Barber, big game biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation...,

Help stop the spread of CWD in Wisconsin; adopt a kiosk or dumpster October 17, 2018 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
...  the state's first Adopt-A-Kiosk and Adopt-A-Dumpster site was opened in Cazenovia. The facilities were placed to help hunters increase testing for and reduce spread of CWD ... About 50 percent of adult bucks and 30 percent of adult does are CWD-positive in parts of south-central Wisconsin ...

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), Deadly disease detected in MN deer herd October 17, 2018 Minnesota, KARE-TV Minneapolis-St. Paul 
...  confirmed for the first time in Minnesota. ... six of seven animals in a small herd of captive white-tailed deer in Goodhue County died of the disease earlier this month... 

Winter Ticks Killing Moose At Alarming Rate October 17, 2018 New Hampshire, Eurasia Review
... In the study, published in the Canadian Journal of Zoology, researchers outline the screening of 179 radio-marked moose calves ... A high infestation of winter ticks was found on each calf (an average of 47,371 per moose) causing emaciation and severe metabolic imbalance from blood loss, which was the primary cause of death...

Court rules in favor of LandWatch & Wildlife AGAIN October 16, 2018 Oregon, Central Oregon LandWatch
... Deschutes County’s wildlife zone has protected the winter range ... proposed amending the code to weaken winter range protections ... read LUBA’s decision here and the Court of Appeal's decision here...

State warns about chronic wasting disease in deer October 16, 2018 Virginia, WWBT
... Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been detected in 40 deer in Virginia since 2009... advises against consuming meat from any game animal that appears ill ...

Decent 2018 Washington Rifle Deer Opener–Check Station Numbers October 15, 2018 Washington, Northwest Sportsman Magazine 
... believes deer numbers are down somewhat from where they were five years ago... Over that time much of the winter shrub forage was burned off of hundreds of thousands of acres of winter range, four of the last five summers have experienced drought conditions and we’ve had a couple of modestly tough winters, ...  a negative effect on both fawn productivity and recruitment..,

Gov. Herbert declares drought emergency for all of Utah October 15, 2018 Utah, Salt Lake Tribune
... The water year that ended Sept. 30 was Utah’s driest since 1895 ... fawn survival rate is expected to be zero for some Utah deer herds..,

To feed or not to feed? October 15, 2018 Louisiana, The Daily Iberian
... State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries game biologists recommend that deer hunters refrain from using supplemental feed to attract deer to the areas they hunt. The use of supplemental feed increases the chance of spreading diseases, including chronic wasting disease, among deer and other wildlife using bait stations ...

Can more fires create less smoke? October 15, 2018 Oregon, The Edwardsville Intelligencer
... Tribes in the Pacific Northwest have used fire as a tool to shape the landscape for thousands of years. The touch of flame kept huckleberry and camas fields abundant. In areas where tribes hunted deer and elk, fire created a mat of forage plants on the forest floor, a favorite food for the ungulates. Burned areas recycle nutrients more efficiently and help to control the spread of invasive species...

... Wyoming Wilderness Association leaders found the bill troubling, saying the bill’s introduction threatens more than half of Wyoming’s WSA designations and more than 400,000 acres containing high-desert habitat for species such as elk, deer and sage grouse...

Conservation easement in Beaverhead County protects thousands of acres October 15, 2018 Montana, Billings Gazette ·
... the largest private ownership in the Medicine Lodge Valley and plays host to wildlife, including the greater sage grouse, pronghorn, wolves, wolverines, elk, moose and mule deer...

Maine Deer Population, Fears over chronic wasting disease give deer hunters pause October 15, 2018 Lewiston Sun Journal
... DIF&W estimates there are 230,000 to 250,000 deer and 50,000 to 70,000 moose statewide. Maine has been testing hunter-killed deer for CWD since 1999. In recent years, 450 to 500 deer have been tested, along with about 15 moose, Bieber [Maine’s deer biologist, Nathan Bieber] said... The state has issued 84,745 any-deer permits ... the highest total since Maine launched its permit system in 1986..,

New Jersey Deer Population, Avoiding October's galloping deer and blinding sun glare October 15, 2018 NorthJersey.com
... The state Fish and Game Division puts the New Jersey population at 112,000 for 2017, about 17,000 more than the 2016 count when the state’s crop of acorns – a prime food source for deer – was much less plentiful..,

Inmates help restore habitat through sagebrush planting program October 14, 2018 Idaho, Idaho Press-Tribune
... Since 2015, offenders at the two correctional centers have grown over 233,000 sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings ... will benefit species that depend on them such as antelope, elk and mule deer...

