Deer Management News This Week

Effects of white‐tailed deer exclusion on the plant community composition of an upland tallgrass prairie ecosystem (2020).  KJ Bloodworth, ME Ritchie, KJ Komatsu - Journal of Vegetation Science
... Contrary to the impact that deer have in other ecosystems (e.g. forests), our results indicate that deer do not affect the plant community of herbaceous‐dominated tallgrass prairies. These results indicate that while the loss of bison‐grazers have shifted tallgrass prairie plant communities to C4 grass dominated systems, the shift to browsing‐dominated herbivore pressure from deer has a minimal effect on the plant community...

... It was revealed that Capreolinae and Cervini gained respective three-pointed antlers independently, and their subclades gained synapomorphous tines. We found new homologous and synapomorphous characters, as the antler of Eld’s deer, which has been classified in Rucervus, is structurally close to that of Elaphurus rather than that of Rucervus, consistent with molecular phylogeny...

More Wild Deer Test Positive For Chronic Wasting Disease In Wisconsin June 1, 2020 Wisconsin Public Radio News
... From April 1, 2019, through March 31 of this year, the DNR collected 19,386 samples, an increase of roughly 2,100 samples from the year before. Of the majority analyzed, there were 1,334 deer that tested positive for CWD in the last year — up from 1,061 deer during the 2018 sampling season...

... The draft plan says there is “a limited deer population” on Sachuest Point...

Catching a band of wildlife killers June 1, 2020 Washington, High Country News
... A foul odor erupted when Bahrenburg opened the bags. Some of the heads were fresh; others crawled with maggots. There were at least a dozen... These were deer from Oregon, Haynes admitted...

... 57 percent of fawns born in the forests of northcentral Pennsylvania to 72 percent of those born in the agricultural areas of central Pennsylvania will make it through summer... most won’t survive more than 2 or 3 years. That’s the average age of deer in the wild in Pennsylvania...

... gearing up to test 15,000 hunter-killed deer, elk or moose for chronic wasting disease ... Last year ... about 7,000 samples ... Montana has detected one case of CWD in a game farm in Eastern Montana ...

... "The North Mississippi Zone and the Issaquena Zone ... now surveillance zones ... Supplemental feeding, salt licks and mineral licks remain banned in the four management zones. In areas outside the management zones, but within the surveillance zones, hunters may resume supplemental feeding and the use of salt and mineral licks ...

... Extinct in the wild, the birth is significant for the Pere David’s deer population...

Hwy. 97 wildlife underpass project receives funding May 29, 2020 Oregon, Herald and News
... ODFW’s research with radio-collared mule deer indicates that Hwy 97 near Gilchrist is a major crossing point for migrating mule deer and elk—and a place where big game and other wildlife are extremely vulnerable to vehicle collisions...

... The City is required to conduct a survey of the urban deer herd to determine how many animals should be removed... The program has drawn controversy since it's inception. Some residents don't think the program should exist, while others see it as a necessary way to manage the population...

... the program is not a one-and-done situation. He said the city expects to continue the program for “multiple years” to get closer to the optimum numbers of deer in a suburban/urban area (about 10 per square mile)... [disagreement on this number]

Statewide deer harvest remained stable in 2019 May 28, 2020 South Carolina, Post and Courier Charleston
...  the statewide deer harvest decreased by only one percent last season... It included an estimated 105,201 bucks, and 87,872 does, which made up a total harvest of 193,073 deer, just slightly down from the 194,986 estimated harvested in 2018 ... [full report]

... the deer cull was temporarily suspended for the next fiscal year in order to help the city deal with short-term financial problems. Deer management related expenses, like data collection and the cull, costs the city $140,000...
     Ann Arbor Year Four Summary Report May 26, 2020 Michigan, White Buffalo
... No sterilization efforts were conducted during Year 4 ... The overall cost of the sterilization effort was $159,815.26, over four years, resulting in a 49% reduction in deer within the 2.8 mi2 area of the SSA and NSA. Sharpshooting efforts cost $255,800.49, over the four years, resulting in a 58% reduction in deer over an 8.3 mi2 area ...

Western Wildway Wildlife Corridors May 27, 2020 Arizona, KNAU Arizona Public Radio
...  ‘Western Wildway’. It’s a 6,000 mile-long wildlife corridor  ... on sections of Highway 89 between Kanab and Page, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Utah Department of Transportation have been using guide fencing and modifying underpasses. That way, migratory animals, including the Kaibab-Paunsagunt mule deer, can cross safely...

