Which came first, the black-tailed deer or the mule deer? 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. Deer living in suburbs and areas not zoned for hunting are hard to monitor due to the fact that most of the data about the deer . It is one of the few states where mule deer are a more popular game animal than whitetails. Other deer related concerns in the state include Lyme disease and deer-vehicle collisions, which are taken to account in the states management practices. This helps them avoid the harsher high elevation winter conditions such as deeper snow that covers up food. These categories represent coarse deer density levels as identified in the QDMA . Because of this permits and licenses are becoming more flexible opening up new opportunities for the states hunters. These sika deer were originally from Japan and were released from private property in Maryland during the early 1900s. It also says hunters harvest a whopping 280,000 deer each year, on average. The population is thriving, and Louisiana permits controlled hunting to manage it. They are largely concentrated around the so-called Hill Country and Edwards Plateau regions. Mule deer are classified as the species Odocoileus hemionus, the Rocky-Mountain mule deer. This remains pretty average for the states deer population over the last 20 years which has ranged from about 115,000 to 160,000. Clearly restocking, management efforts, and the shift away from clearing land for agriculture have worked, to the point where many counties are now trying to lower the number of deer to a more sustainable number. 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. In Vermont they also prefer the valley areas that have a mix of forest and fields. Take a look! This booming population now has deer in overabundance and the state DEC aims to control this with managed harvesting. It is the only deer native to the state. Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife: hunting rules and regulations. COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio's 2021-22 deer hunting season concluded Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022, with 196,988 deer checked, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Montana has a large population of two types of deer, the mule deer and the white-tailed deer. Deer populations are actually higher than they were historically in many areas, or they are at the point of exceeding the carrying capacity of their local environment. In Mississippi, the deer herd is estimated at 1.75 million animals, which is higher on a deer-per-unit-area basis (density) than any other state, and only Texas has a greater number of deer. Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries: Deer Research, Management and Reports. Deer Gestation Period: How Long Are Deer Pregnant? That is a far cry from nearly zero in 1890. This coupled with careful management clearly has allowed deer in Mississippi to make an impressive comeback. Icon. On the one hand they cause a lot of damage to crops and use up many natural resources. White-tailed deer dominate Texas, being found in 252 out of 254 counties across the state with an estimated population of 5.3 million. I could not find an exact count that was more recent, however based on estimated deer harvest numbers the total population in Florida as of 2019 may be closer to 550,000. It is estimated by 1925 only about 400 deer remained. Washington has the most variety of deer. Unregulated commercial hunting and subsistence hunting threatened to eliminate the white-tailed deer from much of its range. 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) . High 62F. Wildlife biologists suggest developing softwood, nut-bearing habitats as a better alternative to human feeding. Like many states, Ohio successfully reintroduced deer, and they are now thriving. According to the Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937, most of the state conservation efforts are funded through hunting and fishing license sales and firearms sales. However Texas is also home to mule deer, who live in the Trans-Pecos and Panhandle regions. Despite this, the deer population has remained stable for many years. Iowa's most recent . 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. Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation: deer hunting resources. . All of these states are located east of Texas. 