Deer Management News

Personalideer: A comprehensive review of personality studies in cervids - European Journal of Personality, 2024

... animals, just like humans, have unique personalities ... The few studies investigating deer personality mainly focus on three of the over fifty species and only account for a few personality traits. We believe that a deeper understanding of deer personality could help understand deer biology, improve management strategies, and shed light on important aspects of the personality of other species ...


Nevada Board of Wildlife Commission Approves 2024 - 2025 Big Game Hunting Tag Quotas May 11, 2024 Carson Now

... Mule deer fawn ratios observed during fall 2023 and spring 2024 are the highest they have been in a decade and indicate that populations are expanding. Commissioners approved mule deer quotas that were similar to last year except for more noticeable decreases in Management Areas 6, 7 and 10, where quotas were decreased by 35 percent..,


Buffer zones around fields prevent deer damage May 10, 2024 Brownfield Ag News

... planting grasses and legumes along the perimeter of fields not only helps control soil and nutrient loss, but also reduces deer damage to crops... buffers usually take deer out of the crop because they prefer to eat the species planted in the buffers...


Why hunt moose to save them from winter ticks? Experts see few other ways to stem the grisly pests May 10, 2024 Vermont, WVNY on MSN

... for this year’s season, administered exclusively in Essex County. The allotment is expected to cull about 10% of the population there and bring density closer to one moose per square mile ... Experts have probed other ways of defeating the ticks ... but those solutions are still being studied ...


Public Comment Sought on Proposed Regulation Changes to Disease Detection, Response Rules in Deer Breeding Facilities

May 10, 2024 Texas Parks and Wildlife News

... The proposed amendment concerning CWD testing would require the euthanization and post-mortem testing of any breeder deer confirmed positive for CWD via ante-mortem testing...


Increase in Michigan deer harvests in 2023 an encouraging sign for managers May 9, 2024 FOX 2 Detroit on MSN

... Instead of the expected decline that wildlife managers have come to expect, 2023's total participation in deer hunting rose 1.4%. And for the first time in decades, it happened without a change in policy...,


How Often Do Whitetails Give Birth to Triplet and Quadruplet Fawns, or More? May 8, 2024 National Deer Association

... In lower-quality habitat or areas where deer density is too high, twins are about as good as it gets. In higher-quality habitat where deer numbers are in balance with available nutrition, as many as 15% of adult does may bear triplets. Yes, fewer does in quality habitat actually recruit more fawns than overpopulated does in poor habitat...  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) examined the deer... 


Humans have substantially altered the relationship between wolves and deer May 8, 2024 Minnesota, Tri-County News

...research from the University of Minnesota’s Voyageurs Wolf Project found that human activities in northern Minnesota –

logging, road and trail creation, and infrastructure development – have profoundly impacted where wolves hunt and kill deer fawns. By altering forest ecosystems, humans have created an environment that possibly favors the predators... [published in Ecological Applications]


How Often Do Whitetails Give Birth to Triplet and Quadruplet Fawns, or More? May 8, 2024 National Deer Association

... In lower-quality habitat or areas where deer density is too high, twins are about as good as it gets. In higher-quality habitat where deer numbers are in balance with available nutrition, as many as 15% of adult does may bear triplets. Yes, fewer does in quality habitat actually recruit more fawns than overpopulated does in poor habitat...  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) examined the deer... 


Another donor ponies up big for hunting and fishing rights ballot initaitve May 8, 2024  Florida Politics

... “We are thrilled to announce a contribution of $250,000 to the ‘Yes on 2!’ Committee in Florida, advocating for the passage of the constitutional right to fish and hunt amendment,” said Luke Hilgemann, CEO of T. Roosevelt Action and national chair of Yes on 2...


With 2 CWD-positive deer, California becomes 34th state to report fatal disease May 8, 2024 California, cidrap.umn

... The CDFW has been monitoring elk and deer for CWD using lymph node testing of more than 6,500 cervids since 2000 and has been working with hunters, taxidermists, and meat processors to boost disease surveillance since 2018. But given that the affected counties don't share a border and the CWD incubation period can be months to years, officials said CWD has probably been in the state for some time...