New deer population goals are set May 27, 2020 Minnesota, Southwest Media
... In general, the goals are to increase deer populations in the north, stabilize populations in the northwest and west, and slightly decrease populations in the central portions of the areas addressed this year...The DNR lists complete details on the goal-setting webpage ..,

Deer population down 24% in Staten Island  May 27, 2020 New York, abc7NY
... The study also found an 84% decrease in births since the program began, which is connected to the number of deer sterilized in a bid to drive down the population...
SILive
... As of April, the city said 93% of the antlered males on Staten Island had been sterilized... The program saw the biggest population decrease of 10.4% from 2019 to 2020 when the borough’s herd dropped from 1,737 in 2019 to 1,555 in 2020...

Fish and Wildlife seeks ‘historic’ hunting expansion May 26, 2020 Oregon, East Oregonian
...  USFWS’s massive proposal creates or expands hunting and fishing at 97 wildlife refuges ... The USFWS is taking public comments on the proposal until June 8 ... the Department of Interior didn’t require an environmental impact statement... we performed isolation and characterization of deer tongue epithelium tissue-derived MSCs...

... The ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to differentiate into lineage specific tissue types ... Deer MSCs have been isolated from antler and bone marrow... 

... a high percentage of all new deer fawns are born within this period of about three weeks ... There is some safety in numbers here. Playing the odds, when most vulnerable fawns are out there concurrently, it is more difficult for predators to eat all of them...

... third case of Chronic Wasting Disease in a captive breeding facility ... a 6-year-old female mule deer that had been purchased from out of state ...  "Depopulation is pending the indemnity plan approval.” ...

Conservation Congress Spring Hearing Results May 25, 2020 Wisconsin, WXPR
... Over 32,000 people opposed the idea of requiring non-toxic bullets and slugs (basically for deer and bear) on state lands... They don’t seem to make the connection between the lead poisoning in birds that eat lead BBs as grit or ingest lead while feeding on deer carcasses and gut piles in fall and winter...

Colorado wildlife agency’s past research raises questions about mountain lion hunting levels May 24, 2020 Denver Post
... CPW biologists determined, from research done between 2004 and 2014 for the purpose of guiding agency decision-making, that wildlife managers cannot let hunters kill more than 12% of lions a year without triggering a decline, according to a report summarizing results and preliminary analysis...
... Deer were equally likely to obtain diets that satisfied requirements in treated and untreated plots, indicating that although herbicide application reduced understory biomass and DE intake, it did not explain whether deer were able to meet requirements. We also found that the biomass of deciduous shrubs and trees, forbs, and suitable forage was ~25 times greater in 4–9 year old stands than closed canopy stands (14–90 years old), indicating the importance of maintaining early seral habitat for sustaining populations of black-tailed deer...

BLM releases final analysis of proposed Blackrock Land Exchange May 22, 2020 Idaho, Idaho State Journal
... “The Chinese–Peak Blackrock Canyon area provides outstanding recreational opportunities, while protecting crucial habitat for mule deer and other native species... The final EIS is available for 60 days on the BLM ePlanning project website ...

   The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has been documented as occurring in 21 of 33 counties in New Mexico. In the Sandia Mountains of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, a camera trap captured 25 images of a male O. virginianus in November 2017. This represents a new occurrence for Bernalillo County and the Sandia Mountains.

... ground counts for mule deer were collected by area biologists to estimate over-winter survival... The post-season survey showed 61 fawns per 100 adults, which is above the average of 55 fawns per 100 adults... Winter mortality was likely minimal across the region ..,

...  an all-time high of 109,890 ...the under-harvested does last year did not meet our harvest goal, so we have to issue far more permits. That, coupled with the very mild winter we had last winter resulted in a higher than typical over-winter survival of deer.   ...  State biologists now estimate the statewide deer population at close to 300,000 ..,

Game and Fish increase licenses for deer gun season May 20, 2020 North Dakota, The Bismarck Tribune
... 69,050 deer gun licenses available to hunters, 3,550 more than last year... 

Mule deer fawns survival rate below average after cruel winter May 19, 2020 Idaho, Rexburg Standard Journal
... The lingering snowpack during March and April took its toll on Eastern Idaho mule deer with below-average survival rates of fawns...  up to 40 and 50 percent were lost...“It will not be like the winter of 2016-17, but we will be below the long-term average,” ...

