Farmers Win, Deer Lose: New Nuisance Wildlife Policy Impacts December 13, 2025 Illinois, impactpolicies.org

... Signed by Governor JB Pritzker in August 2025, this legislation grants the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) expanded authority to issue deer removal permits, streamlining the application process and ensuring timely responses for landowners seeking relief from deer-related crop losses... The increased focus on antlerless deer hunting is intended to control population growth, but it requires careful monitoring to ensure that deer populations remain healthy and sustainable ...

MDC announces changes to deer-hunting regulations 

December 12, 2025  Missouri Department of Conservation

... The five-day CWD Portion of firearms deer season was open for CWD Management Zone counties. Harvest data shows that this season portion has not resulted in a significant increase in harvest. Hunters have also expressed concerns about the number of firearms-deer-season portions and the complexity of regulations.  Removing the CWD Portion will simplify the structure of deer season for hunters and not significantly affect deer harvest...

A deadly parasite has been found in some Alberta animals for the first time December 12, 2025 Daily Hive

... The Fort McMurray 468 First Nation posted to its Facebook page earlier this week, confirming the presence of the meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) in five caribou and one moose in the Cold Lake/Fort McMurray region of northeastern Alberta...  a meningeal worm that is fatal in elk, caribou, moose and mule deer. White- tailed deer are carriers but are unaffected by the parasite...

Republicans renew push to legalize deer baiting in Lower Michigan December 12, 2025 MLive.com

... Michigan Republicans ... arguing the state’s long-standing ban is failing to control an expanding deer herd that’s hammering crops and driving up car crashes... Michigan Department of Natural Resources opposes the bill. It submitted written testimony ... said in its filing that baiting decisions belong to the NRC under Proposal G, the 1996 constitutional measure ...

Mercury Rising December 12, 2025 Alaska, bioGraphic

... In the summer of 2013, two Alexander Archipelago wolves ... swam across a narrow channel to reach Pleasant Island, Alaska, a 50 square kilometer (19 square mile) rock jutting out of the stormy Gulf of Alaska. Wolves hadn’t previously lived on Pleasant Island... Within a few years, the wolves blossomed to a family of 13, and the deer, in turn, were entirely wiped out..,

Parts of Methow Wildlife Area will close next week to protect mule deer December 11, 2025 Washington, Methow Valley News

... Mule deer are very vulnerable during the winter, when they burn more calories than they take in, Okanogan District Wildlife Biologist Scott Fitkin said. The deer have very limited fat reserves to get through the winter and, every time they’re spooked, they expend energy. Regular disturbances could increase winter mortality, according to WDFW...

PLGA nanoparticles for oral delivery of prion-specific antigen: a novel approach to chronic wasting disease vaccination 2025  Scientific Reports

... We have developed a recombinant dimeric deer prion protein (Ddi) vaccine against CWD that has shown promising immune responses when injected subcutaneously (s.c)...  we have developed an oral vaccine utilizing poly lactic co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles ... This approach is paving the way for developing an oral vaccine against CWD...

Controlling the deer population December 11, 2025 Iowa,  Osceola-Sentinel Tribune

...  We used the most recent spotlight survey data to estimate county-specific deer densities during 2023 ...Eighty-seven counties showed stable or declining trends since 1996 with 12 showing increasing trends in the deer population.  Once an abundant species in Iowa, over-hunting and changes in landscape led to a massive decline in white-tailed deer, so much so that deer season was closed in the state in 1898 ..,

Michigan expands Pigeon River Country State Forest with major land acquisition December 11, 2025 SooLeader.com

... The Michigan DNR has acquired 8,850 acres of land, including over 14 miles of trout streams, three lakes and suitable habitat for a variety of wildlife, including elk, black bear and white-tailed deer ...

Can wildlife crossings offer a lifeline for deer in the Eastern Sierra? December 11, 2025 California, Los Angeles Times

... Mule deer in the region have declined in recent years, sparking concern among hunters. Getting hit by cars or trucks is the second biggest cause of deer death, not counting unknown causes...wildlife crossings could be a win-win solution. Both hunters and conservationists are especially keen to see one rise along a stretch of the 395 that runs past the Mammoth Yosemite Airport — the top roadkill hot spot in the Eastern Sierra...