Milu deer fighting its way out of extinction October 15, 2018 Ohio, USA Today
... known as Père David's deer ... With hooves like a cow and a tail like a donkey ... ... Native to China, the species went extinct [in the wild] in the early 1900's... The largest known population of the Père David's deer in the United States lives at the Wilds, a non-profit safari park and conservation center in rural Ohio...

New Montana mountain lion strategy out for review, comment October 14, 2018 Independent Record
... Mountain lion kill rates vary by location and ecological system, but are generally reported as one kill per seven days in deer dominated systems and one kill per 10 days in systems where elk are also available ... [read the plan]

... Where more than two cases of CWD have been found, landowners who hold more than 5 acres in a 1 to 5 mile radius can work with MDC to have deer harvested on their property ... Limiting the number of deer in an area helps minimize the accumulation of CWD ... Matt Bowyer, wildlife regional supervisor ...

Inaugural elk hunting season open for state tags; tribes already harvested threeOctober 13, 2018 Wisconsin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
... Elk were native to Wisconsin but were wiped out by unregulated hunting and habitat loss in the 1800s.   An attempted reintroduction in the 1930s failed; the final four elk were killed by poachers in 1948 ... a 1995 reintroduction of 25 elk transferred from Michigan to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest near Clam Lake has resulted in a slowly growing herd..,

... canceled a controlled hunt to trim the deer herd at Silver Mine Park after being warned that the awarding of permits for the event could amount to an illegal lottery...

Chronic Wasting Disease,  South Carolina wildlife officials consider new hunting rule to keep deadly deer disease at bay October 12, 2018 Greenville Journal 
... would ban hunters from using scent lures that contain natural deer urine ... the foul-smelling liquid is thought to contribute to the spread of chronic wasting disease ...

Deer harvest down, hunters hope cool days help October 22, 2018 Tennessee, Paris Post Intelligencer
... Since the archery deer season opened back on Sept. 22, harvest numbers are down across the state and especially across West Tennessee...

Despite the weather, a decent start for big-game seasons October 12, 2018 New York, Glens Falls Post-Star (blog)
...  this year they are finding that beechnut counts are very low, following 2017 when the numbers were the highest recorded since 1998 ...  in most oak stands the number of acorns is fair at best... 

... Deer and elk accidentally stuck by a vehicle may be salvaged for consumption only. Intentionally hitting a deer or elk in order to salvage it remains unlawful...

Do Iowa deer hunters need to worry about bovine tuberculosis? October 11, 2018 The Des Moines Register ·
... Though cattle in Iowa have been confirmed positive with the disease in 2017 and 2018, the state has been accredited bovine tuberculosis-free since 1986 ...  found the disease in two different herds of cattle that moved into Iowa from South Dakota ... 

... If the 51% reduction of DVCs [deer-vehicle collisions] found in this study remains throughout the service lives of the CMSs, posting seasonal deer advisories on the five existing CMSs in this study’s project area every other day would result in a savings of nearly $1.2 million over the service lives of the CMSs..,

Is chronic wasting disease the end of deer hunting? October 11, 2018 North Carolina, StarNewsOnline.com
...  deer biologist Jon Shaw ... said Wyoming modeled its deer herd to zero in places because of CWD. The prion infests soil and may be ingested by deer eating plants. It spreads through contact and feces, perhaps urine and other fluids. The prion does not live or die ...

... CWD began showing up in pockets around the state. Batten said it is unlikely the disease is spreading in Missouri’s herd of approximately 1.2 million deer through natural deer dispersal alone. It is likely that humans are helping to spread the disease, potentially through the movement of infected deer carcasses..,

... chronic wasting disease was found in deer in several states. Late this summer, the disease was found in a single deer at a Quebec deer farm just north of Montreal, again raising the threat that the disease might show up here in Maine for the first time...

... For centuries, the Karuk tribe has nudged this interlocking ecosystem toward producing these beneficial plants through practices known as agroforestry... we cultivate them with fire ... Fire clears oak groves of encroaching conifers and kills the weevils that ruin acorns. It renews the meadow grasses for grazing deer and elk...

Survey finds mule deer hunters satisfied, but management could improve October 10, 2018 Idaho, Idaho County Free Press ·
... Unsurprisingly, the type of mule deer most desirable to harvest was a large buck, and an antlerless mule deer was the least desirable... read the survey

Good year for deer, thanks to bountiful rainfall October 10, 2018 Texas, Wilson County News
... Texas has nearly 4.6 million deer, dispersed over most of the state, according to Cain’s TPWD surveys... the Hill Country, has the most, around 2.6 million ... Areas around Mason, Llano, and neighboring counties have the highest density. A good fawn crop in 2015 and ... 2013 ...

