Have other regional deer management plans been effective, and how has effectiveness been measured?

One of the biggest challenges in managing urban and suburban deer issues is measuring success. In fact, there are very few examples of community deer management plans that address that aspect of the project. A Cornell University Study of 25 community deer management plans across the country found that only 8% included any measurable indicator of success in their plans (Baumer and Pomeranz, 2017). Even fewer actually publish the results of their efforts. Therefore, while many deer management plans are available as models, opportunities to learn from their successes and failures are scarce. In the creation of West Seneca's recommended plan, we relied heavily on published scientific literature, since data based on the success of other plans was often not available. Much of this literature is summarized and linked throughout these FAQ sections.

If you would like more information on what other communities have done to address their concerns about human-deer conflict, the Community Deer Advisor website provides links to a variety of management plans, news stories, and other information about what communities across the country are doing. https://deeradvisor.dnr.cornell.edu/

References:

Baumer, M. and E. Pomeranz. 2017. An Analysis of Community-Based Deer Management Plans. HDRU Series No 17-8. Cornell University Human Dimensions Research Unit. Accessed at https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/52170/Deer_Management_Plans_Coding_HDRU_Report.pdf?sequence=5