City of Union announces deer population reduction project to address public safety concerns December 11, 2025 Oregon, Elkhorn Media Group

... ODFW reviewed the City’s documentation-including complaints, council minutes, and incident reports and formally concurred that the deer population in Union meets the state’s definition of a public nuisance and qualifies for deer reduction authorization under Oregon Administrative Rules.  ODFW has issued a permit to the City, allowing for the removal of 50 deer based on an estimated deer population of approximately 200 within city limits. Removal efforts will be carried out exclusively by USDA Wildlife Services, using humane, AVMA-approved methods and non-lead ammunition...

Deer numbers down December 10, 2025 Michigan, 

The Mining Gazette

... total number of deer taken, based on hunter’s reporting numbers, is 246,079 as of Wednesday. That number breaks down to 147,207 antlered deer, and 98,824 anterless deer. That compares to 299,514 deer taken in 2024, with 157,271 antlered and 142,204 antler less... The deer that were harvested were healthy, officials said..,

California wildlife officials quietly shift on killing a high-profile predator December 10, 2025 Yahoo

... The moment lies at the intersection of politics and biology. ... In February of last year, Brian Tillemans submitted a petition to the California Fish and Game Commission spotlighting concerns about dwindling numbers of Eastern Sierra mule deer, as well as bighorn sheep. The local hunter ... told commissioners the mountain lion population had "exploded" in the region..,

Early Colorado budget conversations evaluate the cost of wolf reintroduction December 10, 2025 The Aspen Times

... In the first fiscal year of the effort, 2021-22 ...  the annual distribution was increased to $2.1 million. For the next two fiscal years, as the agency ramped up the wolf program, spending fell slightly below this number — $1.79 million in 2022-23 and $1.57 million in 2023-24... from January to July this year, Parks and Wildlife spent $3 million ... Cutting funding to Colorado’s wolf program does not negate Parks and Wildlife’s legal obligation to create a sustainable population of gray wolves..,

Summer elk deaths stoke CWD worries at onset of 'important' winter for western Wyoming herds December 9, 2025 News From The States

... The unusual summertime mortalities added to suspicions that the degenerative, incurable prion disease was continuing to advance in the elk population that uses the Dell Creek Feedground. Infected animals were found within Wyoming’s feedground system for the first time and at four locations in the winter of 2024/’25, but signs pointed toward Dell Creek elk being the farthest along in the CWD epidemic’s curve..,

Syracuse to begin killing deer in targeted neighborhoods next week December 9, 2025 New York, Syracuse.com

... Syracuse’s annual deer cull will begin Dec. 15, 2025 ... Syracuse killed 137 deer in city neighborhoods between January and March 2025. That’s the second largest tally since the program began in 2019, when USDA sharpshooters killed 159 deer..,

Sharpshooters to begin Arlington deer cull in February December 9, 2025 Virginia, ARLnow.com

... The decision to reduce Arlington’s deer population by hunting the creatures with guns sparked significant debate... The Animal Welfare League of Arlington, however, frequently disputed the county’s deer population goals and pointed to data that found many respondents preferred a non-lethal method of limiting the herbivores’ numbers: surgical sterilization of female deer...

Ohio Hunters See Slight Decrease in Deer Harvest During Gun Season, ODNR Reports December 9, 2025 Hoodline

...  85,448 deer during the week-long gun season, falling short of last year's 87,191 deer tally... 27,934 antlered deer and 57,514 antlerless deer ... Stricken by a surge of the Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) over the summer, areas such as Athens, Meigs, Morgan, and Washington counties witnessed reduced bag limits and correspondingly lower harvest totals...

WA Updates Mule Deer Plan; Aerial Surveys Begin | Columbia Basin December 8, 2025 Washington, Source ONE News

... The new plan commits to refining survey methods for each management zone by 2021, including tracking age and sex ratios, fawn survival, and pre- and post-hunt population trends... Although mule deer are adaptable, their habitat faces increasing stress. Wildfire severity, land-use changes, and climate impacts threaten key seasonal ranges ..,

Wildwood deer cull proposal fails, city to explore aid from local bow hunters December 8, 2025 Missouri, KSDK on MSN

... The failed proposal would have authorized the city to execute an agreement with the Connecticut-based native species management company White Buffalo, Inc., for a maximum expense of $224,783.00 to cull up to 239 deer during the winter of 2025-2026... the council's decision followed an appeal by hunters who argued the population reduction efforts have gone too far, pointing to the approximately 700 deer already culled in recent years ...