Chronic wasting disease detected in Gallatin County deer May 19, 2020 Montana, Billings Gazette
... The deer was euthanized earlier this month in the Springhill area of north Bozeman after displaying several classic symptoms of the disease.  This case is the first detection of CWD in Gallatin County ...

...  included illegal take of buck deer, bull elk, black bear, bobcat and cougar ... Police received a tip through the Turn In Poachers (TIP) Line ...

DNR willing to let eastern Minnesota elk plan move forward May 17, 2020 Duluth News Tribune
... in a recent letter to Fond du Lac tribal officials, said the DNR “is prepared to discuss the next steps’’ of a potential elk reintroduction... The effort needs backing from local and state political leaders. There’s also the matter of finding millions of dollars to pay for elk relocation from other states ...

... ODA investigators found a doe with CWD in a herd on the farm ... CDW has never been found in Ohio’s wild deer herd population, according to ODA...

Zookeepers Fawning Over New SF Teaching Zoo Key Deer Arrival May 15, 2020 Florida, Santa Fe College
...  USFWS called zoo staff when they found an orphaned Key deer fawn on Key Deer Wildlife Refuge. From that point, dedicated individuals from multiple organizations and agencies worked together to give the little fawn round the clock care and bring him safely to Gainesville...

... The statewide deer bag limit remains at six deer, only one of which may be antlered, and a hunter cannot exceed a county bag limit...

... The game wardens in rural northeast Washington have seen an explosion of problem cougar/human encounters. One officer told us that over the last few years his time spent dealing with cougar calls went from around 3-6% a few years ago up to around 25-30% last year! ... 
In Colorado, Wolves Are on the Ballot May 14, 2020 Sierra Magazine
... Initiative 107, a November ballot measure to reintroduce gray wolves west of the Continental Divide... It will be the first time that the reintroduction of wolves anywhere in the United States is decided by popular vote... Today, the International Wolf Center estimates that there are 5,500 gray wolves in the continental United States...

Hoof disease found in nearby elk herds May 13, 2020 Oregon, Ashland Tidings
... Southwest Oregon Roosevelt elk herds are virtually surrounded by new discoveries of a debilitating disease that rots the animals’ hooves ... known scientifically as treponeme-associated hoof disease, or TAHD ...



Searching the internet to find and conserve deer information.  

Deer in the News

Best Way to Save Young Wildlife: Leave Them Alone May 30, 2020 Alaska, Alaska Native News
...  black-tailed deer mothers stay away from their newborn fawns to avoid drawing predators.  “Does will cache them for several hours while they go off and feed,” he said. “It’s a strategy. It’s safer for the fawn to not be with the doe while she’s feeding. It’s not orphaned, and people are actually kidnapping it.” ...

Deer fawn born 31/05/2020 running around the field on 02/06/2020!


Two more deer spotted in Hoboken May 29, 2020 New Jersey, NJ.com
... The two bucks, with small antlers sprouting, ran back and forth amid the pallets of materials ...

... the deer kept swimming north, out farther into the lake...  they were able to get the deer closer to the beach. Eventually, it got back on land ...

Albino or piebald? White deer spotted in Jasper County May 26, 2020 Iowa, Des Moines Register
... The doe is well-known to locals ... All-white deer rarely reach adulthood in rural areas, since they're more visible to predators ... In Iowa, it’s illegal to hunt deer that are more than 50 percent white...

Trapped Fawn Saved By Westlake Police May 26, 2020 Ohio, Patch
... found the fawn wedged between fences. The fawn's mother was stomping nearby ...The officer had to get a breaching tool to free the fawn ...

... Starting at birth, a fawn is left alone throughout most of the day while its mother is off feeding. The mother deer does this to reduce the chance of attracting a predator to the fawn... “Don’t be a fawn kidnapper,” ...

Over the years, many Deer generations have been passing through and sometimes staying on my property. - May 23, 2020


... once the doe was killed it gave birth to three fawns ... taken to the Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release in Colfax  ...

VDGIF reminding everyone to leave fawns alone May 22, 2018 Virginia, NBC29
... Fawns, born from May through July, are purposely left alone ... does stay away from the fawns to avoid leading predators such as dogs or coyotes to their location. The whitespotted coat camouflages a fawn as it lies motionless in vegetation...

...  kayaking the river near M-47 and State Street when she saw the baby animal drowning...

