deer population by state 2021

Since 2015, the statewide deer harvest has increased sharply, to a record high of 14,757 last year, with more deer killed east of 495 than the central and western parts of the state combined. During the 2020 deer season it is estimated that a total of 107,212 bucks and 90,681 does were harvested for a statewide total of 197,893 deer ( Table 1 ). 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. Sitka overall have a darker coat than the Columbian. In fact the 2020-21 hunting season is reported as one of Ohios most successful with 197,735 deer harvested. Washington state is home four subspecies of deer. March 29, 2021 6:10 am. According to the state of Massachusetts deer management page, there are an estimated 95,000 white-tailed deer in the state. (Texas is big in everything, it seems even deer!) Fall 2021-22 harvest: 191,731. A popular game animal, it is so iconic to American forests that it has been named the official mammal of several states. Late spring to fall, they consume grasses, blackberries, apples, fireweed, pearly everlasting, forbs, salmonberry, salal, and maple. Over the years, she raised livestock animals, small animals, dogs, cats, and birds, which is where she learned most of what she knows about various animals and what allowed her to work as a dog groomer and manager of a specialty pet store. While the white-tailed deer more or less stop east of the Rocky Mountains, the mule deer take over west of the Rockies. 20+ Foods, Discover The Largest Whitetail Deer Ever Recorded, The 4 Best Deer Repellents: Reviewed and Ranked, Fallow Deer vs. White-Tailed Deer: Key Differences. Deer are a favorite big game animal. Alabama: 25 deer per square mile. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife: White-tailed deer in Maine. State/Province Updates: Moderator: Sara Holm: 1:00-1:10 PM: California Deer and Elk Status Update: . Focus on plants that arent as attractive to deer (marigold, verbena, snapdragon, butterfly bush, boxwood, juniper, bee balm). The dark green shaded counties have the most dense deer populations in Tennessee. In 2021, the state launched a new initiative to enhance populations of mule deer and white-tailed deer. Pennsylvania had the highest estimated number of auto claims (156,176). White-tailed deer are an important game animal in the state. State Farm says in any state, the risk of hitting a deer doubles in the fall, when the animals are mating. WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. Which states have named the white-tail deer their state animal? Controlled hunting laws have kept the population stable. Oregon has two species of white-tail deer. Deer Meat: 10 Things You Should Know About Venison, Discover The Largest Whitetail Deer Ever Caught In Maine. Like many other states with healthy deer populations, Delaware uses managed hunting to control population levels. Mule deer population trends are of concern in Montana, where declines in abundance and hunter harvest have been documented in many areas throughout the state. However world-wide there are 26 known subspecies, with 17 of those occurring in the U.S. That is up from an estimated 1.7 million ten years ago. They are most populous in states like Georgia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and New York, but they are slowly infiltrating other areas like Alaska as well. In the western states, Idaho is the only state that has at least 750,000 deer within a state. Texas is home to around 225,000 mule deer and millions of white-tail deer. Sika deer are native to Japan, but a small herd of them was introduced to the wild from a private farm. I could not find a specific estimate for the smaller white-tailed deer population. According to the same state estimates, White-tail populations have consistently increased since 1989 where they were estimated to number around 3.5 Million. Today, the state enjoys a healthy population of almost 1 million white-tailed deer who live in each of its 75 counties. Wyoming is home to both mule deer and white-tailed deer. Due to many factors including over-harvesting, hunting and habitat loss the white-tailed deer became uncommon in Connecticut between 1700 1900. Restrictive game laws also helped allow the population to grow. This study from 2020 says that while imprecise, their best estimate is 333,000 346,000 black tailed deer live across Alaska. There were fewer than 500 deer left at the time. This is due in part to lack of predators and changes in land use (less mature forest, more transition zones). Each year, hunters take 40 to 70 percent of the antlered bucks and up to 25 percent of the does within many areas of Missouri. One of the things that makes white-tailed deer so widespread is their ability to adapt to many environments. There are nearly 2,000 different species! The white-tail deer is the most common type of deer hunted in the United States. There are six subspecies of mule deer found across California. Damage to landscape overpopulation of deer in the suburbs makes them more and more apt to use your flower beds and gardens as a snack station. The Alabama Department of Conservation and other groups began restocking white-tailed deer as early as the 1930s, with most of the restocking efforts happening during the 50s and 60s. In Vermont they also prefer the valley areas that have a mix of forest and fields. On the one hand they cause a lot of damage to crops and use up many natural resources. Black-tailed deer have a white patch on rump, which their tail mostly covers. While nobody knows exactly what the deer population was before the European settlers showed up, it is believed there are many more today than there were historically. The first game laws restricting hunting went into effect in 1853. There are no western states with over a million deer. Preliminary figures show that hunters registered 175,667 deer during the What Is The Deer Population In Wisconsin? . I have seen some debate on this but at the time of writing this article the consensus is that black-tailed deer are a subspecies of the mule deer. Recent field studies from southeastern United States have . They are allowed to be hunted and in the 2017-2018 season just over 3,000 were harvested. The antlers grow in late spring, and are covered with tissue called velvet during this growth period. A spring 2020 estimate put their population at about 1,200. Read more about white-tailed deer in Michigan at Michigan.gov. The states Department of Natural Resources says these deer are abundant in every county and habitat of West Virginia. Black-tailed deer in their native Pacific northwest range live in dense coastal rainforest and semi-open habitats including riparian forest (along river banks) and areas of tangled shrubs and thicket. According to this article, the DNREC estimated the deer population at the start of the 2020-21 season at 45,000 white-tailed deer. 