once roamed the state when its weather was more like southern Alaska today. For specific questions about individual DMAP areas, contact the local state forest district office or state park office where the DMAP area is located. The review could not differentiate between animals that were hunted or scavenged, and according to the study's author it is likely that most of the cervids that are eaten were probably scavenged (e.g. To accomplish this would require WMU-specific data on losses to roadkills (2nd most common mortality cause), natural mortality (3rd most common mortality cause), illegal activity (5th most common mortality cause), and predation (6th most common mortality cause). The Bureau of Forestry recognizes the ecological importance and considerable influence of white-tailed deer on commonwealth forests, and is dedicated to maintaining a healthy forest plant community in balance with a healthy deer population. That total fell . About 550,000 deer hunters. Unknown WMU: archery, 70 (140) antlered, 100 (164) antlerless; muzzleloader, 0 (10) antlered, 60 (94) antlerless. If you look just at the data from 2021, Pennsylvania's percent positivity was 44%, Illinois was 7%, Michigan's was 67% and New York's was 31%. However, it does not go away, and there will always be a limit to the number of healthy deer an area can support. Other seasons exist for certain WMUs. 2021-22 Deer Population Report and Antlerless Allocations (PDF) 2020-21 Deer Population Report and Antlerless Allocations (PDF) Seeing the Whole Picture - Estimating Deer Harvests 2021-22 Deer Harvest Estimates (PDF) 2020-21 Deer Harvest Estimates (PDF) 2019-20 Deer Harvest Estimates (PDF) 2018-19 Deer Harvest Estimates (PDF) In. The 2019-20 archery harvest was 145,908 (74,190 bucks and 71,718 antlerless deer). WMUs posting the largest antlerless deer harvest increases were the western Pennsylvania WMUs of 1A, 1B, and 2B. Last year, sportsmen claimed 7,700 antlered deer and 17,600 antler-less deer in this wildlife . The total population estimate for deer living in the U.S. is approximately 35-36 million. Anyone who hunted deer before antler restrictions can see the results. Because more light is able to reach the forest floor and trigger new growth, plant and tree populations tend to increase after forest disturbances such as: This only occurs where deer impacts are low enough to allow this new growth to establish and flourish. 2018. 0000000808 00000 n By giving birth in the spring, does are setting themselves up for success as this is the time of year when plants are the most plentiful and nutritious. Todd M. Kautz, Jerrod L Belant, Dean E. Beyer Jr., Bronson K. Strickland, Tyler R Petroelje, Rahel Sollmann. Young inexperienced does typically are left with less secure birthing sites and must travel farther from their fawn(s) to find food. Also, fawn-to-doe ratios in the harvest are stable. DEER, ANTLERLESS SPECIAL FIREARMS (Statewide):Oct. 20-22. Coyotes and bears killed similar numbers of fawns. Another study in South Carolina removed coyotes from a large area for three years, and the researchers found that the deer population was largely unaffected by removal. Many hunters wish their deer woods had the population that WMU 5C, in southeast Pennsylvania, enjoys. None have increased by more than 6%, with Cumberland County topping the list at 5.09%, closely followed by Centre County at 5.06%. During Monday night's meeting of the city council, city arborist Lester Kissinger Jr. said . DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) Statewide:Oct. 1-Nov. 12; Sunday, Nov. 13; Nov. 14-18; and Dec. 26-Jan. 16, 2023. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Establishing young forests enhances the mix of forest habitat and is good for other wildlife and overall forest health. Two counties in the state of Pennsylvania have populations of more than one million. 0000005457 00000 n In 2014 and 2015, the Game Commission reduced doe deer licenses in an effort to grow the herd. Increasing from about 1,000 deer in 1905 to about 1,000,000 in 1928 (Leopold et al. 2015-16 Deer Harvest Estimates (PDF) Big Game Harvest Data back to 1915. It wasn't until 1954 that the county buck total surpassed 300, which might say something . Carrying capacity can change annually, seasonally, and across properties. In response to deer population increases and increasing impacts on By the 1950s, the deer population was assumed to be between 45,000 and 50,000. 2020-21 Deer Harvest Estimates (PDF) 2019-20 Deer Harvest Estimates (PDF) To determine deer population sizes and harvest recommendations by management unit. The percentage of older bucks in the 2020-21 deer harvest remained high. Estimated Harvest per 100 Hunter-days, by Species. The restrictions on hunting antlerless deer and extensive logging during the late 1800s and early 1900s supported an increase in the deer population from about 1,000 deer in 1905 to about 1 million in 1928 [, The first hunting licenses were established in 1913. About 64 percent of the bucks taken by hunters were at least 2 years old. Thesis at the University of Delaware. A heavy fawn is better able to regulate body temperature when wet or chilled. Justin K. Vreeland, Duane R. Diefenbach, and Bret D. Wallingford. Coming to this seemingly simply answer requires an understanding of population dynamicshow populations change over timeand the ecology of both species. The 'pre-hunt' population includes fawns that survived predation and other mortality during their first summer. DEER, ANTLERLESS EXTENDED REGULAR FIREARMS: (WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D):Dec. 26-Jan. 28, 2023. A 1971 survey counted 65 elk in Pennsylvania In 1998 a three year long trap and transfer program expanded the elk's range. n (t) = We couldnt have any of that without a well-managed deer herd and cooperation on the part of our hunters.. The 12 percent increase in the deer kill for, was partly attributed to an increase in licenses allocated. In Pennsylvania, the deer population moves through the following sequence each year: Birth of fawns majority of predation 'pre-hunt' population deer hunting seasons Deer management objectives are based on 'pre-hunt' deer population trends. In 2018, 36 deer positives from a farm in Fulton County and two more from Bedford. n (t) (4, 31,000) 30,000 - Deer 20,000- population 10,000- 1 3 2 Years since 2010 (a) What was the deer population in 2010? DEER, ANTLERLESS MUZZLELOADER (Statewide):Oct. 15-22. If the population trend objective was to maintain a stable population and we observed a decline, we would recommend a reduction in the antlerless allocation to return the deer population to objective. 