Maryland Department of Natural Resources Confirms 52 Deer With Chronic Wasting Disease May 8, 2024  Department of Natural Resources News

... 52 white-tailed deer sampled within Allegany, Baltimore, Frederick, Montgomery and Washington counties in 2023 tested positive for chronic wasting disease, a neurological disease found in deer, elk, and moose.  Of the positive samples, 49 came from within the existing chronic wasting disease management area (Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, and Washington counties), while one positive sample came from Baltimore County and two positive samples came from Montgomery County..,


Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed in California Deer Population May 7, 2024 California Department of Fish and Wildlife News

... samples collected from two deer, one in Madera County near Yosemite Lakes and the other in Inyo County, near Bishop. The deer in Madera County was found dead due to unknown causes and the Inyo County deer was found dead after a vehicle collision... CDFW Urges Hunters to be Vigilant and Participate in Disease Surveillance Efforts ..,


New Hampshire Deer 2023-24 Hunting Results May 7, 2024 New Hampshire Fish and Game

     New Hampshire’s 2023 deer season resulted in a total harvest of 13,136 deer, and represented the fifth-highest harvest in the state’s history going back to 1922. This was a decrease of 7% from 14,082 in 2022. The adult buck (antlered males age 1.5+) kill decreased slightly from 8,339 in 2022 to 8,295 in 2023. This total represents the secondhighest adult buck harvest the state has seen. The antlerless harvest (does and fawns) decreased 16% from 5,743 in 2022 to 4,841 in 2023..,


Wyoming Battles BLM Over New Energy & Migration Rules May 7, 2024 Laramie Live

... The National Parks Conservation Association wants the rules to protect mule deer and pronghorn that travel 200 miles from the Red Desert to Grand Teton National Park... "That corridor has been exceedingly fragmented by decades of widespread oil and gas development and leasing," Kiklis pointed out...


New York sees lowest deer harvesting numbers since 2017: DEC report May 6, 2024 New York, WETM-TV on MSN

... 209,781 deer were hunted and harvested at the end of the 2023 hunting season, the lowest harvested across the state since 2017 when only 203,427 were hunted...  the hunter reporting rate went up to 49.9% in 2023 compared to 46.4% in 2022... The report


New York DEC Announces 2023-24 Deer Harvest Estimates May 6, 2024  NYSDEC

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - NY.gov

... The 2023-24 deer harvest included more than twice as many older bucks, bucks two-and-a-half years old or older, than were harvested in the early 1990s, and nearly five times as many than were harvested in 1969 when DEC first began monitoring the age structure of New York’s deer herd...


Dietary supplementation of SAT and SANT, New Zealand deer velvet supplements, halts systemic LPS-induced neuroinflammation and sickness behaviour in mice - Journal of Functional Foods, 2024

... The two New Zealand velvet supplements, SAT and SANT reduced neuroinflammation and sickness behaviour through different mechanism...


North Dakota Deer Season Set, Apply Online May 6, 2024 North Dakota Game and Fish

... with 50,100 licenses available to hunters, down 3,300 from last year.  In addition, muzzleloader licenses decreased by 66 ... Casey Anderson, North Dakota Game and Fish Department wildlife division chief, said population, harvest and survey data indicate the state’s deer population is stable to decreasing in the southeastern part of the state ..,


Gray wolf report outlines management and conservation efforts, highlights a decrease in conflicts and an increase in population May 6, 2024 Wyoming Game and Fish

... As of Dec. 31, 2023, at least 192 wolves and 17 breeding pairs reside within the wolf trophy game management area. When combined with other jurisdictions within Wyoming, the state has at least 352 wolves and 43 packs, with at least 24 breeding pairs. The documented increase in wolves is attributed to increased recruitment of young wolves entering the population and lower mortality than noted in previous monitoring years..,


Regulators approve killing twice as many bears as originally allowed in Nevada hunt May 5, 2024 Nevada, Reno Gazette-Journal on MSN

... NDOW estimates the black bear population in Nevada at between 239 and 740 with 95% confidence, and growing at a rate of 5% annually... “That’s a real wide gap of confidence when we’re trying to estimate the population,” said Commissioner David McNinch ..,


Mill Creek, Deer rights group gets win in ongoing lawsuit against Mill Creek Mill Creek board May 5, 2024 Ohio, WFMJ

... Judge Jon Campbell, whose been appointed to oversee this case, notified board members of the park that they need to address 11 complaints raised by the deer rights group.  Chief among them is the accusation that the board failed to exercise due diligence in the performance of their duties to the public...


