It is one of the few states where mule deer are a more popular game animal than whitetails. Read More Even though black-tailed deer are considered subspecies of mule deer, there is still some debate on their origins and they are often counted separately. The first recorded sightings of the white-tailed deer in Utah happened in the northern part of the state, Cache county, in the late 1990s. After the breeding season is over males will shed their antlers during the winter. White-tailed deer were plentiful in Illinois during the early 1800s, but supply began to dwindle by 1850 with the development of the railroads, cutting of timber and conversion of prairie land to farm land. In the late 1800s, India gifted eight Axis deer to King Kamehameha V. These eight ended up on Molokai and have since been introduced to most of the other Hawaiian islands. The largest deer are often found along the northern portions of their range, while the tiny Key Deer of Florida barely make it to 100 pounds. RALEIGH, N.C. (May 10, 2022) Results from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's annual deer harvest summary indicate hunters across the state reported harvesting 168,427 deer during the 2021-22 hunting season a 6.3% increase . These experiments demonstrate the tremendous capacity for deer population growth when occupying good habitat. Depending on the time of year, they eat: The total population of all deer in the U.S. is around 25 to 35 million. Deer Reports | Missouri Department of Conservation The 2020-2021 deer season showed hunters how . Wishau said the industry is seeing a real decline in new hunters. They are accurate to the best of our knowledge. Indiana Department of Natural Resources: White-tailed Deer History & Biology. For both species females are smaller than the males. While overall the deer population is considered to be stable, the migratory populations in the Sierra Nevada and the black-tailed deer in the northwest are likely in decline, while suburban populations are increasing. Try these articles next! We will be looking at the population of white-tailed deer, mule deer, and black-tailed deer. That brings us to the topic of this article, where we will dive into what the deer population is in each U.S. state, and which types of deer you can find there. Ohio had lost most of its deer by 1900 due to habitat loss and hunting. The TWRA page states that the deer population has expanded from just a few counties in eastern Tennessee during the 1940s to being present in all 95 counties state-wide today. The rest are mule deer. In 1974 the state passed the Deer Management Act and had its first deer hunting season the following year. Learn more about the gestation period of fawn in this article. This 2015 article states the Arizona Big Game Management estimated Coues population at about 50,000-60,000 deer. 2021 data shows an estimated mule deer population of about 84,000 90,000 in Nevada. Fallow Deer vs. White-Tailed Deer: Key Differences Discover the different traits between the white-tailed and fallow deer species. Everything You Want To Know About Muntjac, What Do White-Tailed Deer Eat? White-tail deer are the official animal of Arkansas, These numbers are for mule deer and white-tail deer. Mule deer make up the majority, with white-tailed deer mainly found in eastern parts of the state and a few pockets in central and mountain areas. Despite this, the deer population has remained stable for many years. Michigan State University Extension . SCDNR - 2021 Deer Harvest Report - South Carolina Department of Natural This not only allows them to digest a wide variety of foods, but they can eat and wait until later to digest. Today Arkansas enjoys plenty of deer, with a 2020 estimate of 900,000 white-tailed deer. The Best Deer Hunting States in 2022 - Silencer Central While populations still continue to fluctuate due to habitat loss, weather, disease and other factors, it remains in the hundreds of thousands. Deer eat a lot, about 2,000 pounds of plant matter each year. According to this article in the Des Moines Register, the states estimate for whitetail deer population in 2020 was 445,000. While populations often have good and bad years, the state feels its time to step in and try to improve the situation. That is up from an estimated 1.7 million ten years ago. Idaho has about 520,000 white-tails, and the rest are mule deer. Ideally 8 feet and solid (not opaque). Deer Information & Resources | Department Of Natural Resources Division Vermont is near the northernmost part of white-tailed deers range, and the deer must look for areas of shelter with mature evergreen trees to withstand the low temperatures and deep snow of winter. Deer Gestation Period: How Long Are Deer Pregnant? Maines many wild, pristine forests are a healthy habitat for deer. An article published in November of 2021 in the CT Insider quotes the CT DEEP stating that the three year average for total deer population in the state is 101,000. Hunting is the leading cause of deer mortality in most of the state (Figure 3). They are classic forest creatures who feature in wilderness stories and artwork. 