Fawn rescued from a groundhog hole May 20, 2020 New Jersey, RecordOnline.com
... he could hear something crying ... After spotting a groundhog hole, Tillou quickly dropped to the ground and placed his ear into the hole where he could hear a faint crying sound.  It was the fawn... trapped five feet below ground...

... Officers said with a little creativity and a few pallets they were able to rescue the deer ... department’s Facebook page ...

... most of these fawns are not abandoned ... In nature, the mother deer gives birth and for the next five to seven days, the fawn is incapable of following the mother, so it is natural for the fawn to lie in a curled ‘freeze’ position on the ground hidden in grass or sparse brush ...

... A Pennsylvania teen will avoid prison over a viral video that shows him and another juvenile beating and torturing a wounded deer...

Fawns are arriving; Leave them alone, urges F&W May 11, 2020 Vermont, VTDigger
... best to keep your distance because the fawn’s mother is almost always nearby... Fawns do not attempt to evade predators during their first few weeks, instead relying on camouflage and stillness to remain undetected... Deer nurse their young at different times during the day ...

Police, public works employees rescue deer from soccer net May 8, 2020 Wisconsin, UPI.com
... The City of Niagara said in a Facebook post that Police Chief Angie Moreau and Officer Heather Romback encountered the deer stuck in a soccer net at Heights Park ...

Deer is rescued from Hudson River May 7, 2020 New Jersey, NJ.com
...  a deer had been caught near a drainage pipe ... “The deer first had to be set free before our team could snare the animal and take it back to land,"  ... bringing the deer to a wooded area in Weehawken, where it was released ...

This is not the first time I've seen a deer swim in the ocean. The last time was about 5 years ago during a snowy Nor'easter. There was 10-15 foot shore break, and a deer wandered into that surf with no fear. Its head disappeared underneath the crashing waves and I was certain I just watched that deer kill itself. 20 minutes later, though, this deer walked out of the surf unscathed. They might be doing it to clean themselves, maybe to remove ticks. They certainly swim well. The hair all over their body is hollow, making them very buoyant. It was easy for this deer to keep its head above the water as it kicked along. The boat it nearly reached was a commercial shellfish dragger. They were might've been 1,000 feet from shore. - April 6, 2020


... A target arrow was removed from the neck of a black-tailed doe after it was tranquilized by wildlife biologists... We popped the arrow out and the deer strolled away 15 minutes later...

A deer that got onto the lower level of the GWB ended up below in a rocky, fenced-in area before being rescued and taken to nearby Palisades Interstate Park. - May 4, 2020, New York


... the rare deer didn’t show any sign of fear. They approached him with interest and at one point they came within about 10 feet of him...


In this video, Mississippi locals Jeremy Shook and his friends Ray Freeman and Heath Beal have encountered a baby deer stuck in between a metal fence in his property.They all helped rescue the baby deer. - April 17, 2020


... Deer antlers are very unusual; they are the only organ found in mammals that regenerates. The cells that antlers are made of can proliferate rapidly ...This kind of rapid growth is also seen in cancer... It seems that deer are able to keep cancer from developing because of other genes ...

Deer herd roams through Grand Rapids street  April 5, 2020 Michigan, WOOD-TV
... Deer replaced cars on the streets of one Grand Rapids neighborhood this past week...

... shows that Interstate 80 is an almost impenetrable obstacle to movement of pronghorn, mule deer and elk. The highway has severed or truncated migration corridors originating as much as 150 miles away...

... A piebald deer has patches of white on its body ... about 2 percent of deer are piebald... One woman described the deer as “our baby we have watched in our backyard for two years.” ...

Mule Deer Migration: One Woman Follows in Its Footsteps March 26, 2020 Wyoming, GearJunkie
... The film opens with one researcher’s mission to track tagged doe No. 139.  The lead researcher, Sam Dwinnell, decides her team will trace the doe’s 6-week, 85-mile migration in just 9 days... [link to video]

... Santa Rosa Ranch was originally a hunting preserve ... Now, the preserve is home to over 2000 fallow and axis deer, all descendants of those from the hunting days ... with 540-acres of farm and animal agriculture...

Blind Deer, Seen ‘odd’ acting deer with strange eyes? It’s not your imagination, experts say March 5, 2020 Alabama, Raleigh News & Observer
... a 5-year-old buck with discolored eyes, and experts later determined it was living totally blind in the wild ... It had been stabbed in the eyeball by another buck’s antlers ...