Woman's 'Highly Unusual' Pneumonia Caused by Parasite-Tainted Deer Meat May 3, 2024 Florida, Yahoo

... detailed this week in the New England Journal of Medicine ... the 32-year-old Florida resident visited an emergency room ... the woman had recently prepared a deer carcass collected from her boyfriend’s hunting trip in Alabama. The woman cooked, served, and ate the venison ... tests came back positive for T. gondii ...  her blood was chock full of the parasite ...


Utah Wildlife Board approves 2024 big game hunting permits, changes to shed antler gathering May 3, 2024 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources - Utah.gov

...  We are anticipating excellent winter survival and are happy to see our deer populations starting to look better after being hit hard by the severe winter in 2022–23, especially in the northern parts of the state... The most important factors that drive deer population numbers are the survival rates of doe deer (since bucks don't have babies), fawn production and fawn survival after the winter. The way we hunt buck deer in Utah doesn't drive deer populations, but what happens with deer populations drives how we hunt buck deer." ..,


Wildlife overpass near Boise is protecting big game migrations and motorists May 2, 2024 Idaho Fish and Game

... This is the first wildlife overpass built in the state ... The overpass has been well received by the public, who value Idaho’s wildlife and also want to avoid the personal injury risks and thousands of dollars of damage that occurs when a motorist hits a deer or elk.... Video Below

Controversial chronic wasting disease bill awaits Governor Stitt's signature May 2, 2024 Oklahoma, KOKH

... If Governor Stitt signs House Bill 3462 into law, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF) would have to create a pilot program to enhance the genetic durability of deer in Oklahoma against Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)...


National Elk Refuge will stake out the future of feeding; legal challenges all but certain May 2, 2024 Wyoming, Gillette News Record

... If officials depart from the status quo, they could be sued by a group like Gilliland’s [Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association] ...But if the Elk Refuge chooses to continue feeding, environmental groups could also sue, building on suits they’ve already filed, arguing the refuge hasn’t moved fast enough to stop feeding and slow the spread of chronic wasting disease ...


IDNR announces detection of chronic wasting disease in Ford County May 1, 2024 Illinois, Juliana Stratton, Lt. Governor - Illinois.gov

... Chronic wasting disease has been detected in Ford County, expanding the geographic presence of the infection in free-ranging deer populations in northern Illinois ... a suspect-deer exhibiting symptoms consistent with CWD infection. Other recent cases of CWD were documented previously in Bureau and Lee counties during 2023 and 2022, respectively..,


Public hearing on deer hunting changes to be held in Edinburgh May 1, 2024 Indiana, Daily Journal

... Indiana’s ... proposed changes include:  A statewide bag limit of six antlerless deer ... Hunters would not be able to harvest an antlerless deer on Fish & Wildlife properties with a firearm...


To keep its coyote population in check, this county offers hunters cash prizes for kills May 1, 2024 Virginia, Cardinal News

... Coyotes are not native to Virginia... in the early 1980s, they were just starting to arrive ... studies have found that bobcats and bears are much more significant predators for deer, particularly fawns, than coyotes are... “Modeling suggests that you need to kill about 50% to 60% of the population every year over multiple years to really have an impact on coyote numbers,” ..,


LA County tries to stop Catalina Island plans to shoot down invasive deer via helicopters April 30, 2024 California, The Hill on MSN

... the region’s county supervisor, Janice Hahn, to send a letter last week to Fish and Wildlife  ... “Eradicating Catalina Island’s entire population of more than 1,770 mule deer through aerial shooting from helicopters is inhumane and drastic, and potentially dangerous to the public,” ...


New report reignites debate around New Mexico's elk private land use system April 30, 2024 KUNM

... Elk are notorious for causing damage on private lands ... New Mexico’s Elk Private Land Use System or EPLUS, is meant to offset these damages and incentivize private land conservation ... providing landowners with special elk “tags” ... Opponents say the program privatizes elk hunting, making it more available to those with deep pockets...