Elk on the loose: Chronic wasting disease continues to spread in Damascus December 8, 2025 Pennsylvania, The River Reporter

... “Padua said we don’t know the Elk has CWD but there was an animal it was in captivity with that tested positive for CWD,” read the minutes. Elk are not native to this area but have been imported by captive animal facilities for the purpose of hunting. There have been reports of animals escaping from these facilities. The Damascus Township website mentions that the irresponsible import and management of so-called exotic animals has been linked to CWD..,

CWD detected in a new Wyoming hunt area December 8, 2025 Wyoming Game and Fish Department

... confirmed the presence of  chronic wasting disease for the first time in Elk Hunt Area 2 in the Sheridan Region ... in a bull elk that was euthanized due to suspected disease. Elk Hunt Area 2 is surrounded by CWD-positive Elk Hunt Area 129, which had its first confirmed case of CWD in 2021... A map of CWD endemic areas, along with more information, is available on the Game and Fish’s CWD webpage...

NE deer harvest drops 7% amid population recovery efforts December 8, 2025 Nebraska TV

... The harvest fell from 28,056 last year to 26,029 this year. The decline was anticipated due to reduced populations following years of drought, harsh winters and disease outbreaks, alongside a reduction in permit numbers to aid recovery efforts...

Reforestation and wild pig decline spark surge in miniature deer in Singapore December 8, 2025 Mongabay News on MSN

... Researchers long presumed it was locally extinct.  In 2008, however, researchers confirmed sightings ... In a new study published in Biological Conservation, Chua and his colleagues document a fivefold increase in the population density of greater mouse-deer on Pulau Ubin between 2009 and 2024...  the researchers conclude the most dramatic surge was triggered by the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in 2023... wiped out more than 98% of Singapore’s wild pigs (Sus scrofa) by 2024 ...

ODFW director talks wildlife, fees and wolves December 8, 2025 Oregon, PressReader

..." Mule deer populations are declining across the West, and we're seeing the same thing in Oregon... we have over a thousand mule deer collars in place, and we have massvely advanced our understanding of how mule deer are moving and their survival..." Debbie Colbert, ODFW director.

Effects of opening winter enclosures on red deer movement and local browsing pressure: An experimental assessment 2026 Forest Ecology and Management

... Winter enclosures are an important wildlife management tool in mountainous regions of Central Europe. They are implemented to reduce browsing pressure and bark peeling caused by red deer (Cervus elaphus) during winter by lowering their numbers in the surrounding landscape ...  changes in browsing pressure caused by the experimental treatments was that red deer overwintering outside the open fences enclosures gained access to supplementary feeding in winter, consequently reducing their browsing activities in the vicinity of these enclosures. Therefore, winter enclosures may not always outperform unfenced feeding stations as a management tool to reduce browsing pressure...

Michigan deer season ends with fewer hunters despite healthier deer population December 8, 2025 mUpNorthLive

... “We have the hunters that we that we have talked to have been seeing a moderate amount of deer,” [DNR Biologist Steve Griffith] said. “Most of them actually report seeing closer to a one-to-one buck to doe ratio.”Despite the drop in deer hunters, Griffith said in the past, they used to see a 50-doe-to-one-buck ratio, and what we are seeing now with a one-to-one ratio, is much better..,

Researchers Are Out to Take a Bite Out of a Big Challenge for Christmas Tree Growers: Deer December 8, 2025 North Carolina, NC State News - NC State University

 ... At North Carolina State University, researchers are working on a novel way to protect the trees: covering them with a specially designed fabric that deters the deer, while letting in the light, air and water the trees need to survive...  “We want to develop a fabric that also protects the Christmas trees from all the other bad things that attack it.” ...

