Over the past 25 plus years there has been an approximately 40% decline in the number of deer hunters on western public lands and a corresponding 66% decline in the deer kill. 7.5%. Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Check stations that desire to do so can continue to offer electronic reporting services to hunters. These changes have been successful in reducing the female deer kill. Then, with the discovery of CWD in a taxidermist-sampled deer in the northwestern corner of Fauquier County in fall 2019, DMA2 was expanded to include seven counties: Culpeper, Fauquier, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, Page, and Rappahannock. Please remember to report deer that appear sick with the following symptoms (starving, staggering, obvious neurological symptoms) from anywhere in Virginia to the Virginia Wildlife Helpline at (855) 571-9003. CCC is defined as the maximum number of deer that can coexist compatibly with humans. Fall 2020 was an odd HD year. The state agency has defined roughly 100 management units between 26-1,112 square miles (with an average of 401 square miles). As deer population density increases, herd condition and reproductive rates decline. HD hit the southeastern half of the Southern Piedmont like a sledgehammer in fall 2014, but deer populations have recovered since that time. The Department also has cooperators in DMAP, primarily in agricultural areas, whose stated objective is to reduce deer densities as low as they possibly can. The one exception was a period between about 2005 and 2013 when the Department hit the deer herds hard on private lands over much of the Tidewater region with liberal seasons and regulations. 2023 Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. However, deer also inflict millions of dollars in damage to crops, trees, and gardens and are a safety risk on our highways. During the 2021 deer season it is estimated that a total of 95,351 bucks and 79,218 does were harvested for a statewide total of 174,569 deer ( Table 1 ). This was a regulation year, hence there are a lot of new deer regulation changes for fall 2021 including: Probably the biggest change for fall 2021 will be that the Department has transitioned completely to electronic reporting and will no longer distribute paper check books. While the average deer per square mile across Arlington is less than the industry standard sustainable . In some years with a heavy acorn crop, nearly 50% of the female fawns may gain enough weight to initiate a "second rut" during the second and third weeks of December. Below are several documents for persons wanting more information on DMAP: If you have any questions or need any additional information, please contact the DMAP biologist for your area shown on the map linked above. The likelihood of having an insurance claim involving a deer was 1 in 75 for Virginia . In 48 units or approximately half of the state, the Department is actively managing to reduce deer populations. Third, and when you think it cannot get any worse, in fall 2020 CWD was detected in a taxidermist-sampled deer from southern Montgomery County. in Arlington since 2020 but are still common in Virginia. This change in management direction has resulted in liberal deer hunting regulations and an increased kill of antlerless deer. In fall 2020, additional CWD detections were made in DMA2 in Fauquier (1), Loudoun (1), Madison (1), and Rappahannock (1) counties. GoOutdoorsVA internet harvest reporting system. The change in deer management direction that has taken place over the past two decades from establishing and allowing deer herd expansion to controlling deer population growth has been based on the cultural carrying capacity (CCC). Only the Plains Indians relied upon skins, since there were so few trees on the Great Plains. After the English colonists arrived in 1607, the deer population (estimated at 400,000-800,000 animals) was dramatically reduced by over hunting. Past experience indicates that the ups and downs in annual deer kill totals are in part attributable to mast acorns, mostly conditions and/or HD outbreaks. In some years, over 1,000 deer were harvested from 100 public properties.13, Fairfax County relies primarily on its archery hunts to control the deer population on county land In 1997 local officials estimated there were 25,000 deer in Fairfax County. deer populations will generally expand to the point where food resources are limiting. Approximately two decades ago all three of these counties exhibited a significant decline in deer populations. Female fawns which reach a weight of 70-80 pounds by late Fall may go into estrus. fawns have spots to help them hide from predators Michigan and Minnesota imposed five-deer limits in 1895, and Wisconsin a two-deer limit in 1897. The Department recognizes the values and traditions associated with game check stations and is exceptionally grateful to check station operators for their decades of service collecting data that have supported restoration of our deer, bear, and turkey populations; however, factors such as hunter convenience, efficiency of capturing data, and cost of distribution and collection of check books have driven the shift to electronic harvest reporting. Incomplete applications will be returned. "The state's official number is 250-plus," said Jackie Rosenberger, the wildlife biologist who oversees the elk program for the DWR. All hunters (including those who are not required to purchase a license) who harvest a deer will need to report their harvest by using the GoOutdoorsVA mobile app eNotch harvest reporting system (free through the app