Kansas lawmakers work toward wildlife and parks commission change April 30, 2024 Kansas Reflector

... House Bill 2530 would dissolve the current commission ... The bill comes after the commission floated restricting bait feeding on private land. Bait feeding, currently banned on public land, is the practice of attracting deer to food ... 


CWD confirmed in wild Pierce County deer; feeding, baiting bans to go into effect May 15 April 30, 2024 Wisconsin, KSTP-TV

...  the first wild deer confirmed to have CWD in Pierce County ... the deer, identified as a doe around four or five years old, was humanely put down in the town of Spring Lake ...


Polis addresses latest wolf depredation in Colorado April 30, 2024 KDVR

... six confirmed incidents since the beginning of 2024... The latest wolf depredation incident happened on a ranch where a producer has already seen four incidents involving calves... We went to a state a thousand miles away, and we ran them down with a helicopter, and we shot them with a net gun or a tranquilizer, put him in a cage … took him away from his pack ...


16 moose calves found dead, What caused them to die April 29, 2024 Idaho, Local News 8

...Sixteen of them have been moose calves, one was an adult moose and at least four mule deer have been found to have died from Adenovirus Hemorrhagic Disease (AHD)... unlike Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), AHD can be contracted at any time for these species ..,


After northern hunters bag fewer deer, some seek closer look at herd management April 29, 2024 Wisconsin, WPR

...Republican lawmakers introduced the bill in an effort to boost the deer population after a dramatic drop in the gun deer harvest across northern Wisconsin last year ... Rep. Chanz Green, R-Grand View, said ... “We have harsher winters. We have more predators.” ...


Resolution calling for 'scientific management' of gray wolves introduced to Michigan Legislature April 29, 2024 Michigan, Manistee News

... Michigan lawmakers urge the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to allow the state to manage gray wolves because, without management, the population could reach numbers detrimental to other species, such as whitetail deer...


Habitat alteration or climate: What drives the densities of an invading ungulate? - Global Change Biology, 2024

... We leveraged a contrast in habitat alteration associated with the jurisdictional boundary between two Canadian provinces to evaluate the relative effects of spatial variation in habitat alteration and climate on white-tailed deer ... Our findings suggest that climate is the primary driver of white-tailed deer populations; however, understanding the mechanisms underpinning this relationship requires further study of over-winter survival and fecundity...



Searching the internet to find and conserve deer information

Deer in the News

Video Below:  The city of Plano recently released this video showing animal services officers rescuing a deer caught up in an iron fence.  May 10, 2024 Texas

New genus of tiny, hornless deer that lived 32 million years ago discovered at Badlands May 9, 2024 South Dakota, CBS News

... in an area around what is now southwestern South Dakota ... The study  ... findings, suggested that all of these deer were hornless and roughly the size of a modern household cat... close relatives of mouse deer ... But certain features of this creature were unlike anything else  ... 


Juveniles accused in Pennsylvania deer "poaching spree" May 8, 2024 CBS News on MSN

... Throughout the alleged poaching spree, the Game Commission said the juveniles killed 10 deer, shooting them at night from a vehicle while using a spotlight...


In Japan, Conserving the Genetics of a Sacred Deer May 7, 2024 Undark

... The sika deer, Cervus nippon, are considered sacred in Shintoism.... A recent study published in the Journal of Conservation Science and Practice shows that the deer in the Nara Park preserve today are genetically unique from deer populations in the surrounding area, preserving the DNA of their sacred ancestors...


Dog and deer wander together through Iowa town May 3, 2024 Iowa,  UPI News on MSN.com 

... The Tipton Police Department posted photos to Facebook showing the dog and deer strolling together in locations including a block of businesses and the city courthouse... [Video Below]

Nebraska researcher helps untangle history of fallow deer May 1, 2024 Nebraska Today - University of Nebraska–Lincoln

... The article broke new ground on how fallow deer, which emerged from the Ice Age in the Balkans, Anatolia and Persia, came to be distributed across Europe and around the world... Although fallow deer live wild in parks and preserves around the world, they actually were among the earliest animals to be domesticated. Nearly all populations — whether in Europe, Africa or the Americas — were established by humans ...


Ormond Beach deer injured after getting plastic piece stuck in its hoof 

April 27, 2024 Florida, FOX 35 Orlando

... FWC ... said they are not going to intervene at this time because it could do more harm than good to trap and tranquilize the young deer...


