New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Pennsylvania
Deer Management Plans
New York
Deer hunting season to begin at Columbia Land Conservancy properties, HudsonValley360, Sept 26, 2019
Port Jefferson plans deer cull, as deer population is estimated at up to 500, Newsday, April 23, 2019
Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Makes Announcement on Lyme Disease Prevention, New York City, July 23, 2018
NY’s Gov. Cuomo includes Lyme in 2018 “State of State” agenda, Lymedisease.org, Jan 5, 2018
Deer Overabundance, New York State Dept of Environmental Conservation
Notice of Availability of the Final White-Tailed Deer Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement, Fire Island National Seashore, New York, National Register, Dec 31, 2015
Village of Fayetteville, NY
Deer Management Plan, Revised Plan – September 2016
Numerous studies have shown significant reductions in tick density following a reduction in deer density, with other hosts present.
Other measures of success, because they imply progress towards the ultimate goal of eight (8) or fewer deer per square mile, will include:
- 1. Reduced risk of new Lyme disease incidents, as measured by tick drags, which will occur annually in the same locations.
2. Reduced deer-vehicle collisions as reported by the Town of Manlius Police Department annually.
3. Reduced property damage as reported by Village residents.
Fayetteville Deer Management Update
Fayetteville deer culling program to proceed, with revisions, in 2018, EagleNews, Nov 29, 2017
Lloyd Harbor Mayors Message, 2016
Council determined that professional deer management would be more effective than local deer hunters have been
Deer Management, Westchestergov.com, 2015
City of Hamilton, NY on Deer Culling, June 2016
Deer 2016, Village of Lloyd Harbor, NY
Lloyd Harbor Village covers 9.2 square miles and in area and has a population of approximately 3,400.
2015/2016 Deer Management Program, City of Southold
Environmental Assessment: White-tailed Deer Damage Management in New York, APHIS-2015-0093, Nov 2015
New York’s Deer Management Program, New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation
- According to the 2009-2018 Game Commission Whitetail Deer Management Plan deer management objectives are no longer defined by deer densities. Deer management is defined instead by measures of deer health, forest habitat health and deer-human health conflict. A deer population estimate is NOT a requirement for the issuance of a deer control permit (PGC)
- Recent field studies suggest that sterilization of female deer remains expensive. Sterilization may provide an alternative management technique for reducing suburban deer herds in communities willing to endure the costs of a long-term effort and where lethal deer removal is unacceptable or impractical. Surgical sterilization is scale-limited based on the ability to capture and sterilize a significant percentage of the female deer in a population and maintain that proportion of the population treated over time.
- Evaluation of PZP Deer Birth Control Program: In 2000 USC made application to conduct an experiment using PZP. Approval from the PGC, FDA and Humane Society was mandatory. PGC gave the township a qualified approval subject to approval from the FDA and HSUS but HSUS backed away after a determination that this option was impractical due to the free-ranging nature of the herd.
- In a healthy population, female deer can breed as fawns (6-7 months of age) producing young at one year of age. Average pregnancy rate of doe fawns in developed areas is 40%.
- Removing deer from a healthy population will NOT increase reproductive rates of the remaining deer. Deer in Pennsylvania breed once a year. Average reproductive rate for adult does in developed areas in Pennsylvania is 1.8 fawns/adult doe with 15% producing 1 fawn, 79% producing twins, and 6% producing triplets.
- Swarthmore College to Continue Deer Population Management in 2015-16
- Monitoring Ecosystem Responses to Deer Management in the Crum Woods: Proposal for 2015–2019, 2015
Summary of first three years of monitoring (2010–2012):
The low diversity of seedlings of native trees and any native forest understory shrub other than spicebush (Lindera benzoin) three years after the start of deer management indicates that deer densities were still too great to permit forest canopy regeneration and recovery of the native shrub layer.
Deer Overabundance, New York Department of Environmental Conservation, 2016?
Management Plan for White-tailed Deer in New York State, 2012-2016, New York Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State, Dept of Environmental Conservation, 2011
New York State, Department of Environmental Conservation, A Citizen’s Guide to the Management of White-tailed Deer in Urban and Suburban New York
Final Deer Management Report, Village of Cayuga Heights, NY, April , 2018
300ft of a roadway. Given this development, the only remaining lethal option was to opportunistically capture deer using remote immobilization equipment from roadways, then euthanize them via lethal injection while they were under anesthesia.
Population Analysis for White-tailed Deer in the Village of Cayuga Heights, New York April 2015 – Paul D. Curtis, Michael L. Ashdown, and Jason R. Boulanger, Department of Natural Resources Cornell University, Ithaca
An Integrated Approach for Managing White-Tailed Deer in Suburban Environments, 2014
NEW HUNTING OPPORTUNITY IN TOMPKINS COUNTY, DEC ESTABLISHES DEER MANAGEMENT FOCUS AREA, 2014
hunters with a valid DMFA permit to take two antlerless deer per day in the DMFA with any lawful hunting implement.