2017-18 Deer Harvest Estimates (PDF) About 730 cases by. State game lands in wildlife management unit: 131.2 square miles. For questions about the statewide DMAP program, the application process, coupon availability, or DMAP regulations, contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission at 717-787-4250. 0000005585 00000 n 2013-14 Deer Harvest Estimates(PDF) Competition for mast can cause a reduction in: This in turn, reduces the predator populations that feed on them, including: In addition, over-browsingcan eliminate the shrub layer and greatly reduce the diversity of forest-floor plant species. 2014-15 Deer Harvest Estimates(PDF) The estimated muzzleloader harvest 28,260 was down slightly from the previous years harvest of 29,604. Unlike the southeastern studies, no declines in population trends or harvest fawn-to-doe ratios are currently observed in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has a population of about 1.5 million white-tailed deer. No. WMU 2G: archery, 2,470 (2,540) antlered, 1,780 (1,381) antlerless; muzzleloader, 30 (60) antlered, 1,420 (1,321) antlerless. Excessive browsingofearlyforestregenerationcan suppress certain tree species and promote the expansion of unpalatable or resilient species, further slowing the regeneration process. Although the strategy changed to stabilizing the population in 2005, the herd continued to decline, especially in the north. In each case, predators were shown to be an important factor affecting the composition and size of the deer population. Special Requests to Use State Game Lands Information, Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP). Y)*8TW. Given sufficient funding and personnel, a study of this magnitude could be accomplished within the Deer and Elk Section. These studies indicated predators had substantial impact on deer populations on study areas in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. The 2020-21 estimated deer harvest topped the previous license year's harvest of 389,431 by about 12 percent, the commission announced today. WMU 4E: archery, 3,850 (3,420) antlered, 3,420 (2,750) antlerless; muzzleloader, 50 (80) antlered, 1,280 (1,250) antlerless. The great Pennsylvania deer bubble burst soon after 1925. for removal from state roads, call the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation at 1-800-FIX-ROAD. In the 2020-21 deer seasons, the Game Commission set the antlerless allocations at levels to reduce the deer population in Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) where chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been documented, as part of its ongoing effort to limit the spread of the disease, and the antlerless harvest increased in these WMUs as intended. This is a very high average of 41.05 deer per square mile. The deer population was estimated at about 1.2 million in, Population estimates have been a matter of public controversy. The licenses are divided among Wildlife Managements. Across 2.2 million acres of state forest land and 10,000 sample plots, DCNR staff are collecting dataonthese variables: Foresters review this data to understand deer impacts in local forest districts. 0000001820 00000 n This does not mean that coyotes do not eat deer. in 1986, there were 1,000,000 deer hunters in Pennsylvania, while today there are around 740,000 deer hunters modern success rates are said to be comparable to the past Game Commission releases 2018-19 deer harvest report, Hunters gather in Jefferson County, protest deer removal plans, March 8, 2019 Pennsylvania, WJAC Johnstown, Seminar to Provide Solutions for Human Deer Conflicts, March 6, 2019 Pennsylvania, Botstiber Institute, Major changes planned for popular Middle Creek deer hunt, March 3, 2019 Pennsylvania, LancasterOnline, CWD DIsease Management Area to Expand into Elk Range, Deer removals planned in Clearfield, Jefferson counties to combat disease, February 24, 2019 Pennsylvania, Altoona Mirror, February 22, 2019 Pennsylvania, Pocono Record, Hunters, Game Commission at Odds Over CWD Management, February 21, 2019 Pennsylvania, Morrisons Cove Herald, Nearly 150 deer taken out in this years Lower Merion deer cull, February 12, 2-19 Pennsylvania, Main Line. Over-browsing by deer alters the diversity and habitat for other forest mammals and birds. But fawns are hard to find, they are camouflaged, almost scentless, and spend most of the day motionless in dense vegetation. Does were protected from 1907 until 1923 to boost the population and for many of the years until 1957. Deer population objectives are to increase, decrease, or stabilize 'pre-hunt' deer population trends. In some places, coyotes keep white-tailed deer recruitment rate low, but in Pennsylvania they do not. John C. Kilgo, Mark Vukovich, H. Scott Ray, Christopher E. Shaw, Charles Ruth. Monitoring Deer Populations in Pennsylvania(PDF) 2022-2023 Montgomery Parks Annual Deer Population Management Program Locations & Schedule (PDF) . Four more at the end of 2017 bringing the total positives from capative deer to 44. 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