Public attitudes toward wolves split in the Upper Peninsula December 8, 2025 Michigan, Daily Press

... a new study finds, with more than 60% of residents surveyed favoring reducing wolf abundance, motivated mostly by worry about risks to livestock, white-tailed deer and human safety..,

Deer population in southern Sask. continues to drop December 6, 2025  Saskatchewan, CTV News

... The deer population in Saskatchewan has dropped over 50 percent since 2021, caused by harsher winters and the presence of chronic wasting disease (CWD)... Of Saskatchewan’s 83 wildlife management zones, CWD has been found in 62 regions, with the most prevalent areas in the southwest and central parts of the province... Smith also noted that some deer were lost due to vehicle accidents..,

Elks carry important genetic variant  December 6, 2025 Oregon, Ag UPDATE

... Alfred Roca, professor of animal sciences at University of Illinois, said, “We previously tested a small number of Columbian white-tailed deer in Oregon’s Douglas County, and we found that they were genetically very disadvantaged when it came to CWD. We didn’t find the protective variant of the gene in a single deer. That’s why we wanted to look at the Oregon elk population, because if the elk get CWD, it's quite likely that Columbian white-tailed deer will get it as well.” ...

Food for fitness? Insights from 24 Norwegian moose populations for proactive monitoring and preventing overabundance 2025 Ecosphere

... , we used a large, rare data set that included detailed absolute measures of available food quantities and browsing intensity from field inventories, to test their relationship with fitness indices of moose Alces alces in 24 management units in four regions across Norway... As expected, the intensity of browsing on the three most common tree species, that is, birch (Betula spp.), rowan, and pine (Pinus sylvestris), was also negatively and strongly related to the fitness ...

Ohio deer gun season opener's numbers down December 5, 2025 Toledo Blade

... The recent snow cover revealed a few deer tracks, but not in the amount I have seen in bygone years when some areas exhibited as many tracks as a dairy farm barnyard... in SW Ohio. I tallied and photographed so many deer during the annual ruts from 2007 until now that I became known to several folks as "the deer whisperer." ..,

More ‘zombie deer disease’ confirmed in Georgia December 5, 2025 WSB-TV Channel 2 on MSN

... a preliminary positive test result for Chronic Wasting Disease in a deer from southeastern Georgia. The deer, collected for disease monitoring in Atkinson County near the Berrien County line, tested preliminarily positive for the disease. This marks the first case in Atkinson County and is about 14 miles from the nearest known positive deer... the ninth positive sample in the state since the disease was detected in the state in January 2025, with 398 samples having been submitted...

Game and Fish sends harvest surveys to monitor populations, set future quotas December 5, 2025 Wyoming, yourwyominglink.com

... close to 70,000 antelope, deer and elk hunters have received a harvest survey questionnaire, and additional surveys will be going out ... A harvest survey questionnaire sent to license holders is the best way for wildlife managers to understand how many animals are harvested each year ... critical for monitoring populations ...

When does fencing work? A global synthesis of deer impacts on vegetation 2026 Forest Ecology and Management, 2026

... A systematic review of 299 articles evaluated deer exclusion effects on vegetation ... Most studies were conducted in forested areas (82 %)... Flowering rate and species richness inside fences increased with higher deer density outside fences. Height increased and species richness decreased with time after fencing. The height and cover responses differed among plant types and deer species. The impact of deer species cannot be explained by their phylogeny or the grazer-browser continuum...

Montana reduces non-resident deer hunting licenses December 5, 2025 KTVH

... Commissioners cited numerous anecdotal testimonies they've been receiving about overcrowding on public lands tied to increases in out-of-state hunters as a need to implement the change...the change could see an estimated 2,500 fewer non-resident licenses issued for general deer. That would have an estimated $1.7 million annual shortfall in license revenue for the department...

Jaguar spotted at watering hole in Arizona, 5th endangered cat seen in area over last 15 years December 5, 2025 CBS News

...  University of Arizona Wild Cat Research and Conservation Center says it's the fifth big cat over the last 15 years to be spotted in the area after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The animal was captured by the camera as it visited a watering hole ...

Michigan firearm deer season numbers. Where hunters saw success December 4, 2025 Lansing State Journal

... online statistics show hunters claimed 129,506 deer during the season, down from 136,524 the previous year.  Hunters took 154,000 deer in 2022 and the figure has dropped each year since...

State launches new strategy on chronic wasting disease ahead of deer season December 4, 2025 Iowa, News From The States

... Since 2013, chronic wasting disease has been detected in more than 500 deer [523] across 31 Iowa counties... Iowans can also access a dashboard online with chronic wasting disease data by county ..,

Mississippi's deer dilemma: More deer, fewer trophies? December 4, 2025 Farm Progress

... “There is a feeder for every 13 deer in the state of Mississippi, over 118,000 feeders total as a low estimate,” McKinley said. “After hunting over feeders was legalized in the state, we saw hunter success rates drop by almost a whole deer per hunter.” ..,

Muzzleloader Deer Hunting Season Resumes December 20 December 4, 2025 Maryland DNR

...Hunters are reminded that an antler-point restriction remains in effect for white-tailed deer. Deer hunters may harvest one antlered white-tailed deer within the yearly bag limit that does not meet the requirement of having at least three points on one antler. Any additional antlered white-tailed deer taken within the established bag limit must meet the minimum point restriction. All junior hunters, 16 years of age or younger, are exempt from this restriction...