2) Oklahoma: Deer population around 500,000. Cattle and sheep began competing with deer for space and grazing by the 1860s, combined with the 1859 Gold Rush that brought 100,000 people into the state soon to be followed by a railroad bringing even more settlers. Overall the state reports the population is currently stable or slightly declining. The mule deer is a generalist and will forage on whatever is available. Ohio's average harvest compiled from the past three seasons is 184,746 deer. In the April 2020 state wildlife report, estimates put the elk population in the Black Hills at approximately 6,000 - 8,000, and the population in Custer State Park at approximately 460. States With Minimal Deer Populations. Sounds good for hunters, but populations this high can be problematic. The state does not count its two species separately. They have adapted well and currently coexist peacefully with the states native ecosystems. For these numbers, we have included all deer species. Although we think of deer as a forest animal, they also thrive in Floridas swampy coastal regions. Deer Season Summary and Population Status Report . Opportunities to help us shape deer population goals for 23 of Minnesota's 130 deer permit areas continue through Monday, Feb. 13, when the goal-setting questionnaire for this year will be closed. 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. Title. This is quite a noticeable decline from the population high of 250,000 seen in 1988. The dark green shaded counties have the most dense deer populations in Tennessee. We researched to find out. 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. For example, in 2016, Wisconsin had an estimated deer population of 1.3 million, while Texas had an estimated deer population of 4 million. The Columbian white-tail is a rare species named after the Columbia River. While deer are not naturally found in Hawaii, an invasive species has taken over in the last 150 years, the Axis deer. Careful management slowly brought the population back and by 1985 hunters were able to harvest 32,000 deer. Maryland Department of Natural Resources: hunting in Maryland. They will spend the summer in higher elevations, then travel down to lower elevations during the winter. Pennsylvania had the highest estimated number of auto claims (156,176). There are nearly 2,000 different species! There are three main types of deer in New Mexico, the mule deer, the Coues deer and the Texas white-tailed deer. New Mexico has three native deer species. They are classic forest creatures who feature in wilderness stories and artwork. The more recent 2021 mule deer survey (linked at bottom of article) lists about 80,600 mule deer. Deer harvests began to increase again in 2016, possibly due to coyote densities declining. The state almost destroyed its deer population. Hunters harvested 168,427 deer during the 2021-22 season; a robust number indicative of a strong population. 84 . They are most populous on the western Great Plains, in the Rocky Mountains, the southwestern states, and on the west coast of North America. A deer stocking program began in 1932 and continued for nearly 30 years. The state attracts more deer hunters than almost any other. New Hampshire Fish & Game: Deer Hunting in New Hampshire. Coat color tends to be more reddish-brown in the spring and grayish-brown during winter. 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. Hawaii does not have white-tailed deer or any native deer. The emphasis is a science-based approach to managing of mule deer populations and factors affecting deer populations. Although it has some mule deer, most of the deer in this state are members of the white-tailed family. The mule deer working group states it is difficult to estimate black-tailed deer numbers, however the 2004 estimate of 320,000 is likely close as the population has been stable since then. State wildlife officials say the actual number may be higher. The Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife estimated a population of 1 million white-tailed deer at the start of the 2020-21 hunting season. If you do plant deer favorites (fruit trees, sunflowers, peas, lettuce, tulips, hosta, berry bushes), do so strategically. Deer are an important game animal in Georgia, and the state is among many that used conservation efforts to increase its population of these deer. So what are the problems that come with too many deer? The antlers are used during the breeding season to compete for breeding females. For instance, in farmland management zones, harvesting approximately 25% of the . Sitka are the smaller subspecies weighing between 80 120 pounds. Everything You Want To Know About Muntjac, What Do White-Tailed Deer Eat? In a 2020 article the state DNR estimated a white-tailed deer population of about 900,000 1,000,000. Currently about 110,000 deer are harvested each year in the state. During this time anyone could hunt deer and they were often a life line, providing meat and skin to the early settlers. Florida Coastal White-tailed Deer (panhandle and northwestern portion of the state), Florida White-tailed Deer (northwestern, central and southern portion of the state). In 2017 the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division reported an estimated population of 1.27 million. Areas included in this final year of goal setting are the East Central Uplands block ( DPAs 52, 155, 156, 157, 159, 172, 183 . Michigans many deer are all white-tails. 