A changing Population
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Some scientists theorize that the extinction of mammalian megafauna during the Pleistocene likely spurred the population growth of white-tailed deer in North America [7]. Since then, white-tailed deer populations have fluctuated tremendously (especially during the past century) causing a variety of perceptions and management efforts [8, 3, Severinghaus].
Precolonial Populations
White-tailed deer are thought to have been a key resource to many Native Americans for diet, clothing, tools, ornamentation, and food storage [7]. Through hunting techniques (including spear-hunting, driving from cliffs, and bow-hunting) as well as controlled slash and burn management of lands, white-tailed deer populations are believed to have been well-managed during this time [7, Severinghaus].
(Source: National Parks System) Illustration from the Ocmulgee National Monument museum shows a Swift Creek hunter following a white-tailed deer
(Source: Hanberry & Hanberry, 2020) The 1950 (A), 1970 (B), 1982 (C), and 2003 (D; 2001 to 2005) deer densities in the southeastern United States, covering about 1.35 million km2 .
Postcolonial Populations
As human population density began to grow in North America, deer populations faced many new challenges. Increased hunting for sustenance combined with land clearing for large-scale agriculture and frequent trade of pelts led to serious declines in the white-tailed population [Hanberry & Hanberry, Severinghaus, 7].
Modern Populations
Following decades of unregulated hunting and human-directed migration of the species (as a product of land development), white-tailed deer numbers were plummeting [7]. In the early 1900's, rationing and recovery efforts started to drive repopulation of the species in the US [Hanberry & Hanberry]. By the 1930's and 1940's, harvest management strategies grounded in biological principles of carrying capacity were enacted by law and the eastern US, especially, started to see an uptick in the population [ODNR]. Since then, the population has continued to grow and has done so exponentially; in 1970, Ohio was believed to house an estimated 17,000 deer, now, the DNR estimates at least 700,000 deer in Ohio [DNR].
The Negative Impacts of Overabundance
Though white-tailed deer hold significant ecological and cultural importance in the Appalachian region, when populations grow beyond the biological carrying capacity, biodiversity within the bigger picture is at stake [ODNR]. As a result of their increasing population, the region is facing:
Facilitation of invasive plant species by increased herbivory, selective browsing, and seed dispersal by deer [9]
Increased herbivory and property damage in urban, suburban, and park settings as a result of lessened predators and decorative landscaping [Gamborg, 9]
Agricultural crop damages resulting in substantial monetary losses [3]
Increasingly common vehicular collisions and roadkill rates [3, ODNR]
Disruption of plants and pollinator relationships due to flower abundance shifts [3].
Cascading effects on other animal species due to resource competition and modification of environment [3]
Rapid spread of zoonotic diseases amongst populations including bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis), Chronic Wasting Disease (Odocoileus hemionus), and even COVID-19 [3, Nat Geo].
Check out these recent news stories below to see other states and agencies are reacting to the spread of zoonotic diseases.
Sources
Sources
Chitwood, M., Peterson, M., Bondell, H., Lashley, M., Brown, R., & Deperno, C. (2015). Perspectives of wildlife conservation professionals on intensive deer management. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 39(4), 751–756. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.607
Conover, M. R. (2001). Effect of Hunting and Trapping on Wildlife Damage. Wildlife Society Bulletin (1973-2006), 29(2), 521–532. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3784176
Côté, S., Rooney, T., Tremblay, J.-P., Dussault, C., & Waller, D. (2004). Ecological impacts of deer overabundance. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 35(1), 113–147.
Fairbanks, C. (n.d.). Hunting 500 Years Ago. National Parks Service. Retrieved April 17, 2022, from https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/regional_review/vol6-1-2b.htm
Gamborg, C., Sandoe, P., & Palmer, C. (2020). Ethical management of wildlife. lethal versus nonlethal control of white‐tailed deer. Conservation Science and Practice, 2(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.171
Hanberry, B. B., & Hanberry, P. (2020). Regaining the history of deer populations and densities in the southeastern United States. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 44(3), 512–518. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1118
Hewitt, D. G. (2015). Hunters and the conservation and management of white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus). International Journal of Environmental Studies, 72(5), 839–849. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207233.2015.1073473
Kniowski, A. B., & Ford, W. M. (2017). Predicting the intensity of white-tailed deer herbivory in the central Appalachian Mountains. Journal of Forestry Research, 29(3), 841–850.
National Resources Conservation Service. (2011). White-tailed Deer Impacts and Forest Management . United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Newsom, J. (1969). History of Deer and Their Habitat in the South. White- Tailed Deer in the Southern. Forest Habitat.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources. (n.d.). Managing Ohio's deer herd. Retrieved March 20, 2022, from https://ohiodnr.gov/static/documents/wildlife/wildlife-management/Managing%20Ohio's%20Deer%20Herd%20pub087.pdf
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