Nebraska Game & Parks: deer hunting in Nebraska. That was a 26 percent increase from the 2019-2020 season of 126,452. No, thats not at the top. Because while it isnt as good as it once was due to Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), it still continues to surpass expectations. Some might ask what the perfect number is. According to one source, the introduction of the white-tailed deer did not negatively impact the mule deer, elk or moose in the state as they occupy different types of habitat. However, where you find deer, youll usually find a lot of them. 8 with 7.7 deer per square mile. 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. 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. Now, being a plains state, theres a lot of open ground in Oklahoma. Today its hard to image they werent always so abundant. Bonus reads:Top 10 Booner States for Deer Hunting Since 2010 |10 Worst Deer Hunting States to Kill a Booner |Top 15 Deer Hunting States for Meat Hunters. It is every users responsibility to know the land ownership of and regulations pertaining to the area which he or she intends to use for recreational purposes. Most of the population growth in recent years has occurred in the southern half of the lower peninsula. Forest Service Research Data Archive. Utah: 315,000 Only about 1,000 of these deer are white-tail deer. TWRA has made a reasonable effort to assure the accuracy of the map; nevertheless, some information contained therein may not be accurate. 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. The majority of the North American population lives east of the Rocky Mountains. 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. Apparently people feeding deer, especially during the winter, has been an issue in the state. That said, dont take anything away from Kansas, because it continues to be one of the best states in the entire country. Key deer are the smallest subspecies of white-tailed deer in North America, weighing only about 55-65 pounds. This graph published by the NJDEP Division of Science and Research shows the 2018 population estimate at just over 125,000 white-tailed deer. To browse or use data from this site, no account is necessary! So what are the problems that come with too many deer? Advertisement The region as a whole had a harvest of 20,546 deer. Crossbows are legal during the entire archery season on both the Kentucky and Tennessee portions of LBL. Studies of mule deer populations have shown that they have been recorded as eating nearly 800 different plant species. This has rebounded from the estimated 10,000 deer in 1900. In 1991, hunting related expenditures had an overall impact of over $405,238,000 to Tennessee's economy. However, at an application level, density analysis can provide valuable insight into natural and social phenomena. Hunting of black-tailed deer is allowed, and at the time of writing this article so is hunting of mule and white-tailed deer, in order to help get more information on these new populations entering the state. White-tailed deer prefer the more agricultural and upland areas of the state, whereas the sika deer prefer marshes and forested wetlands. White-tailed deer dominate Texas, being found in 252 out of 254 counties across the state with an estimated population of 5.3 million. QDM is generally defined by three principles; Although the State does not argue the importance and legitimacy of all three practices, QDM can not be practiced on a statewide basis since it is impossible for the Agency to provide optimum habitat statewide due to the expanse and physiographic variability of the land. While caribou, elk and moose are all Cervids, that is members of the deer family, we are not discussing them in this article. However world-wide there are 26 known subspecies, with 17 of those occurring in the U.S. The only population estimate I could find for sika deer was approximately 10,000 in 2016. South Dakota is home to both the white-tailed and mule deer. In response to the growing popularity of quality deer management (QDM), the Agency has continually researched QDM initiatives. As mentioned, some areas will be higher and some will be lower. The estimated all-time low whitetail deer population numbers in Louisiana was about 20,000 in 1925. Our deer blog is one of the longest-running and most popular ones out there. That is a quick comeback from the estimated 662 that were left in 1941. 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. All this brings us to today. Where found: Coastal areas of the U.S. along the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. I could not find a specific estimate for the smaller white-tailed deer population. This flash can alert other deer that danger has been spotted, and is known as flagging. On the other hand, hunting them provides food for many and their meat is very prized. The Sooner State comes in at No. 2. Here is my WAG. Conversely, buck fawns only have small bony growths, which do not protrude through the skin, during the fall and winter after their birth. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2019-0053. That is up from an estimated 1.7 million ten years ago. Other deer related concerns in the state include Lyme disease and deer-vehicle collisions, which are taken to account in the states management practices. Deer populations in Tennessee are affected by hemorrhagic disease (HD) on occasion. Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation: deer hunting resources. Males are larger than females. (original article) Quality Deer Management Association. Oregon Department of Fish & Game: how to hunt deer and elk in Oregon. It also says hunters harvest a whopping 280,000 deer each year, on average. White-tailed deer population in Pennsylvania has been 1.4-1.5 million for the last few years. If you ever see a deer in the woods and they spot you, you might catch them flagging as they run away. I dont blame them. Wyoming is home to both mule deer and white-tailed deer. According to this article current estimates are about 40,000 60,000 on Molokai, 20,000 on Lanai and 30,000 50,000 on Maui. 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 coupled with careful management clearly has allowed deer in Mississippi to make an impressive comeback. Total deer killed in a county (wilkinson) (1644) divided by the # of total land square miles (452) in that county ,taking into account that the total legal reported harvest should be 35% of the total deer killed and another 5% for road kill,predation. 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. Human dimension studies conducted by the University of Tennessee show a deer hunting satisfaction rate of approximately 80% between the years 2000-2004. Deer with HD often lose their appetite and fear of humans. These deer gained the name mule due to their elongated ears that resemble a donkey. The 2021 mule deer survey put their population within the state at 227,392. A small population has also been introduced on the island of Kaui, Hawaii. It may be that monitoring of this species separate from overall deer in the state has not yet been established. Coat color tends to be more reddish-brown in the spring and grayish-brown during winter. There is some concern that in the long run, they may outcompete the native mule deer. Therefore, QDM is best left as a management tool utilized by individual hunters and/or landowners. The estimated population total today is 427,500 mule deer and white-tailed deer. When alarmed, white-tailed deer will raise their tail straight up, flashing the white. These outside sources sometimes do not give the proper information, or even worse, feed hunters misguided, commercially based information which does not pertain to statewide management. Trying to figure out their population in the state is challenging due to the remote and densely forested areas where they live. It is transmitted through animal-to-animal contact, animal contact with a contaminated environment, and with contaminated feed or water sources. Sponsorship: Quality Deer Management Association; US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service-Northern Research Station; Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station. 6 to 7 spot. However the accompanying article states estimates are likely conservative. Another plains state, we see virtually the same story as in Oklahoma. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources: deer hunting resources. It made our list of top meat hunting states and is one of the top producers of Booner bucks. But one thing is for sure, hunters wont mind seeing as many deer as the land can healthily support. The state manages land to focus on quantity of deer in some areas, and quality of deer in others. Estimated Number of Hunters by Species. 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. After many years of stability, the state reports deer population trended downwards between 2003 and 2015. On average in North America, males weigh 121 331 pounds and females weigh 95 198 pounds. The more recent 2021 mule deer survey (linked at bottom of article) lists about 80,600 mule deer. This includes flowers, grass, tree and shrub fruits, nuts, acorns, berries and lichen. Time_Period_of_Content: Time_Period_Information: Single_Date/Time: 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. Things began to turn around when state refuges were created and periodic deer stocking occurred. Today Arkansas enjoys plenty of deer, with a 2020 estimate of 900,000 white-tailed deer. 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