Browse Monitoring Uncovers Troubling Data in State Woodlands
HARRISBURG, Pa., March 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Preliminary
findings from ongoing, extensive state forest studies of the effect of
white-tailed deer populations on woodland regeneration show habitat damage
is the heaviest in the north central and Pocono Mountains areas of the
state, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Michael
DiBerardinis said today.
"Like our past surveys from the air, this unprecedented study on the
ground of what deer eat, or browse, is proving to be an invaluable tool in
understanding deer densities and distribution in our state forestlands, and
it is guiding future DCNR efforts to ensure forest regeneration and healthy
habitat," said DiBerardinis.
"And, like those aerial counts, these browse-study findings are just a
single snap-shot in time, incapable of documenting whether forest habitat
health is improving or declining. They will, however, provide a meaningful
baseline to compare in future trend analyses."
The browse studies, which were conducted last year and covered almost
90 percent of the state forest system, showed findings the secretary deemed
"troubling."
"Across the entire state forest system, less than 25 percent of the
41,650 plots showed desirable regeneration, and almost 45 percent of the
plots lacked any new, woody growth," DiBerardinis said. "The problem is
more acute in the state's north central 'big woods' section where almost 50
percent of the study plots show no woody regeneration and only about 20
percent desirable regeneration. The most severely browsed habitats were
documented in the north central and Pocono regions of the state.
"For these reasons, it would be premature to draw any conclusions that
would support an increased deer herd, even in areas where we observed
relatively low-browse damage," DiBerardinis said.
The secretary applauded the commitment of Bureau of Forestry personnel
from 19 of the state's 20 state forest districts who undertook the browse
studies during early spring in 2006.
"Never has there been an undertaking of this magnitude in which data
from 1,600 miles of transects was entered into the bureau database for
analysis," said DiBerardinis. "These researchers are foresters first, but
they also are hunters and naturalists and all are dedicated to restoring
forests to a healthy level where deer and other wildlife have sufficient
food and cover."
"We will use this detailed vegetation analysis in conjunction with past
aerial surveys to help guide our management decisions and adjust our
efforts to steer hunters to certain state forest areas in the 2007-2008
hunting season," DiBerardinis said.
Transects, which are lines for ecological measurements, were spaced two
miles apart. They were sampled by visiting vegetative plots every 200 feet,
recording woody species, and assigning a browsing category to that species
at that plot. Also, presence or absence data was recorded for "desirable"
and "undesirable" woody vegetation at every plot.
Woody plants include trees, shrubs and vines. Woody plants dominate the
vegetation wherever conditions are favorable for plant growth. Deer feed on
the leaves, twigs and buds of these plants.
Other survey findings include:
-- Data gathered aided in development of a preliminary deer-browsing
preference index for woody species observed, which will help guide
future monitoring efforts and provide browse intensity indicators;
-- Across the state, the proportion of plots with desirable regeneration
(24.45 percent) and lack of woody regeneration (44.45 percent) indicate
browsing has not been suppressed long enough for a widespread
regeneration response;
-- Identifying browsing impact from lowest to most severe, the Forest
Districts ranked as follows: relatively lightly browsed with better
regeneration -- Lackawanna, Buchanan, Michaux, Tiadaghton, Tuscarora,
Gallitzin, and Cornplanter; relatively moderately browsed with less
regeneration -- Moshannon, Susquehannock, Rothrock, Forbes, Bald Eagle,
and Tioga; relatively severely browsed with poor regeneration --
Weiser, Kittanning, Wyoming, Sproul, Delaware and Elk;
-- Monitoring will continue to locate other areas of continued
excessive browsing where deer harvests should be increased, and these
efforts will be coordinated in the State Forest Management Plan.
Details on the 2006 state forest deer browse study, as well as DCNR's
aerial surveys and other information on deer, can be found online at
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us and select "State Forests."
Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-22-2007/0004551483&EDATE=
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
IOWA NEWS: Heartless Poaching or Act of Civil Disobedience?
There's a trial beginning today in eastern Iowa that will be closely followed across the entire state.
A tree farmer will go on trial in Tipton for the unlawful killing of a deer. It's a case that will test whether Iowans can kill the destructive animals on their own property.
Kevin Kelly freely admits that he killed a deer on his property. In fact the 55-year-old said he called the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to report the act.