EHD, This nasty virus kills healthy deer. Hunters want state to act but DNR says not so fast December 4, 2025 Indiana, The Indianapolis Star

... Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) is a deadly virus that can severely impact deer herds in Indiana ... So the DNR is now relying heavily on the public, especially hunters who are expert citizen scientists with years of expertise, to collect data ... The information is then shared with hunters through online dashboards...

City of Tega Cay SC to spend up to $44K to kill 80 more deer December 4, 2025 South Carolina, Charlotte Observer

... The council voted 4-1 in November for spending more taxpayer money on deer management ... The city has already spent over $325,000 on deer management, city figures show. In 2024 and 2025, 160 deer were shot on city property to lower the number of animals at a cost of around $60,000 ... The city also hired an outside company sterilize 200 deer in 2024 at a cost of over $268,677...

The Mexican Gray Wolf in Gila December 3, 2025 New Mexico, Wyoming Public Media

...Wolves were common in Gila National Forest and other parts of New Mexico and Arizona, surviving by hunting deer and elk. But when settlers came, deer and elk populations declined. The wolves then turned to hunting ranchers’ cattle – which led to efforts to eradicate them ... Today, 286 wolves are restricted to what’s called the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area (MWEPA)...

New Mexico State University studying impact of wind farms on wildlife December 3, 2025  KRQE

... “Based on our modeling, we can see that the habitat-use probability goes down for say, mule deer when, when you’re getting closer to a wind turbine,” said Iona Rohan, graduate student...

Montana Climate Matters: Hunting in a warming Montana December 3, 2025  belgrade-news.com

... Montana has been warming and drying with increasing greenhouse gas levels. During 1950 to 2015, average temperatures increased 2-3 degrees Fahrenheit (F). Snowpack has been declined roughly 20% over the last 80 years, especially at lower elevations... For mule deer, drought has increased mortality rates and their numbers across Montana have declined by 40% since 1980..,

Bloomington schedules controlled deer hunts at Griffy Lake to protect forest, native plants December 3, 2025 Indiana, The Bloomingtonian

... Parks and Recreation has used sharpshooters and controlled hunts to manage the deer population at Griffy Lake since 2017 ...  the lethal management program has been controversial with some Bloomington residents and animal advocates, who have previously questioned whether killing deer is necessary or humane and have pushed for non-lethal alternatives...

Ohio hunters bag over 23,000 deer on opening day November 3, 2025 WKBN

... 23,149 white-tailed deer ... This number is a decrease from the 26,670 deer reported on opening day last year but is still within the average. From 2022 to 2024 ...

Hunters find mixed bag this season December 2, 2025 Oregon, The Nugget Newspaper

... Black-tailed deer, long thought to be broadly struggling, are showing signs of stabilization and even local increases where newer population models and field observations indicate better overwinter survival and strong spring green-up... In Eastern Oregon, mule deer continue a slow regional decline, but trends vary by unit. Some areas show stable numbers and reasonable hunting success rates – around 30 percent, while other units report slight declines, lower fawn recruitment, or fewer animals entering winter..,

Where forage meets safety: The role of forest disturbances in red deer adaptation to human pressure 2026 Forest Ecology and Management

... As a result of climate change, forest disturbances such as windthrows and insect outbreaks are increasing, reshaping forest structure and altering the habitat of forest-dependent wildlife. After disturbance, forest floor vegetation provides abundant forage, while deadwood and complex structures offer shelter.. Red deer reduced their daily energy expenditure the longer they used disturbed forests, especially in areas with high human pressure. Overall energy expenditure was highest where human pressure was high. Our findings highlight that disturbed forests offer a unique habitat that satisfies both forage and safety needs...

Wild expansion: How the booming exotic wildlife industry fuels growth for businesses across Texas December 3, 2025 Texas, The Business Journals

... “As the Whitetail Deer Breeding Market has declined in recent years, the steady expansion of the Exotic Wildlife sector has created new opportunities and sustained strong demand,” ... 