store), logging onto the GoOutdoorsVA internet harvest reporting system, or calling (866-GOT-GAME). Figure 1. The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is government by a board appointed by the governor. It adopted traditional control measures for county-owned land, authorizing a public archery program and managed hunts using qualified hunters selected via a lottery. early European explorers and colonists were fascinated by reports of Native American techniques for hunting deer During the Great Depression, Virginia's deer population ranged between an estimated 25,000 to 50,000, . After many years of rapidly increasing from the . Caption: Ohio's deer archery hunting season . In quiet years, that figure is less than or equal to 1%. That ended market hunting of deer and other wildlife for meat, except for personal use, but the population was so low that natural recovery would be unacceptably slow. Tradition, management efficiency, and cost effectiveness necessitate the use of recreational deer hunting as Virginias primary deer population management strategy. Over the past 29 years, the statewide annual deer kill has ranged from about 179,000 to 259,000 and averaged about 213,600. Figure 2. CWD is insidious. A major increase or decrease in the statewide deer kill total is not expected. By: Charlie Paullin - January 30, 2023 12:02 am. It is unlawful to feed deer September 1 st through the end of the hunting season in Virginia, which is the last Sunday in April for Fairfax County. For the most part, the ultra-liberal NOVA deer seasons have been successful in controlling deer numbers. Fall 2021 was a quiet HD year. Applications received after September 15 will be held and processed the next year. Active deer management is necessary to maintain deer populations at optimum levels to meet the needs of citizens of the Commonwealth. Development of CCC deer management objectives are subjective and involve a combination of social, economic, political, and biological perspectives. Monitor deer population status by management unit (county/city); Update deer population objectives (as frequently as 2 years); The best way to compare deer populations in Virginia is based on the antlered buck deer kill per square mile of estimated deer habitat. Today, the deer population in Alabama stands at about 1.5 million deer. Overall outlook: "Kentucky's deer population is looking great for the upcoming season," says Kyle Sams, deer and elk program biologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. As long as there is not another big HD event in this area in fall 2021, deer herds over most of this region should be relatively stable. for one hunting season prior to becoming eligible for DMAP tags or being issued check station materials. Source: National Park Service, Antietam NB, Monocacy NB, and Manassas NBP, Draft White-tailed Deer Management Plan and EIS. The total harvest was 1.5 percent below the 2020 deer harvest of 106,861 and was less than 1 percent below the five-year average of 105,718. The county calculated that 15-20 deer per square mile was the appropriate population level, but there were 40-100 deer per square mile in many places. The map scale should be indicated. This one-on-one relationship, stressing communication and cooperation, makes DMAP a flexible and effective deer management program. Acorns of white oaks get eaten first because they taste better. In several of these areas, DMAP has been very successful. DMAP is open to every club or landowner in the state at no charge. Additional public values were considered via stakeholder surveys and advertisement of the draft plan for broad public review. In fall 2021, approximately 2,175 samples from hunter-harvested deer were submitted by participating taxidermists. DMAP was implemented by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries in 1988. In Virginia, most deer population management objectives and regulations are generally set on a county basis. Prior to this, the county had its deer population counted by drone and a report summarizing what the drone recorded found parts of Arlington had populations of 20-39 deer per square mile, which it . All new first year cooperators are required to meet personally with their Wildlife Biologist prior to their first season in DMAP. Because these assumptions are not always true, regulations set over a large area will in some areas be too conservative and in some areas too liberal. Just like in Tidewater, HD can play a major role in the Southern Piedmont. In 2021, three positive animals were found in DMA3 including one each in Floyd and Montgomery counties. As shown in Figure 4 about of the deer herds in the Southern Piedmont are at their desired deer population level (i.e., primarily yellow or moderate). Conversely, as deer population density decreases, herd health and reproductive rates improve. virginia deer population by county. In the suburbs, low-growing vegetation has been eliminated by over-browsing. The City of Fairfax hoped that the sterilized does would remain and occupy the habitat. Managing Chronic Wasting Disease in Virginia, Deer Browsing Delays Succession by Altering Aboveground Vegetation and Belowground Seed Banks, Environmental Assessment - Deer Damage Management in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Management of White-tailed Deer in Virginia, City of Fairfax, VA - Surgical Sterilization. Arkansas nearly lost its deer population. Please support the Virginia Hunters for the Hungry program, do not feed the deer, and, most importantly, be safe. NOVA currently has the longest and most liberal deer season in the United