Shawnee
member
Controlling urban deer populations remains difficult
By Jim Morris
Staff Writer
Friday, July 04, 2008
Trying to control deer populations, especially in urban areas, is a little bit like trying to hold a jellyfish in your hand. Not only will it slip out one side or the other, but you might get a little sting for your trouble.
Ohio's deer population is estimated to be 650,000 to 700,000. The only proven method of controlling deer population has been hunting. In areas such as parks and some municipalities where hunting is prohibited, sharpshooters have been used.
Deer are unpredictable, as demonstrated by the 26,304 deer-vehicle crashes (10 fatal) on Ohio roads last year. That number dropped from 28,240 in 2006, probably because of Ohio's record deer hunting season that year when 237,316 were killed.
Deer also cause millions of dollars in crop damage and damage to shrubbery and other plants in residential areas.
Occasionally, deer will stray into populated areas, usually looking for food when it is scarce. The case of the buck jumping through a plate glass window into the Beavercreek YMCA swimming pool last month is particularly unusual.
"It's hard to say just why that deer acted that way," said Dave Kohler, wildlife supervisor for the District 5 office of the Division of Wildlife. "It probably saw a reflection of a wooded area and ran toward it. Birds crash into windows all the time, seeing reflections, but it's pretty unusual for a deer."
The buck lost an antler before it ran out a door and into adjoining woods. If it survives its other cuts and makes it to next year, it will shed the remaining antler and grow new ones.
Current strategy by the Ohio Division of Wildlife is to reduce the overall number of deer by enticing hunters to kill more does. Special antlerless deer permits were created last year to meet that goal. In addition, over the years, hunters have been allowed to kill more deer in areas just outside of large cities, hoping to get at those animals that might stray outside of areas where hunting is not allowed. The state is also set up in zones, allowing hunters to kill more in areas where deer are more densely populated.
No-hunting areas are usually created because of the threat to human populations from guns and arrows.
Park districts, such as Five Rivers MetroParks and the Hamilton County Park District, have been using sharpshooters to control deer populations for several years and have also been allowing controlled archery hunting in more isolated areas.
Scientists all over the country have tried and failed to come up with a way to control deer populations by methods other than hunting. Relocation was tried by the park district in Columbus several years ago, but failed when most of the quarantined deer died.
Kohler said the unchecked growth rate of a deer population is about 40 percent each year. So if you have 10 deer in your property this year, you'll have 14 next year, and so on. Of course, if you have nine does and one buck, that number will be higher. The average number of fawns produced by a doe per year is about 1.8.
During the past month or so, most of Ohio's annual number of 300,000 fawns were born. The months of July and August are typically when deer are less active, as demonstrated by the number of vehicle-deer crashes. Last year there were 1,118 in July and 803 in August. Compare that to 3,897 in October and 5,850 in November when the deer mating season is at its peak.
For more information, visit wildohio.com.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2409 or [email protected].
By Jim Morris
Staff Writer
Friday, July 04, 2008
Trying to control deer populations, especially in urban areas, is a little bit like trying to hold a jellyfish in your hand. Not only will it slip out one side or the other, but you might get a little sting for your trouble.
Ohio's deer population is estimated to be 650,000 to 700,000. The only proven method of controlling deer population has been hunting. In areas such as parks and some municipalities where hunting is prohibited, sharpshooters have been used.
Deer are unpredictable, as demonstrated by the 26,304 deer-vehicle crashes (10 fatal) on Ohio roads last year. That number dropped from 28,240 in 2006, probably because of Ohio's record deer hunting season that year when 237,316 were killed.
Deer also cause millions of dollars in crop damage and damage to shrubbery and other plants in residential areas.
Occasionally, deer will stray into populated areas, usually looking for food when it is scarce. The case of the buck jumping through a plate glass window into the Beavercreek YMCA swimming pool last month is particularly unusual.
"It's hard to say just why that deer acted that way," said Dave Kohler, wildlife supervisor for the District 5 office of the Division of Wildlife. "It probably saw a reflection of a wooded area and ran toward it. Birds crash into windows all the time, seeing reflections, but it's pretty unusual for a deer."
The buck lost an antler before it ran out a door and into adjoining woods. If it survives its other cuts and makes it to next year, it will shed the remaining antler and grow new ones.
Current strategy by the Ohio Division of Wildlife is to reduce the overall number of deer by enticing hunters to kill more does. Special antlerless deer permits were created last year to meet that goal. In addition, over the years, hunters have been allowed to kill more deer in areas just outside of large cities, hoping to get at those animals that might stray outside of areas where hunting is not allowed. The state is also set up in zones, allowing hunters to kill more in areas where deer are more densely populated.
No-hunting areas are usually created because of the threat to human populations from guns and arrows.
Park districts, such as Five Rivers MetroParks and the Hamilton County Park District, have been using sharpshooters to control deer populations for several years and have also been allowing controlled archery hunting in more isolated areas.
Scientists all over the country have tried and failed to come up with a way to control deer populations by methods other than hunting. Relocation was tried by the park district in Columbus several years ago, but failed when most of the quarantined deer died.
Kohler said the unchecked growth rate of a deer population is about 40 percent each year. So if you have 10 deer in your property this year, you'll have 14 next year, and so on. Of course, if you have nine does and one buck, that number will be higher. The average number of fawns produced by a doe per year is about 1.8.
During the past month or so, most of Ohio's annual number of 300,000 fawns were born. The months of July and August are typically when deer are less active, as demonstrated by the number of vehicle-deer crashes. Last year there were 1,118 in July and 803 in August. Compare that to 3,897 in October and 5,850 in November when the deer mating season is at its peak.
For more information, visit wildohio.com.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2409 or [email protected].