2021 WAFWA Deer & Elk Business Meeting: Jim Heffelfinger: 1:00-2:40 PM: Deer Session 3: Disease: How many deer are in Wisconsin 2021? The antlers are used during the breeding season to compete for breeding females. This includes flowers, grass, tree and shrub fruits, nuts, acorns, berries and lichen. . Courtesy of onX Hunt, here are the eight states in the USA with the highest deer density: Mississippi: 38 deer per square mile. State wildlife biologists were concerned about damage from these non-native deer, but monitoring programs have found they coexist peacefully with the states native species. Harvest numbers come from harvest reports submitted by successful hunters and data collected from meat locker records. White-tailed deer population in Pennsylvania has been 1.4-1.5 million for the last few years. Predators kill white-tailed deer. Williamson, WV (25661) Today. The supply of deer food throughout the state was in generally good condition. According to a quote in the Michigan Bridge made by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, there may be as many as 2 million deer in the state today. This means they fork as they grow. Deer populations & goals | Minnesota DNR Overall the state reports the population is currently stable or slightly declining. She now has three rescue cats and two high-needs Pomeranian mixes to take up her love and attention. The tail is straight and black on top with white underneath. For these numbers, we have included all deer species. The only Southern state in the top 10, Mississippi has an estimated 1.75 million white-tailed deer. Rhode Island only has 18,000 deer and Delaware comes in at 45,000. Population Dynamics of Deer - Mississippi State University However they are not out of the woods with continued habitat loss and disease (such as the 2017 screwworm epidemic that killed a large portion of male Key deer) threatening their numbers. The main noticeable difference between the mule deer and the white-tailed deer are ear size, tails, and antlers. Learn more about us & read our affiliate disclosure. Many animals, such as songbirds, rely on this understory habitat. Deer management units with the highest fall densities were mostly in the east-central, south-central and southwestern parts of the state. Only about 1,000 of these deer are white-tail deer. It is easy to see deer in most U.S. state parks, reserves, and even suburban yards. The state's 630,000 deer hunters generate $2.2 billion annually, but according to a report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum, hunting license sales dropped by 5.8 percent from 1999 to 2017. Thank you for reading! For many years deer hunting wasnt allowed in the state in efforts to allow the population to recover from the overhunting of the 1700s and early 180os. According to data from State Farm, U.S. drivers had 1.9 million animal collision insurance claims in the U.S. between July 2021 and June 2022, down 5.5 percent from the same period a year ago. Overall outlook: "Unless there is a significant EHD event, deer populations and the deer kill across most of the state should be stable to increasing," Matt Knox, deer project coordinator with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, wrote in his 2022 forecast. The FWC is working to reduce the risk of CWD spreading into this state with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, hunters, captive cervid owners, landowners, and the public. During the past deer season, 191,731 deer were reported killed by deer hunters in Virginia. A 2020 study by the Mule Deer Working Group put total deer population (including black-tailed and mule deer) in California at 460,420. The overall size, length, and branches on antlers depends on how well-fed the deer is, how old it is, and some is just genetics. Growth has boomed since with an estimated population today of 700,000 750,000 white-tailed deer. Delaware Deer Harvest Announced for 2021/22 Hunting Season Tennessee hunters harvested 159,879 deer in the state this hunting season. While overall population is down from the peak years of the mid to late 1990s, density of deer still remains a problem in many suburban parts of the state. Which states have the most white-tail deer? The only population estimate I could find for sika deer was approximately 10,000 in 2016. File Layout [< 1.0 MB] Annual Estimates of Resident Population Change for the United States, States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and State Rankings: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022 (NST-EST2022-POPCHG2020-2022) [< 1.0 MB] With each new release of annual estimates, the entire time series of estimates is revised for all years back to the . As any gardener knows, deer also eat fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Maryland also has a population of sika deer. Nebraskas deer population includes 300,000 white-tail deer and 130,000 mule deer. A separate mule deer survey put the mule deer population in 2021 at 53,400, so it would appear the large majority of deer in Kansas are white-tailed. Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day. 3) Colorado: Deer population around 25,000. This total included 95,665 antlered bucks, 12,219 button bucks, and 83,847 does (44% females). Program Schedule - California Fish and Wildlife Scientific Journal After gathering 2020 data the state reported stable mule deer herds and slightly increasing whitetail herds. In some areas, state wildlife officials have increased the number of hunting permits to help bring down deer populations. About 74,000 hunters participated in the state's 2017 spring turkey season, and killed 33,000 birds. Alabama: 25 deer per square mile. Finally, Maine's deer population grew prolifically through the 1990's as a result of the regulatory system that limited doe harvest, plus a series of mild winters. Of the states roughly 500,000 deer, roughly 212,000 are white-tailed, and the rest are mule deer. While there is no one fail safe solution to keep them away, here are a few top tips. Learn more. Unregulated commercial hunting and subsistence hunting threatened to eliminate the white-tailed deer from much of its range. Deer are thriving in the states forested areas. Deer Harvest Map. We protect and manage the fish, forest, and wildlife of the state. The antlers grow in late spring, and are covered with tissue called velvet during this growth period. It is estimated that only 10,000 deer inhabited the state in 1900. The most recent data I could find for white-tailed deer reported around 300,000 in 2016. Like many other states, Kentucky outlawed deer hunting in the early part of the 20th century. Tennessee's Most Efficient Deer Hunting Counties - ArcGIS StoryMaps Deer species in the U.S. are split into eastern and western groups, with some cross over in the middle. The Department notes that deer live in natural woodlands, shelterbelts, old homesteads, and grasslands in every part of Kansas. Making deer dependent on human feeding can make them more vulnerable to predators, diseases, and vehicle collisions. Focus on plants that arent as attractive to deer (marigold, verbena, snapdragon, butterfly bush, boxwood, juniper, bee balm). Wisconsin is having a deer boom, with this 2021 article reporting the states population of 1.6 million is the highest its been in decades. This remains pretty average for the states deer population over the last 20 years which has ranged from about 115,000 to 160,000. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. In the 1920s, the population almost went extinct from hunting and deforestation. All of these states are located east of Texas. North Carolina's major efforts to restore our state's deer resource took place in the 1940s through the 1970s. Trying to figure out their population in the state is challenging due to the remote and densely forested areas where they live. This includes during the winter and early spring, they feed on Douglas fir, western red cedar, red huckleberry, salal, deer fern, and lichens growing on trees. State-by-State Hunting Data | Archery Trade Association While the white-tailed deer more or less stop east of the Rocky Mountains, the mule deer take over west of the Rockies. There are no western states with over a million deer. The Oklahoman reports the estimated deer population today at around 750,000. Spotlight surveys have been used by biologists nationwide since the mid-1900s and are effective for monitoring population trends, determining the distribution of species, identifying habitat use, and predicting disease outbreaks. They are allowed to be hunted and in the 2017-2018 season just over 3,000 were harvested. We also share helpful tips and guides on a variety of topics related to animals and nature. Based on preliminary data provided by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) the number of reported deer-vehicle collisions for 2021 was 6,409 . White-tailed Deer in Florida | FWC - Florida Fish And Wildlife South Dakota has more than 80,000 mule deer and 420,000 white-tail deer. They are adaptable to a wide range of climate conditions. Nevada's mule deer 'problem': It's not what they say The distribution of hunted deer is about 60% mule deer and 40% Coues deer. If it is just a garden you are trying to protect, you can net off that specific area rather than your whole yard, Motion detecting sprinklers can work great to startle them away. Survey data is collected by field biologists using aerial and ground surveys in the . With larger deer populations there is also an increased risk of elevated deer tick populations. Wildlife managers are tasked with the difficult mission of maintaining or recovering deer populations, dampening the magnitude of potential future declines, and stabilizing hunter . The state is also home to the rare, endemic Key deer, which is the smallest subspecies of white-tailed deer. Today, the population sits around 660,000. Making deer dependent on human feeding can make them more vulnerable to predators, diseases, and vehicle collisions. Wildlife biologists suggest developing softwood, nut-bearing habitats as a better alternative to human feeding. I could not find a specific estimate for the smaller white-tailed deer population. Texas has the highest deer population, 5.5 million! They seem to be everywhere, but how populous are they? Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources: Kentuckys Deer Restoration. Title. 2021 Oregon Deer And Elk Hunting Prospects By Region Late spring to fall, they consume grasses, blackberries, apples, fireweed, pearly everlasting, forbs, salmonberry, salal, and maple. Recently the state has been increasing their any-deer (does or bucks) permits in an effort to bring down the population due to complains about too many deer and high levels of Lyme disease in certain areas. With no natural predators the population boomed. Currently about 110,000 deer are harvested each year in the state. In the current Maryland white-tailed deer management plan the most recent population estimate I saw was 207,000 tailed deer in 2018. The majority of the North American population lives east of the Rocky Mountains. Producers working to lower deer populations in their fields have found that these early hunts are critical in reducing the total number of female deer over the course of the year. In the early 1900s laws regulating deer hunting were passed but did little good as they went unenforced for the most part. Thing have come a long way from the first post-conservation deer estimate of 500-700 deer in 1936. It has around 100,000 white-tail deer, 100,000 mule deer, 100,000 black-tail deer, and more than 5,000 Columbian white-tail deer. Our mission at Wildlife Informer is to share free information and pictures of wildlife with our readers. Lets find out. Pennsylvania: 34 deer per square mile. Like many states, Ohio successfully reintroduced deer, and they are now thriving. Mule deer are native to the state, and the white-tailed deer were introduced by Idaho Fish & Game in the 1950s to present more hunting opportunities. Everything You Want To Know About Muntjac, What Do White-Tailed Deer Eat? Unlike the white-tailed deers antlers which branch out from a single main beam, the antlers of mule deer are bifurcated. Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission: information for hunting in Florida. Georgia Wildlife Resources Division: deer hunting information. 4) Iowa: Deer population around 400,000. White-tailed deer are classified as the species Odocoileus virginianus, the Virginia white-tailed deer. Deer numbers in Arkansas significantly declined due to unrestricted market hunting during the 1800s until 1915. As in other states, deer tend to live in different regions. Due to many factors including over-harvesting, hunting and habitat loss the white-tailed deer became uncommon in Connecticut between 1700 1900.
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