Don't eat deer that looks like this, Bovine tuberculosis found in wild deer October 10, 2018 Michigan, WISH-TV
... nearly 900 deer tested positive for bovine tuberculosis in 2017, out of 230,000 tested...
    How to check deer for bovine tuberculosis  October 9, 2018 Michigan, 
WWBT 
... Lymph nodes in the animal's head usually show infection first and, as the disease progresses, lesions may begin to develop on the surface of the lungs and chest cavity...

... new wildlife migration and winter range preservation strategy in Wyoming ... The outdoor council had asked that 32 parcels in the deer migration corridor be deferred, but McGee said 15 of those ultimately were sold...

... requires that any dog used to track wounded or lost game be on a leash and can't go onto private property without permission...

Plan Would Pay Hunters To Shoot More Deer With CWD October 9, 2018 Wisconsin,Wisconsin Public Radio News
...  the plan ... would offer hunters in counties with high prevalence of CWD $1,000 for each positive deer they kill. Landowners would get $1,000 for each positive killed on their property and businesses sampling deer would get $300 for each positive...

... Chronic Wasting Disease is a deadly disease killing off Iowa's deer population...  give us tissue samples from deer [hunters] harvested to do this monitoring ...

West Virginia 2018 Mast Harvest and Hunting Outlook October 9, 2018 West Virginia, WVDNR
... The total white-tailed deer harvest should be higher in 2018 than it was in
2017... Field reports are showing a very healthy deer population and many good bucks. There is enough oak mast to put the animals in good shape going into the season ..,

Too many deer in Vermont, Fish and Wildlife need your assistance October 8, 2018 MyChamplainValley.com FOX44 & ABC22
... an estimated 150,000 deer ... the overall health of the herd is just fine.... Vermont Fish & Wildlife have issued 26,000 permits...  Mark Scott...   director of wildlife with Vermont Fish and Wildlife ..,

Deer decoy sting nets multiple citations October 8, 2018 Oregon, East Oregonian
... State police reported troopers set up a decoy deer ... Gutierrez leaned over the passenger and fired three rounds...

Colorado Draft Mountain Lion Plan 2018 Colorado Parks and Wildlife
... to the north of L-19, CPW initiated a long term research project in 2016 to examine how changes in mountain lion densities affect mule deer demographics (Alldredge et al. 2016). For the first 6 years (2016-2021) of this study, mountain lion densities in the study area will be allowed to increase. Second, to the south,
there is a very large ranch located in New Mexico where lion harvest is restricted...

Oh Deer [Population] October 8, 2018 Kansas, Pittsburg Morning Sun
... “The deer population has stabilized over the last six years ... ” Levi Jaster, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Big Game Coordinator said..,

... there have been 33 new cases of CWD in Missouri over the last year, bringing the total 75... rifle hunters will be required to bring in samples of any deer that they kill on opening weekend to be tested..,

Saddle River deer hunt put on hold October 8, 2018 New Jersey, NorthJersey.com
...An animal protection group is ... telling a judge that the group hired to do the work is not following contractual procedures... The borough's animal control officer has said a "healthy deer density is 10 deer per square mile." ...

Deer-killing disease on the rise in Frederick County October 7, 2018 Virginia, The Winchester Star
... Thirty-eight cases of [chronic wasting disease] have been discovered in Virginia since 2009, and of those, 35 were in Frederick County. The other three cases were in Shenandoah County... irst identified in Virginia in 2009. ..,

More opportunities for deer, but elk prospects appear middling in Eastern Washington October 7, 2018 The Spokesman-Review
... Statewide deer populations have increased, according to Jerry Nelson, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife ... In Eastern Washington the population is still recovering from a 2015 drought, followed by an outbreak of bluetongue in whitetail deer and a tough winter in 2016-17..,







Searching the internet to find and conserve deer information.  

Deer in the News

Historic Deer Population, Wildlife official issues deer caution during peak mating season October 17, 2018 New Jersey, app 
... October to November is peak deer mating season ... deer are more apt to suddenly run onto roadways as bucks pursue does ... New Jersey's white-tailed deer population plummeted to a handful of deer in the early 1900s, however, due to conservation efforts the herd rebounded..,


Burlington Township man seeking lost pet deer October 14, 2018 Illinois, Daily Herald 
... offering a $500 reward to anyone who can bring back the pet doe who ran away after a storm last week... Abigail ... knows her name and is very friendly...