Village of Trumansburg Deer Management Program (TDMP) for 2017-18, August 14, 2017
ended in March 2017. The program has successfully removed over 150 deer and is serving as a model for several other communities in New York state that have similar deer issues.
Village of Trumansburg Deer Management Program for 2014: Activities on Approved Properties,approved September 8, 2014
Syracuse-Onondaga County Urban Deer Task Force Report & Recommendations, 2014
Deer Population Control, Village of Cayuga Heights, latest update 2014
Deer Population & Control, Village of Cayuga Heights
Frequently Asked Questions on Teatown’s Deer Management Plan, New York, 2014
Cornell Plantation’s Deer Management Program
Cornell Campus and area
Specific wording that permits the deer to be darted and then euthanized by chemical or mechanical means
Deer Committee Report – February 12, 2013 – City of Syracuse
Deer Management, Vassar Farms website
Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve, Poughkeepsie, NY
Q. If we lower the population density of deer on the VFEP won’t more deer move in from other areas?
A. Female deer have a small home range of less than 1 square mile. Male deer have a slightly larger territory. Some yearling bucks may move onto the land from adjacent areas in search of new territories.
Long Island White-tailed Deer Damage Management Demonstration Project Report, United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services, August 2014
New Jersey
Deer Management Program 2018-2019 – Borough of Bernardsville, Aug 2018
The City of Plainfield to Launch Deer Management Operation, TAP into Plainfield, Dec 28, 2017
Birds suffer as well. The U.S. Forest Service found that when deer exceed 20 per square mile, cerulean warblers, pewees, indigo buntings, least flycatchers, and yellow-billed cuckoos can no longer survive. At 38 deer per square mile, phoebes and even robins disappear. Ground nesters, including wild turkeys, ruffed grouse, wood-cock, ovenbirds, and whippoorwills, can nest successfully in ferns. But as adults, these birds need thick cover, so they take a massive hit from predators when deer denude the understory.
Princeton readying lethal force to deer overpopulation, NJ.com, Feb 11, 2018
Deer Management, Monmouth County Park System
Bernard’s Township Board, Deer Management Advisory Committee By-laws, 2017
(A) Advise the Township Committee (hereinafter referred to as the”TC”) on all matters related to deer management within the township.
(B) Perform the duties described in Resolution 040042 adopted by the TC on January 2, 2004.
(C) Perform other duties related to deer management as directed by the TC.
Morris County Parks: 2017-18 White-Tailed Deer Management Program, Morris County, NJ Press Release, Nov 17, 2017
White-tailed Deer Management Program, Morris County Parks Commission, 2015
Sourlands Comprehensive Deer Management Plan, Sourland Conservancy, April 2014
of this plan should be measured by reductions in impacts, not upon deer population
Hopewell Township Deer Management Advisory Committee, 2013 Annual Report, May 28, 2014
Culling Program will Continue in South Mountain Reservation and Hilltop Reservation, County of Essex, New Jersey, Jan 16, 2014
Community-Based Deer Management, New Jersey Division of Parks and Wildlife, Sept 24, 2014
An Overview of White-Tailed Deer Status and Management in New Jersey, Rutgers, Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet FS1202, January 2013
Mercer County Park Commission, Deer Management (New Jersey)
An Overview of White-Tailed Deer Status and Management in New Jersey, Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet FS1202 | January 2013
Chemical fertility control includes contraceptives, which are given to female deer to disrupt reproductive behaviors, or contragestational drugs which cause spontaneous abortion in pregnant deer. Only specially trained wildlife professionals with a permit are able to administer this treatment. However, reductions in population size may not be noticeable for 5-10 years as deer die off. This strategy is labor-intensive and costly, and because individuals consistently move into and out of a population, treating a threshold level of individuals is not guaranteed. In addition, there is currently no available contraceptive with a 100% efficacy rate; therefore, deer populations will continue to increase under this strategy.
2014/15 Site-Specific Deer Damage Management Plan for Rutgers Ecological Preserve, Rutgers University Ecological Preserve, 2014
Borough of Shrewsbury Deer Management Report, June 2011
Final Report on Deer Management Survey for Millburn Township, New Jersey
Connecticut
Urban Connecticut
Deer populations in residential areas are associated with high rates of deer-vehicle accidents, increased risk of contracting Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases and damage to natural plant communities and landscape plantings. Many communities have struggled with the difficult task of selecting a publicly-acceptable management strategy to safely and effectively reduce overabundant deer populations.
Ridgefield, CT Deer Management Implementation Committee
NEWTOWN TICK-BORNE DISEASE ACTION COMMITTEE, FINAL REPORT SUBMITTED ON OCTOBER 17, 2011
– The TBDAC reviewed and summarized nine local municipal reports (Brookfield, Darien, Fairfield, Greenwich, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston and Wilton) and three regional reports (Bernards Township, NJ; Lower Makefield Township, PA;and Nantucket, MA). Similarities in their findings and conclusions included correlations between high deer densities and TBD, significant ecological impacts to forest and landscapes by deer, and significant and underreported deer-vehicle crashes (DVCs).