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. But by that time, damage to deer herds had already been happening for almost 30 years. Hunters in southwest Michigan will be able to use a firearm from Nov. 15, 2020, through Jan. 1, 2021, except for Dec. 1-3. . The white-tailed deer has a reddish-brown coat in the spring which fades to a grayish-brown coat during the fall and winter. Deer hunting has become a major industry in Alabama, the state has 33 wildlife management areas totaling over 700,000 acres where white-tailed deer can be hunted with a permit. 1756 Forever Wild. Deer hunting is a huge sport in the state, and the 2020-21 season saw a whopping 435,180 deer harvested, one of the largest in the country. Deer Population by State: How Many Deer are in the U.S.? Focus on plants that arent as attractive to deer (marigold, verbena, snapdragon, butterfly bush, boxwood, juniper, bee balm). Connecticut DEEP: hunting and trapping information. Key deer are the smallest subspecies of white-tailed deer in North America, weighing only about 55-65 pounds. Estimates of deer density were: White = rare, absent, or urban area with unknown population, Green = less than 15 deer per square mile, Yellow = 15 to 30 deer per square mile, Orange = 30 to 40 deer per square mile, or Red = greater than 45 deer per square mile. Harvest numbers come from harvest reports submitted by successful hunters and data collected from meat locker records. The Largest Deer in the World Do you know which species of deer are the largest? In the early 1900s laws regulating deer hunting were passed but did little good as they went unenforced for the most part. Colorado Parks & Wildlife: Big Game Hunting. Thank you for reading! We protect and manage the fish, forest, and wildlife of the state. When Europeans first came to America, they found deer a plentiful resource in most states. Wyoming is home to 70,000 white-tail deer and about 330,000 mule deer. They are only found in the Florida keys and are an endangered species. They are also an important food source for the endangered Florida panther. March 29, 2021 6:10 am. 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. 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 . New Mexico is home to mule deer, Coue deer, and Texas white-tails. These deer live on a series of islands along the river. 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. The state Department of Environmental Conservation is concerned that this population may not be sustainable. Columbian weigh between 88 180 pounds. In 2021 the Nevada Department of Wildlife started the Mule Deer Enhancement Program to bring together people from all areas of the state to look at and address causes. The majority of the North American population lives east of the Rocky Mountains. A 2018 estimate puts the white-tailed deer estimate around 18,000 for Rhode Island. Sika deer are native to Japan, but a small herd of them was introduced to the wild from a private farm. Illinois Department of Natural Resources: deer hunting information. Officials are still unsure of the exact number of white-tailed deer currently living in Alaska. Wishau said the industry is seeing a real decline in new hunters. A 2021 estimate puts mule deer at a population of between 90,000 130,000. During the past deer season, 209,356 deer were reported killed by deer hunters in Virginia (Figure 1). They also said that a significant portion of that population was found in east Tennessee. Try these articles next! As conservation efforts increased, deer restocking programs helped bring in just over 4,000 deer from other states between 1928 and 1992. A small population has also been introduced on the island of Kaui, Hawaii. The lowest estimate in the state came around 1931, when Virginia was down to just 25,000 deer after over 100 years of hunting and habitat loss. Most of the population growth in recent years has occurred in the southern half of the lower peninsula. Spring Spotlight Survey Results, 2022 Deer hunting plays an important role in keeping ecosystems balanced. Deer eat a lot, about 2,000 pounds of plant matter each year. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources estimated Utah's deer population at about 384,000 in 2015. . 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 . Considering our current coyote population, these numbers go a long way in explaining why the deer harvests have decreased over the last few years. The states Department of Natural Resources and other groups want to attract more hunters to reduce deer populations. The White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is the most popular game species in Misissippi.Nationally, the white-tailed deer population likely exceeds 30 million. Nebraska. Fall 2021-22 harvest: 191,731. However the accompanying article states estimates are likely conservative. West Virginia Department of Natural Resources: big game hunting information. To try and combat this, the state has a community deer management assistance program, that includes additional licenses hunters can obtain to harvest deer on private properties, with landowner permission. Black-tailed deer have a white patch on rump, which their tail mostly covers. Of the states roughly 500,000 deer, roughly 212,000 are white-tailed, and the rest are mule deer. Recent estimates indicate about 80,000 to 100,000 mule deer, and 10,000 to 15,000 Coues and other white-tailed deer. As the population grew, the demand for market hunting increased and deer were hunted in greater and greater numbers. 