States, running eight months in length with nearly six months of firearms deer hunting and with no daily or season bag limit on antlerless deer (with purchase of bonus permits). As of May 1, 2021, 109 CWD-positive deer have been found in 10 counties in Virginia including two in Clarke (fall 2019), one in Culpeper (fall 2018), two in Fauquier (one each in fall 2019 and 2020), 87 in Frederick (2009 to present), one in Loudoun (2020), one in Madison (2020), one in Montgomery (2020), one in Rappahannock (2020), 12 in Shenandoah (2014 to present), and one in Warren (2020). The Departments deer population management objective for private lands is indicated by the color of the up or down arrow. BCC is a function of the quality and quantity of habitat. There are currently 99 county management units ranging in size from 26 to 1,112 square miles in area (average = 401 square miles). Ensure that deer-related recreation methods are sportsmanlike and ethical and that those methods are consistent with and respect the rights of private property owners and other citizens. It is not a function of deer. These five counties have a combined population of 1.2 million people and a high concentration of deer hunting opportunities. A habitats BCC is not, however, a fixed number. After state and local officials approved spotlighting and use of bait, the organization doing the sterilization planned to capture and sterilize 90% of the female deer in 2014-15. Deer hunters who would like to know the annual deer kill totals by county dating back to 1947, including the county-specific 2021 totals, . Deer management in western Virginia has been about the same for the past couple of decades and remains two very different deer management situations. Overall the deer harvest last year crept up approximately 5.5%, which is well within what biologists feel is a stable scenario. If it is embers, then the question becomes, where is the CWD fire burning? Counties without an arrow are currently within or at their desired deer population range. Biological principles continue to play a major role in the success of deer management programs, but meaningful stakeholder involvement is also necessary. The revised Virginia Deer Management Plan will guide deer management across the Commonwealth through 2024. 49 . Knox said the change wasn't necessary, given that "Virginia's current .23-caliber regulation has been in place for the last 64 consecutive years with no problems or issues," and warned it would result in "more wounded and crippled deer" in the state's forests. Continued high human population growth rates, crop damage, and deer-vehicle collisions remain important deer management issues in Tidewater. The court upheld the association's right to control hunting within that community, and the two landowners were "grandfathered" permission to hunt because they had documented that use prior to passage of the new restrictions in 2004. Beginning this fall all seven counties in DMA2 will have both an early September and a late January through March antlerless only deer season on private lands. home. Washington Deer Population: An esti mated 252,000 deer in 2021 down from about 278,000 in 2020 and 310,000 in 2014. In fall 2021, North Carolina discovered their first ever CWD positive deer in a buck killed just south of the Yadkin River in Yadkin County almost exactly 20 miles due south of Carroll and Patrick counties. An unlimited daily bag limit has been created in all cities and towns that allow deer hunting, except in Chesapeake, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach. Carroll County has been added to DMA3, and the firearms deer season has been extended to four weeks on private lands. The West Virginia Division of Wildlife and Natural Resources will hold public meetings in March to discuss the deer hunting regulations for the fall of 2022. Acorns are the preferred food in the Fall. The good news is that 2021 was the first year the outside of the DMAs taxidermist CWD surveillance program did not detect a big jump in CWD. To address this situation in fall 2019, a new DMA2 was established that included all of Culpeper, Madison, and Orange counties. Current population estimates put West Virginia's bear population near 15,000 animals, and bears have been harvested in 53 of 55 counties in recent years. The decline in the western public land deer kill has been halted, but the western public land deer population has not and is not expect to recover to past deer population levels unless there is a significant change/major improvement in deer habitat conditions. HD occurs every year in Virginia at some low level. Virginia DWR "historically has said, 'OK, well, you have to draw . . By clarifying goals and directions of deer management, this plan will assist the DWR Board of Directors, DWR administrators and staff, and the public in addressing deer issues. As described by Mark Taylor in his Roanoke Times column:14, in 2006, deer populations on private lands were below desired levels only in three southwestern counties, where habitat was increasing as strip mines reforested An adult deer eats about one ton of vegetation each year, and public parklands were being damaged by excessive grazing. Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service, White-tailed Deer Fawn. In Virginia, most deer population management objectives and regulations are generally set on a county basis. The deer thrived in savannah-like habitats which the Native Americans created through intentional burning. Note there are 97 major deer management units in Virginia. 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