deer population by state 2021

Deer were in trouble in Florida with low populations between the 1700s and 1940s due to unregulated hide trading, hunting and a cattle-fever tick scare that caused mass deer removal. There are six subspecies of mule deer found across California. Although it has some mule deer, most of the deer in this state are members of the white-tailed family. Managers have been able to relax hunting regulations over the years in response to increasing deer herds. Like many other states with healthy deer populations, Delaware uses managed hunting to control population levels. It is a tough balance for the Axis deer on the islands. Georgia Wildlife Resources Division: deer hunting information. Sampling of ticks in the ESA, conducted in May 2021 by the MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife found a high number of black-legged ticks (42 juveniles and 1 adult), which are known vectors for a number of diseases, including Lyme disease . White-tailed Deer in Florida | FWC - Florida Fish And Wildlife Recent field studies from southeastern United States have . Survey data is collected by field biologists using aerial and ground surveys in the . Deer are found throughout the state with three subspecies broken up by geographic location. They mostly live in the states coastal regions. Idaho is home to both mule deer and white-tailed deer. White-tailed deer are not native to Alaska and do not have well-established populations there. Deer Season Summary and Population Status Report . Read more about white-tailed deer in Michigan at Michigan.gov. North Dakota is home to both white-tailed and mule deer. Their numbers rebounded through conservation efforts from 25 in 1955 to 800 in more recent years. Slow down. White-tailed deer are mainly found in the Black Hills, Bighorn Basin and Riverton regions. The mule deer is a generalist and will forage on whatever is available. About 206,00 hunters used a crossbow and harvested 93,000 deer. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources estimated Utah's deer population at about 384,000 in 2015. Pennsylvania: 34 deer per square mile. We will be looking at the population of white-tailed deer, mule deer, and black-tailed deer. White-tailed deer and mule deer roam the grasslands and prairies of Wyoming. 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. State Farm says in any state, the risk of hitting a deer doubles in the fall, when the animals are mating. The state reports that in areas where hunting is allowed and accessible, deer numbers are well balanced. States With Minimal Deer Populations. Predation is a natural form of mortality for white-tailed deer. Population estimates for recent years put the white-tailed deer numbers around 850,000 1 million. The Mississippi State University Extension says only Texas has a larger deer population. Population Dynamics of Deer - Mississippi State University You can find blacktail deer in western Oregon, whitetail deer in northeastern Oregon and mule deer east of the Cascade range. A 2021 article in the Press Herald quoted a state biologist as saying the 2019 whitetail deer population estimate was 230,000 250,000 and that today the numbers are likely closer to 280,000 300,000. Nebraskas deer population includes 300,000 white-tail deer and 130,000 mule deer. When you click and buy we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. There is also a population of white-tailed deer in Utah, however I could not find any credible estimates other than 1,000 back in 2008. Whereas the size of white-tailed deer can vary greatly, mule deer dont show as much of a difference across their range. State/Province Updates: Moderator: Sara Holm: 1:00-1:10 PM: California Deer and Elk Status Update: . Idaho has about 520,000 white-tails, and the rest are mule deer. While overall the deer population is considered to be stable, the migratory populations in the Sierra Nevada and the black-tailed deer in the northwest are likely in decline, while suburban populations are increasing. This booming population now has deer in overabundance and the state DEC aims to control this with managed harvesting. Newborn deer, or fawns, have white spots on their coats that help camouflage them in the forest. 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. Texas is home to around 225,000 mule deer and millions of white-tail deer. Deer enjoy eating mushrooms, nuts, berries, pumpkins, spinach, and apples. I live in the Pacific Northwest and am surrounded by nature. 15 SOAs. 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department: white-tailed deer hunting information. The sika deer population is mainly found along coastal regions and is much lower than the white-tailed deer. Mule deer are the most populous, and the state combines its counts of Coues and white-tailed. 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. Found in forests as well as the suburbs, deer are often thought to have spiritual meaning and can bring nature close to home since they are often seen in backyards and neighborhoods. This is the only deer species in the state, and it is a huge conservation success story. White-tail deer are the official animal of Arkansas, These numbers are for mule deer and white-tail deer. East Tennessee Outdoors 2020 Deer Harvest Results - Elizabethton Deer populations and the deer kill across most of the state should be stable to increasing. Ohio Department of Natural Resources: hunting and trapping regulations. The Wyoming Fish & Game Department notes, Many hunters choose where they hunt deer based on the type of terrain and scenery they want to experience in Wyoming.. 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. Tennessee hunters harvested 159,879 deer in the state this hunting season. Why do so many states allow deer hunting? While their historic range expanded further east, today you can find them in western Oregon, northern California, Washington, the Alaskan panhandle and areas of British Columbia. But numbers have been on the rise since then, from an estimated 20,000 in 1940 to 700,000 in 2014. The most recent number listed on the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks site estimates 1.75 million white-tailed deer in the state. There are three main types of deer in New Mexico, the mule deer, the Coues deer and the Texas white-tailed deer. Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources: Kentuckys Deer Restoration. Deer are popular among hunters and wildlife watchers. Kansas is home to two kinds of deer, white-tailed deer and mule deer. Studies of mule deer populations have shown that they have been recorded as eating nearly 800 different plant species. Unlike white-tailed deer, some mule deer are migratory. Of the states roughly 500,000 deer, roughly 212,000 are white-tailed, and the rest are mule deer. They seem to be everywhere, but how populous are they? Like other states, Mississippi used conservation efforts to bring deer back from the brink of extinction. What is the White-Tailed Deer Population by State? It also has a small but healthy population of sika deer (Cervus nippon yakushimae) They are not native to the state, but they were released into the wild from a private farm. Thank you for visiting! Deer Friendly - Utah 2021 Oregon Deer And Elk Hunting Prospects By Region The North Carolina Wildlife Commission estimated the white-tailed deer population in the state to be around 1 million. Deer play vital roles in the natural and cultural environment of New York and are highly valued for their beauty and grace as well as the utilitarian benefits they provide. Arkansas Game & Fish Commission: deer hunting information. How many deer are in Texas? White-tailed deer populations listed by 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. As in other states, deer tend to live in different regions. Unlike the white-tailed deers antlers which branch out from a single main beam, the antlers of mule deer are bifurcated. Deer Research, Management, and Reports | Louisiana Department of Late spring to fall, they consume grasses, blackberries, apples, fireweed, pearly everlasting, forbs, salmonberry, salal, and maple. White-tailed deer density estimates across the eastern United States 2021 Colorado Herd Counts (Online Edition) State Population Totals: 2020-2022 - Census.gov There is also a small population of black-tailed deer on the island of Kauai that were introduced from Oregon in 1961. Vermont has more deer hunters than any other New England state. If you do plant deer favorites (fruit trees, sunflowers, peas, lettuce, tulips, hosta, berry bushes), do so strategically. Take a look! New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife: White-tailed deer hunting and harvest. The Largest Deer in the World Do you know which species of deer are the largest? 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) . After the breeding season is over males will shed their antlers during the winter. Thank you for reading! Sitka overall have a darker coat than the Columbian. Deer where nearly extirpated from the state by the early 1900s, with only a few thousand left in remote pockets. Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. . Since losing its mountain lions and wolves, the state depends on hunting to keep the population under control. White-tailed deer are an important game animal in the state. Deer Population by State: How Many Deer are in the U.S.? Deer Hunting Season 2022 Forecast: A State-by-State Guide 42. 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. Although Fayette County had the highest harvest rate at 2.6%. Alaska Department of Fish & Game: deer hunting information and regulations. Wayne county had a harvest percentage rate of 2.4% and Hickman county had a harvest rate percentage of 2.1%. The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is one of the most populous animals in the United States, and it is found in almost every state. 20+ Foods, Discover The Largest Whitetail Deer Ever Recorded, The 4 Best Deer Repellents: Reviewed and Ranked, How and Where Do Deer Sleep? Oregon has two species of white-tail deer. The estimated all-time low whitetail deer population numbers in Louisiana was about 20,000 in 1925. Mule deer are found in the central mountains and southern deserts of the state, while white-tailed deer are most populous in the northern forested areas. Field studies from across the United States, including Pennsylvania, show that predators - notably coyotes, bears, and bobcats - prey on white-tailed deer. The antlers are used during the breeding season to compete for breeding females. Fortunately, the early to mid 1900s is when most management programs began to try and reverse this population loss. Deer management | | Wisconsin DNR New Hampshires Fish and Game Department says human feeding has damaged its deer populations. Most deer live in the western part of the state. 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. 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. Have some feedback for us? This is mainly white-tailed deer however there is a small population of mule deer in the state also, about 1,750 3,000. Overall outlook: New York's 2021 deer hunting forecast said biologists expect 2021-'22 to be another productive season for hunters. This 2021 article in the Observer-Dispatch reports a white-tailed deer population of approximately 1.2 million. As the largest of the lower 48 states, Texas has lots of room for deer. There are an estimated 35 to 36 million deer in the U.S. Once hunted almost to extinction, they have made a successful recovery. North Carolina's 2021-22 Deer Harvest Summaries Now Available For white-tailed deer, the last mention I could find was about 520,000 around 2015. The rut, which is their mating season, occurs in the fall and the fawns are born in the spring. White-tailed deer are an important game animal in Michigan. Georgia Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) Current Deer Management Plan, 2015-2024; Deer Management Plan 2005-2014; Urban Deer Management Plan 2005-2014; Controlling Deer Damage; DNR Deer Restocking 1928-1974 The numbers game: Best WV deer counties, by hunting method The only Southern state in the top 10, Mississippi has an estimated 1.75 million white-tailed deer. New Hampshire Fish & Game: Deer Hunting in New Hampshire. 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 . . North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission: white-tailed deer overview. 