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. Iowa has produced some of the largest bucks in the history of our country. Today, the state enjoys a healthy population of almost 1 million white-tailed deer who live in each of its 75 counties. North Dakota is home to both white-tailed and mule deer. Also, their numbers can fluctuate quite a bit based on how severe the winters are from year to year. According to the same state estimates, White-tail populations have consistently increased since 1989 where they were estimated to number around 3.5 Million. Arizona Game & Fish: deer hunting rules and regulations. State Harvest Statistics 2022 - 2023 Deer Statistics for Alabama # of Deer reported: 195241 # of antlered reported: 102366 Public Land. . Native plant suppression when there are more deer than the ecosystem can sustain, native plants may be grazed to the point where they are never allowed to grow, reducing food for other animals and allowing invasive species to thrive. Although Fayette County had the highest harvest rate at 2.6%. South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks: deer hunting information. It will be something the state keeps an eye on going forward. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means they fork as they grow. There is a great timeline of deer management through the years on the wildlife departments website. Most other western states have between 100,000 to 540,000 deer per state. The Columbian white-tailed deer is an endangered species so is protected rather than hunted. develop estimates of deer density across the state. Field studies from across the United States, including Pennsylvania, show that predators - notably coyotes, bears, and bobcats - prey on white-tailed deer. According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the return of this deer is a tribute to good landowner attitude and progressive management, research, and enforcement programs.. Hunters Enjoying More Older Bucks 10 Black Snakes in Georgia (With Pictures), 16 Species of Bats in Texas (With Pictures), Black Bear Population by State (Recent Reports), Mountain Lion Population (In Each U.S. State), Moose Population by State (Estimates and Info), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Maryland white-tailed deer management plan, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks site, 2017-2023 South Dakota white-tailed and mule deer management plan, 2021 Range-Wide Status of Black-tailed and Mule Deer, 12 Types of Animals With a Long Tail (with Pictures), 6 Types of Water Snakes in Illinois (Pictures), 460,420 (black-tailed and mule deer combined), 427,500 (combined white-tail and mule deer), central to eastern Canada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New England and Nova Scotia, Key deer / Florida Keys white-tailed deer, Florida keys, mainly from Sugarloaf Key to Bahia Honda Key, Coues white-tailed deer / Arizona white-tailed deer / fantail deer, Arizona and parts of New Mexico into Mexico, Dakota white-tailed deer / northern plains white-tailed deer, western and central Canada, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, North & South Dakota and western Minnesota, Hilton Head Island, Beaufort County South Carolina, south-central Oregon and southern Washington/northern Oregon border, U.S. central plains including Texas panhandle, parts of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska, Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge, McIntosh county Georgia, Rocky Mountains white-tailed deer / northwestern white-tailed deer, western Canada and northern Rocky Mountains, Gulf coast of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, Virginia white-tailed deer / southern white-tailed deer, Pacific Northwest and northern California, southeastern coastal Alaska, south central Alaska, coastal British Columbia, California mule deer (Westside of Sierra Nevada down to south coast), Desert/burro mule deer (southwest California, northwest Mexico and Arizona), Southern mule deer (Southernmost California and Baja California), Rocky Mountain mule deer (Northwest California, western and central North America), Inyo mule deer (Sierra Nevada, California). Historically mountain lions and wolves helped to control the deer population, but with the absence of those predators today hunters are the only real population control. The Sitka blacktail deer is native to the coastal rainforests of southeastern Alaska, and has been introduced to areas of South Central Alaska. 2021 population numbers listed by the state estimate 293,950 mule deer and 212,814 white-tailed deer. New for 2021, all eastern Oregon deer hunting is controlled. There are nearly 2,000 different species! 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.