Whitetail Conservaton
Dwight Kilborn
Whitetail population
Whitetail deer are the most popular animal to hunt around the world, but they are also a "keystone" species. So how do we manage these "keystone" animals? Hunting is a way of keeping the population at a steady rate but can also make the population drop due to hunting when not in season or over hunting the animal in their specialized season. However, the population of deer has grown due to the fact that the number of hunters per year is continually decreasing, which makes more deer than some areas can occupy and can cause deer to run toward heavily used roads. Can we sustain the deer population to where human and deer conflict is minimal?
How do we stop Human vs Deer conflict?
Restoring whitetail deer to their original habitats from the 1900's due to the fact of over-exploration has been a big part of keeping deer away from human contact. Ironically, because of over protection by wildlife management the deer population is becoming a challenge to keep them in their forest habitats. Many types of alternative management have been taken on the suburban areas like sharp shooting, controlled hunting, trap and relocation, and hormone regulation. These management types have failed due to cost but some are also inefficient.
Quality Deer Management (QDM)
QDM is a management approach that produces healthy deer herds with balanced adult sex ratios and increased numbers of older bucks. The management helps protect younger bucks to help with the growing process.