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. However the accompanying article states estimates are likely conservative. The white-tail deer is the most common type of deer hunted in the United States. Once present in only a few counties, they are now abundant in each of the states 95 counties. The first game laws restricting hunting went into effect in 1853. However the Alaska Department of Fish and Game says that they are both crossing the border with Canada and starting to colonize. It also says hunters harvest a whopping 280,000 deer each year, on average. The male white-tailed deer will grow a new set of antlers every year. Deer are one of the most populous and hunted big game animals in North America. There are nearly 2,000 different species! However Texas is also home to mule deer, who live in the Trans-Pecos and Panhandle regions. 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. That is a quick comeback from the estimated 662 that were left in 1941. With laws enacted and amount of farmed land decreasing, deer began to rebound. Deer in the suburbs are well-known for eating the nice flowers and shrubs youve spent time planting in your yard. South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks: deer hunting information. The state initially planned to wait for the fall of 2021 to hold a harvest. Iowa has produced some of the largest bucks in the history of our country. If you ever see a deer in the woods and they spot you, you might catch them flagging as they run away. Deer are plentiful, and people who enjoy watching wildlife will find many opportunities to see them roaming free in forests and parks all over the country. While deer are not naturally found in Hawaii, an invasive species has taken over in the last 150 years, the Axis deer. The white-tailed deer has a reddish-brown coat in the spring which fades to a grayish-brown coat during the fall and winter. "With the information we gathered from the aerial counts and the harvest reports we can then adjust the hunting permit levels for that area," Palmer said. 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. We couldnt find any hard numbers and its likely an estimate has not yet been made. Restrictive game laws also helped allow the population to grow. This may seem small compared to the 10.1 million people living in Georgia, but it does not account for an accurate number of deer in urban areas. This graph published by the NJDEP Division of Science and Research shows the 2018 population estimate at just over 125,000 white-tailed deer. Their successful strategy has brought the estimated deer population today to about 500,000. View the latest Missouri deer harvest numbers by county. Tag numbers are approximately 20% of the estimated mule deer population for the year (low . When too many deer are in one environment, they can be a detriment by not allowing plants to grow to maturity or even completely wiping out a species of plant from an ecosystem. New Mexicos game & fish page states that while poor conditions in the early 2000s suppressed deer numbers, things have since improved and today populations are stable with most experiencing growth. 2021 Virginia Deer Season Review. Most of the population growth in recent years has occurred in the southern half of the lower peninsula. Missouri Department of Conservation: deer hunting regulations. Deer - Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries There is a really nice timeline of events affecting the deer on the states history of deer management page. Despite this, the deer population has remained stable for many years. Today, the state enjoys a healthy population of almost 1 million white-tailed deer who live in each of its 75 counties. New Hampshire: 100,000. Animal husbandry and agriculture also grew, removing forested land in favor of farming. They now live on several Hawaiian islands, and their population is estimated at around 100,000. Also, their numbers can fluctuate quite a bit based on how severe the winters are from year to year. I could not find a specific estimate for the smaller white-tailed deer population. Thank you for reading! Pennsylvania Game Commission: hunting and trapping resource page. Many white-tailed deer live in forests and prefer habitat with young growth and forest edge. Strict measure were taken to improve this, including closing all hunting for many years, restocking from other states, and cracking down on enforcing regulations. However in localized urban and suburban areas, many populations are increasing. That is a far cry from nearly zero in 1890. 84 . Rhode Island only has 18,000 deer and Delaware comes in at 45,000. Most states have yearly hunting seasons that help keep deer populations in check. They remain an important part of the states economy, generating an estimated 1.2 billion dollars through hunting. Iowa's most recent . 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. Illinois Department of Natural Resources: deer hunting information. . 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. Today its hard to image they werent always so abundant. Deer Meat: 10 Things You Should Know About Venison, Discover The Largest Whitetail Deer Ever Caught In Maine. This helps them avoid the harsher high elevation winter conditions such as deeper snow that covers up food. Montana has about 300,000 mule deer and about 213,000 white-tail deer. Some conservationists think the number of deer is too high. Deer are thriving in all parts of the state. This is according to the most recent (2019) population estimates conducted by Texas Parks and Wildlife (TP&W).. The largest deer are often found along the northern portions of their range, while the tiny Key Deer of Florida barely make it to 100 pounds. With no natural predators the population boomed. Deer Populations - Wildlife Control Information This includes flowers, grass, tree and shrub fruits, nuts, acorns, berries and lichen. Vermont is near the northernmost part of white-tailed deers range, and the deer must look for areas of shelter with mature evergreen trees to withstand the low temperatures and deep snow of winter. They are an attractive deer with a bright orange-brown coat covered in white spots, much like the fawn of white-tailed deer. Hunters in Region B the remainder of the state harvested 62,916 deer, down 13% from 72,346 . Patterns and Habitats, Deer in Texas: Types, Populations, and Where they Live. There are nearly 2,000 different species! Like many other states, Kentucky outlawed deer hunting in the early part of the 20th century. The rest are mule deer. . 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.