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. They live all over the state, and the Department of Wildlife and Parks says the population is growing. Wyoming is home to 70,000 white-tail deer and about 330,000 mule deer. Sitka are the smaller subspecies weighing between 80 120 pounds. White-tailed deer can be found throughout the state while mule deer are mainly found around and to the west of the Missouri River breaks. Ohio's average harvest compiled from the past three seasons is 184,746 deer. To understand how each metric is calculated and how the data are used view the annual deer management reports. After the breeding season is over males will shed their antlers during the winter. During the past deer season, 209,356 deer were reported killed by deer hunters in Virginia (Figure 1). Nebraska is another state that is home to both white-tailed and mule deer. 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. In the issue: Big-game preference points and herd counts! White-tailed deer are mainly found in the Black Hills, Bighorn Basin and Riverton regions. In general, black-tailed deer occur in the western half of the state, while white-tailed and mule deer occur in the eastern half. If you see a sick or abnormally thin deer or deer dead of unknown causes, please report its location to the CWD hotline: (866) CWD-WATCH (293-9282) . Overall the state reports the population is currently stable or slightly declining. The white-tailed deer gets its name from its white patches, which are behind the nose, around the eyes, inside the ears, over the chin and throat, and beneath the tail. However, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game recently added white-tailed deer to the states hunting regulations since the species is slowly migrating into the state. Recently, the number of hunters applying for a deer tag (residents and out-of-state applicants combined) is in the range of 60,000 to 80,000. A deer stocking program began in 1932 and continued for nearly 30 years. The following section is not related to the 2021 Deer Hunter Survey but is offered as information relevant to the state's deer population. Idaho is home to both mule deer and white-tailed deer. but is also indicative that the deer population is trending toward a population level that reduces damage to agriculture and minimizes impacts on our natural communities. In the 1920s, the population almost went extinct from hunting and deforestation. There is also a small population of black-tailed deer on the island of Kauai that were introduced from Oregon in 1961. Population expansion is expected at about 1-2% each year in the near future, how some areas of middle and west Tennessee may be trying to lower the deer numbers to a more manageable level. Deer Gestation Period: How Long Are Deer Pregnant? While populations still continue to fluctuate due to habitat loss, weather, disease and other factors, it remains in the hundreds of thousands. This number can drift up and down depending on the severity of the winter and how many harsh or mild winters there may be in a row. Everything You Want To Know About Muntjac, What Do White-Tailed Deer Eat? There are more than 490,000 acres of wildlife management areas in West Virginia. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. But by that time, damage to deer herds had already been happening for almost 30 years. We will be looking at the population of white-tailed deer, mule deer, and black-tailed deer. 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. It is important they have access to both the cover provided by the forest and the grazing in open areas and along the forest edge. The state says its population is well-managed and sustainable. As the largest of the lower 48 states, Texas has lots of room for deer. If this growth rate remained constant until year 10, the population would number about 900, or 1 deer per 1.3 acres. 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. 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. Hunting controls, restocking and improved habitat brought the deer population up to about 17,000 by 1965. Each year, DNR compiles county-level deer data across Indiana. White-tailed deer are not native to Alaska and do not have well-established populations there. File Layout [< 1.0 MB] Annual State Resident Population Estimates for 5 Race Groups (5 Race Alone or in Combination Groups) by Age, Sex, and Hispanic Origin: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021 (SC-EST2021-ALLDATA5) [< 1.0 MB] With each new release of annual estimates, the entire time series of estimates is revised for all years back to the last . While there is no one fail safe solution to keep them away, here are a few top tips. With larger deer populations there is also an increased risk of elevated deer tick populations. Deer rely on young forest and forest edge habitat. The only Southern state in the top 10, Mississippi has an estimated 1.75 million white-tailed deer. Maines many wild, pristine forests are a healthy habitat for deer. As conservation efforts increased, deer restocking programs helped bring in just over 4,000 deer from other states between 1928 and 1992. Oregon Department of Fish & Game: how to hunt deer and elk in Oregon. This is the only deer species in the state, and it is a huge conservation success story. Importing of white-tailed deer from Michigan began in 1930 to strategic habitats. I am a freelance writer with 22 years of experience. Iowa has produced some of the largest bucks in the history of our country. New Hampshire: 100,000. Their successful strategy has brought the estimated deer population today to about 500,000. It will be something the state keeps an eye on going forward. 4) Iowa: Deer population around 400,000. Put up a fence but it has to be tall. Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day. Survey data is collected by field biologists using aerial and ground surveys in the . 4382 WMAs. Generally cloudy. State Harvest Statistics 2022 - 2023 Deer Statistics for Alabama # of Deer reported: 195241 # of antlered reported: 102366 Public Land. North Dakota Game & Fish: deer hunting information. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. They also state the greatest density of deer can be found in Rockingham, Hillsborough and Cheshire counties, as well as along the Connecticut River Valley in Grafton County.