Fawning season begins on the Central Coast April 25, 2024 California, KSBW The Central Coast

... people may see some fawns alone, and it may look like their moms have abandoned them. But that's almost never the case, Cann said. Moms will leave their white-spotted babies for long periods of time while they feed... [see fawn care]

Wolves kill, devour elk on Gardiner school's football field April 24, 2024 Montana Outdoor

... The 8-Mile wolf pack, the largest in the [Yellowstone] park with six adults and 15 yearlings, was the nocturnal culprits behind the kill, swiftly vanishing into the dawn after their feast...


3-Legged Deer in Maine Woods Caught on Video After Months of Not Being Seen April 12, 2024 Maine, Q97.9

... the three-legged deer usually passes by her trail cams three to four times a year. When she hadn't seen the deer, she was worried. But then there she was, looking healthy in clips from January...

Video Above.  Deer family appears to accept B.C. man as one of their own April 11, 2024 British Columbia, CTV News

... two-and-a-half years, beginning in 2018, he spent thousands of hours ...  he never fed them, and rarely moved. The deer just got closer and closer... “I was able to pet them ...


Injured deer put on leash during rescue — then poses for selfie, photos show. April 11, 2024 Georgia, Miami Herald

... Sandy Springs officers found a loophole in the city’s leash laws to lead a deer to safety after the animal was struck by a bus ... 


Deer Makes Miraculous Recovery From Broken Leg in Amazing Trail Cam Footage April 3, 2024 Wisconsin, PetaPixel

... A hardy whitetail buck was captured on a Wisconsin trail camera miraculously recovering from a severely broken leg in just a matter of weeks...


Albino deer found by Oak Creek Police last night was up 'pasture' curfew March 31, 2024 Wisconsin, TMJ4

... A white deer named Penelope has nuzzled her way into the Oak Creek community over the last three years... "I once watched her wait on the sidewalk for the lights to turn red and then she crossed the road," ... [see Facebook post below]

Hammond mayor causes stir with comments about beloved albino deer March 31, 2024 Indiana, WBBM Radio Chicago on MSN

... remarks he made about the Crown Point albino deer, which was euthanized after being hit by a car... “I think a mayor of 20 years should trump the albino deer, OK?” he said. “I think I should have been above the fold.” ...

     White deer has to be euthanized after being hit by car in Northwest Indiana March 26, 2024 Indiana, CBS News

...  A beloved white deer could not be saved after being hit by a car and had to be euthanized, the City of Crown Point, Indiana said Tuesday night...

     Crown Point's legendary white deer hit by car March 25, 2024 Indiana, The Times of Northwest Indiana

... Snow ... The white deer has been a regular for years ... "The city is working with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to find a rehabilitation center for the deer..." [video below]

What to do if you find baby animals this spring in Delaware March 30, 2024 Delaware Online

... baby deer ... "If they're covered in flies, if they've got wounds, if they're crying and getting up and trying to follow you, then they're in trouble."  If you notice these signs, call a wildlife rehabilitator immediately...


Gilmanton firefighters save 'exhausted' deer that fell through Crystal Lake ice March 25, 2024 New Hampshire, Concord Monitor

... “The deer was rescued, tired, exhausted and shivering but it was last seen up and walking around,” firefighters said in a Facebook post... [video below]

Some animals transform their hair structure to battle winters March 18, 2024 Utah, earth on MSN

... Millet meticulously examined hairs from three iconic big game animals: pronghorn antelope, mule deer, and Rocky Mountain elk. Under the SEM's intense gaze, she discovered an intricate system resembling a messy honeycomb – a network of tiny air pockets... the honeycomb structure changes dramatically between summer and winter...


Ireland was once home to deer with massive 12-foot antlers March 16, 2024 Popular Science

... the extinct giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus), more commonly known as the Irish elk... at about 6.5 feet tall and weighing upwards of 1,500 pounds, the males boasted antlers over 12 feet wide. By comparison, modern elk have antlers that are about four feet across ...


Deer finally finds the shore after breaking through Six Mile ice March 15, 2024 Michigan, 

... After repeatedly getting its front hooves on the ice only to have it give way, the deer figured out it could thrash out a route, using its legs and then body to cut a path to open water... it had spent at least 90 minutes in icy waters ...