Doe survives from the raised current in Sturgeon River. October 14, 2018 Michigan


PETA Calls for End to Deer Hunting in Cornell-Owned Sapsucker Woods October 11, 2018 New York, The Cornell Daily Sun
... Over 9000 people have signed a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals petition against deer hunting in Sapsucker Woods, a Cornell-owned sanctuary which currently permits bow hunting to regulate the deer population...

Firefighters Lasso Deer Stranded In Canal October 9, 2018 California, CBS Sacramento 
... “When we got up to the doe she was very, very tired and came up to our direction almost asking for help,” ...  ‘Hey I have a lasso in my truck,’” ...

  Two Rare Albino Deer Spotted In Field  October 9, 2018 Missouri, WFMY News 2 
... a person can legally kill an albino deer in Missouri ... Killing an albino deer is illegal in six states, including Illinois...

Terrifying moment cyclist is almost wiped out by deer hit by car October 7, 2018 North Carolina, Yahoo7 News
... A cyclist has nearly been wiped out by a flying deer after the buck was hit by a car...

... Biologists managed to free one of the elk but the other died from injuries sustained while fighting wrapped in barbed wire...


... Over the next few months, deer will be moving as hunters hit the woods and the rut kicks into full swing. That means drivers need to be alert for deer crossing roads and highways...

Fall is peak time for deer hits September 28, 2018 Wisconsin, newsroom.amfam.com
... Deer-vehicle collisions are more common in October and November. ... An estimated 1.5 million deer-vehicle crashes occur on U.S. roadways each year, resulting in thousands of injuries and multiple deaths, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ...


I saw this deer today at a rest area in Indiana as I was passing through. People were saying that it comes here every day, and just likes to be around people. - September 28, 2018 Indiana


White-tailed bucks battle to the end September 28, 2018 Montana, Daily Inter Lake
... Two large, 5x5 bucks locked antlers in a field ... discovered them Friday, one had already died while the other was nearing complete exhaustion... sawed an antler off the dead buck, which allowed the live one to get free...

... Dragon, a rare white-faced fawn, was rescued and raised by humans at a farm in Michigan after being rejected at birth by his mother...

... Firefighters got down into the water and were able to get the deer out safely ...

When a couple of deer became trapped in a flooded basement, the local fire department was called to get them out. The Zoneton Fire Protection District in Kentucky says heavy rainfall over a couple of days caused two deer to take refuge in a construction site. While they were safe from the storm, they didn't stay dry. The dug-out basement took on water and the animals couldn't get out once the rain stopped.


Huemul is a South Andean deer species considered the most endangered in either of the Americas. Joel Berger, Professor of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at CSU has devoted his life to the study of endangered species such as Bison and Rhino. In this video he tells us why Huemuls deserve our attention. - September 24, 2018 Colorado


Summer with 'Bambi': How a family of deer found a home in my yard — and then slipped away September 21, 2018 New Jersey, NorthJersey.com
... “Mike, there’s a deer in our backyard.”  So began what we have come to remember as our “deer summer.” ... As I turn the calendar from summer to fall, I will miss them.  And I hope they come back...

...  near the municipalities of Lublin, Stanley and Owen ... Wildlife biologists said the most likely reason for the bull to be in the area is he is searching for a mate...

Firefighters rescue deer trapped in Cherokee County retention pond September 17, 2018 Georgia, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
... aren’t quite sure how two deer found their way into a retention pond enclosure, surrounded by high concrete walls ...  doe was a bit thin and looked weak from her time in the pond ...

... Ironically, it was Powell himself who initially contacted Game and Fish. He had reached out to the agency for help in finding Baby a sanctuary or to release him into the wild... "Being a hunter myself, this is something I am very close to... You don't kill something that you're not going to eat. You just don't." [neighbor] ...

Coues Deer Hunt in Mexico September 12, 2018 New Mexico,  PetersenHunting.com
...The Coues whitetail has a distinct range, usually found in mountains, in elevations from 4,000 to 8,000 feet. It is ideally adapted to desert environment, thinly distributed in arid habitat...

... The trail for decades has been a shortcut used by hikers and equestrians  ... photos from the motion-activated cameras, which appeared perfectly angled to capture any scavengers that preyed on the carcass... allege that Sherwood Development had placed the deer on the trail ... to lure mountain lions to my ranch ...

... irregular brown and white markings ... a red collar around its neck ... Putting a collar on a deer is technically legal in North Carolina, but doing so and treating them as pets is "strongly discouraged" ...