– Deer reduction was a major recommendation in all but one (Weston) municipal reports reviewed by the TBDAC. Deer density target goal in most municipalities is ten deer per square mile (d/mi2) derived from Stafford’s estimate that reduction of TBD through reduction of deer density can be achieved at this density.
– Additional municipal report recommendations included improved educational efforts, emphasizing personal protection and landscape modification techniques and building community exclosures to demonstrate the role that overabundant deer play in our environment.
Fairfield County Deer Management Alliance
Management Plan for the Control of White-tailed Deer at the Audubon Center in Greenwich, Connecticut, Endorsed by the Audubon Greenwich Board, August 5, 2003
Massachusetts
Blue Hills Deer Management Program, 2018
State Officials Approve 2016 Deer Management Plan for Blue Hills State Reservation, Oct 6, 2016
FAQ for the Medfield 2012 Deer Culling Program, Medfield Lyme Disease Study Committee, 2013
White-Tailed Deer in Massachusetts, Sonja Christensen, Deer and Moose Project Leader, 2010
Why is Framingham Conservation Commission supporting deer hunting on conservation land?
Rhode Island
Block Island council approves DEM plan for ‘reducing’ deer population, Dec 18, 2013
The Town Council approved a plan Wednesday night to reduce the deer population on Block Island by hiring a professional sharpshooting company. Bait would be used to attract the deer to certain areas, where they would be shot.
Block Island Deer Reduction DEM Planning Document, December 5, 2013
Maine
Deer Herd Management Strategy for Bar Harbor, Maine, City of Bar Harbor, Aug 21, 2014
communities in Maine and adopted by MDIFW, as well as successful suburban deer management efforts in states such as Connecticut. This consists of a short-term intensive effort to reduce deer numbers, followed by a long-term management strategy to maintain the population at those lower levels.
Hunter Information – Islesboro, Maine SPECIAL DEER HUNT, DECEMBER 10-31, 2012
Pennsylvania
2016 – 2017 White-Tailed Deer, Regulated Archery Hunting Program, North Coventry County, Chester County, PA
Final 2018 Deer Management Report for the Sharpshooting Program, Mt. Lebanon, March23, 2018
Deer Management Program Information, Deer Management Update, Mt. Lebanon, Sept 2, 2016
Deer Management Program Information, Mt. Lebanon, Nov 23, 2015
Deer Management, Mt.Lebanon, July 29, 2015
Deer Management, Mt.Lebanon, White Buffalo, June 22, 2015
Suburban Deer Management Plan, Mt. Lebanon- slide presentation
Upper Dublin Township Deer Management Program, Deer Over-Population Issues
Valley Forge National Historical Park Initiates the Fifth Year of White-tailed Deer Management, National Park Service website, Oct 29,2014
USDA APHIS WILDLIFE SERVICES, ACTIVITIES SUMMARY REPORT 2014 WHITE – TAILED DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, TOWNSHIP OF UPPER ST. CLAIR (July 2014)
Final White-tailed Deer Management Plan for John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, 2012
Desirable conditions resulting from such lowered deer densities would likely include:
1) a healthy deer population below biological and social carrying capacities, 2) a reduction in human health and safety risks (e.g., Lyme Disease), 3) reduced damage to native vegetation, 5)improved habitat conditions for other wildlife including songbirds, reptiles, and amphibians, and 6) possible recreational opportunities for sport-hunters to help maintain desired deer population levels.
Management and Biology of White-Tailed Deer in Pennsylvania, 2009-2018
Pennsylvania Game Commission, Deer and Elk Section, Bureau of Wildlife Management, Dec 2009
Although fertility control agents can stop reproduction in individual animals, effect on populations is the most important measure for deer management. Population modeling comparing the relative efficiency of reproductive control and lethal control in wildlife populations has been conducted. Results show that fertility control agents would be most effective in managing smaller wildlife species (rats and cowbirds) with high reproductive rates and low survival rates. Conversely, to achieve population reductions in those species with a low reproductive rate and high survival rate lethal control is more efficient (Fagerstone et al 2006). Deer have a low reproductive rate, compared to smaller wildlife species, and a life span of 10-12 years. Fertility control alone would probably not be effective in reducing the population. Modeling has shown that maintaining deer populations at a desired level is possible with long-lasting contraceptives (lasting 4 years) but reducing populations would be difficult without some lethal control (Fagerstone et al 2006).
Developed Pennsylvania
Swarthmore College, PA, 2014-15 (update)
In planning for this initiative the College has once again taken extensive measures to ensure the safety of all who use the woods. Highly trained sharpshooters, who are Pennsylvania Game Commission licensed professionals, will conduct the cull at pre-approved sites. The cull will take place during times when there is little traffic in the woods. In addition, the areas in which the cull will take place will be posted with no trespassing signs for the duration of the cull and all trails on the College’s property close to where the activity will take place will be marked off limits.