Iowa’s busiest deer seasons are almost here December 2, 2025 Iowa DNR

... “We’ve had a strong harvest in Eastern Iowa, which has offset a lower deer harvest in Western, Central, Southern and Northwestern regions of the state,” said Jace Elliott, state deer biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). To date, the 2025 harvest is about exactly the same as the 2024 harvest at this point in the season.

     “We are getting reports of low deer numbers in Central and Western Iowa in the wake of severe hemorrhagic disease impacts from 2024 and 2023. Hunters are encouraged to reach out to our wildlife staff and conservation officers to discuss what they are seeing in the field.” ..,

2025 Preliminary Gun Deer Hunt License Sales And Harvest Totals Now Available December 2, 2025 Wisconsin DNR

... As of 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30, sales for deer hunting privileges (which include gun, archery, crossbow, conservation patron and sports licenses) reached 790,044, down 0.12% from the same time last year... Preliminary figures show hunters registered 182,084 deer during the 2025 gun deer season, including 86,068 antlered and 96,016 antlerless deer. Compared to 2024, the gun season harvest total is down 0.8% statewide, with the antlered harvest down 2.6% and the antlerless harvest up 0.9%..,

FWP commission floats amendments with minimal notice December 2, 2025 Missoula Current

...After Montanans complained about no-notice amendments last year, the Fish, Wildlife & Parks commission has started publicizing amendments ahead of time - but not by much... seven more regulation amendments that were proposed by commissioners, in addition to the amendments announced on Nov. 21. None of the amendments have been proposed by the department...

Scotland's new deer management powers under fire after FOI disclosure December 2, 2025 United Kingdom, FarmingUK

... Civil servants warned ministers that reducing deer alone would not deliver the Government’s objectives unless similar action was taken on sheep numbers. They stated that “significantly reducing deer numbers, without corresponding reductions in sheep numbers… will not produce the required results… and will therefore be, in effect, a waste of public money and effort.”...

Oregon state troopers set up decoy elk to catch hunters flouting state fish and wildlife laws December 1, 2025 KGW

... Throughout Oregon's elk season, OSP Fish & Wildlife troopers, armed with a convincing fake, watch and wait for poachers willing to illegally take a young male elk...

Tennessee Hunters See Sharp Drop in Opening Weekend Deer Harvest December 1, 2025 OutdoorHub

...Data from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) shows a nearly forty percent drop in the statewide harvest ... Despite the lower harvest numbers, Tennessee is not believed to be experiencing a major decline in deer population. State biologists estimate the herd at roughly 900,000 animals, a level that has remained relatively stable ... Hunter and recovery specialist Brett Rayburn ... believes ongoing problems linked to chronic wasting disease may be a factor ..,

Inside Wyoming’s fight against cheatgrass, the ‘most existential, sweeping threat’ to western ecosystems December 1, 2025 WyoFile on MSN

... The ecological scourge made Silver State officials so desperate that they were planting another nonnative, forage kochia, because it competes with less nutritious cheatgrass and offers some nourishment for native wildlife, like mule deer.  “They’ll just die, because there’s nothing there,” Mealor said. “That’s why we have to do stuff. Because we could turn into that.” ...

Sunday hunting begins in Pennsylvania for deer rifle season December 1, 2025 WPMT FOX43 on MSN

... More than half a million hunters are expected across Pennsylvania during the two-week rifle deer season, which began Saturday. Adding Sunday to the calendar effectively lengthens the season by two days, giving hunters more time and potentially increasing harvest numbers ...

Escaped domestic elk in eastern Idaho tests negative for chronic wasting disease December 1, 2025 Idaho Capital Sun

... For the first time in state history, domestic elk from two eastern Idaho captive domestic elk facilities tested positive for CWD in 2024 and early 2025, according to the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. .. The domestic elk escaped less than two years after the Idaho Legislature passed a 2024 law, House Bill 591, that eliminated the requirement to place double-fencing around quarantined domestic Cervidae or elk farms that were under quarantine orders following a positive CWD test...

New research shows drought conditions drive deer populations to croplands, urban environments November 30, 2025 Utah, KSL NewsRadio

... Drought impacts the species by gradually reducing food and habitat options in wild spaces, ultimately leading to deaths from malnutrition. The record snowpack that saved the state from drought also produced large-scale die-offs, prompting some emergency feeding measures at the time... new research out of Utah State University tracked movements of mule deer during drought and found that when water content in plants dropped to a specific low, it triggered the animals to abandon their natural habitat, often in favor of irrigated croplands and urban landscaping...

Development of High‐Throughput Genomic Resources to Inform White‐Tailed Deer Population and Disease Management 2025 Molecular Ecology Resources

... Here, we generated whole genome resequencing data for 44 free‐ranging deer from three regions in their central and eastern North American range and identified over 89 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)... These genomic tools offer a standard set of markers that will enable researchers and managers to address important questions related to white‐tailed deer and CWD management...

Protecting Key deer: Roadway construction replacing grate that discourages crossings on U.S. Route 1 November 30, 2025 Florida, keysnews.com

... The grates are similar to cattle grates and discourage diminutive Key deer from crossing roadways where the roadway infrastructure is located... They are endangered with a current population of 700 to 800 deer, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission...

Low compliance with chronic wasting disease rules alarms Idaho officials November 29, 2025 Idaho, KHQ

... Many hunters were unaware that transporting spine or brain tissue from deer, elk or moose harvested in CWD-positive states is prohibited. Nearly all neighboring states have confirmed cases of CWD...

South Dakota wetlands are under threat from the EPA's rollback November 29, 2025 News From The States

... South Dakota’s wetlands are bustling habitats for waterfowl, deer, and the wild things that make our prairie special... The EPA’s recent move exposes nearly 2 million acres of South Dakota’s wetlands to new risks, and with no strong state-level protection, we could lose even more...

Metroparks, The deer-kill numbers aren't adding up November 29, 2025 Ohio, The Vindicator

... It was reported in The Vindicator last week that 67 deer had been slaughtered. The ODNR previously stated to the park director, Aaron Young, 50 deer was the limit to slaughter...

Former Lancaster County solid waste exec offers reward in piebald deer's death October 22, 2025 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Online

... Warner said seeing the deer was almost spiritual to him and his wife, Kerry Sacco, and would lift their spirits every time they saw him.  “We just watched him, from a little guy, develop into this beautiful 3-year-old. He would come here with the other bucks...

A Look Back At North Dakota's Favorite Pet Deer Jonnie/Ruth October 20, 2025 North Dakota, US 103.3

... her name was Jonnie to some and Ruth to others.  She was a fixture for numerous farms south of Sterling and over to Braddock for about 5 years... The Fallgatters raised Jonnie as a very young fawn as her mother and sibling were hit and killed by a car.  Jonnie was also injured in that accident and suffered a broken leg... [as a fawn] a cast on her leg....

Blind Michigan deer won't be euthanized by DNR after uproar from lawmakers, animal rights group October 17, 2025 FOX 2 Detroit

... The DNR announced in a news release on Thursday this was one of the rare occurrences where a wild animal would be kept at a facility rather than humanely killed due to its impairment...

     DNR calls for rescued fawn's euthanization - and a rehabber says its over paperwork October 16, 2025 Michigan, Yahoo on MSN

... The fawn "came in very critical, unable to stand or even lift her head ... It was months and months of effort ... with vision "that wasn't 100%," wasn't returnable to the woods... were told by a DNR permit specialist that requests had to be in to the agency by Sept. 15 if they wanted to add a fawn...

Photographer captures stunning, rare creature in the Bay Area October 16, 2025 California, KTVU FOX 2

... a rare albino deer... The animal’s white coat was especially pronounced amid the fall-colored brush it stood in alongside its mother and siblings... It's estimated that one in some 30,000 deer is born with albinism...

5-million-year-old deer fossils reveal secrets of north american evolution October 16, 2025 Le Ravi

...The findings, published in Palaeo-Electronica, challenge earlier assumptions about when and where deer first roamed...  Eocoileus gentryorum fossils in the northeast Tennessee site, marking some of the oldest known traces of this deer family in North America. Dating back around five million years ...

'A tragedy': PA Game Commission investigates death of rare deer found in East Hempfield Twp. October 16, 2025 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Online

... the apparent shooting of a deer in East Hempfield Township that had a rare genetic condition that made its coat almost all white...  the deer “appeared to be shot, and it was recovered in an area where hunting is not allowed.” ...