But Kelly maintains he did nothing illegal. He said he was simply protecting his property and that the deer was harming his tree farm. He frames his case as a test of Iowa's constitution.
"The case will determine whether Iowans can control destructive animals on their private property, as guaranteed by the Iowa constitution," Kelly said.
Others, including DNR officials, do not follow Kelly's logic.
"The case calls into question the North American conservation model, where wildlife is entrusted to the public," said Dale Garner, chief of the DNR's Wildlife Bureau.
Garner said that, under that system, "deer do not belong to private landowners to do with as they please."
Kelly has argued that the Iowa constitution allows property owners to defend their property. He points to an Iowa Supreme Court ruling in 1915 that overturned the conviction of a Pottawattamie County farmer who was accused of shooting a deer that had been eating his corn.
But others say that Kelly had other options, including a variety of programs offered by the DNR. Kelly maintains that the state did very little to help his situation. The state is expected to present evidence to the contrary.
"He should have exhausted all options before he took matters into his own hands," said Tom Fassbinder of Guttenberg, who, like most deer hunters, hopes Kelly is convicted.
"He is a poacher who needs to be punished like any other poacher," said Fassbinder, publisher of the Whitetail Fanatic magazine.
Randy Taylor, the president of the Iowa Bowhunters Association, likewise said that no good can come from a victory for Kelly.
"It would mean open season for any farmer who wants to kill a deer or for anyone else who comes along," said Taylor, of Reasnor.
Others are sympathetic. Corn and soybean farmer Tom Griffin of Winthrop said he has mixed emotions about the case.
"I love deer, but if I were a tree farmer, I would probably learn not to," said Griffin, who described his crop losses to deer as acceptable "because I love to watch and hunt deer."
If convicted, Kelly could be the subject to fines of $100 on each count, plus a civil penalty of $1,500 representing the value of the deer.
Source:
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070319/NEWS/70319001/1001
A tree farmer will go on trial in Tipton for the unlawful killing of a deer. It's a case that will test whether Iowans can kill the destructive animals on their own property.
Kevin Kelly freely admits that he killed a deer on his property. In fact the 55-year-old said he called the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to report the act.
But Kelly maintains he did nothing illegal. He said he was simply protecting his property and that the deer was harming his tree farm. He frames his case as a test of Iowa's constitution.
"The case will determine whether Iowans can control destructive animals on their private property, as guaranteed by the Iowa constitution," Kelly said.
Others, including DNR officials, do not follow Kelly's logic.
"The case calls into question the North American conservation model, where wildlife is entrusted to the public," said Dale Garner, chief of the DNR's Wildlife Bureau.
Garner said that, under that system, "deer do not belong to private landowners to do with as they please."
Kelly has argued that the Iowa constitution allows property owners to defend their property. He points to an Iowa Supreme Court ruling in 1915 that overturned the conviction of a Pottawattamie County farmer who was accused of shooting a deer that had been eating his corn.
But others say that Kelly had other options, including a variety of programs offered by the DNR. Kelly maintains that the state did very little to help his situation. The state is expected to present evidence to the contrary.
"He should have exhausted all options before he took matters into his own hands," said Tom Fassbinder of Guttenberg, who, like most deer hunters, hopes Kelly is convicted.
"He is a poacher who needs to be punished like any other poacher," said Fassbinder, publisher of the Whitetail Fanatic magazine.
Randy Taylor, the president of the Iowa Bowhunters Association, likewise said that no good can come from a victory for Kelly.
"It would mean open season for any farmer who wants to kill a deer or for anyone else who comes along," said Taylor, of Reasnor.
Others are sympathetic. Corn and soybean farmer Tom Griffin of Winthrop said he has mixed emotions about the case.
"I love deer, but if I were a tree farmer, I would probably learn not to," said Griffin, who described his crop losses to deer as acceptable "because I love to watch and hunt deer."
If convicted, Kelly could be the subject to fines of $100 on each count, plus a civil penalty of $1,500 representing the value of the deer.
Source:
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070319/NEWS/70319001/1001
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
MINNESOTA NEWS: Deer Killed to Control Bovine TB Outbreak
SKIME, Minn. -- Federal sharpshooters have killed about 225 whitetails in the past three weeks in an effort to measure and control an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis in the area.
It will take about three months to find out whether the tissue from any of the deer tested positive for TB, said Michelle Powell, wildlife health program coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
"Heaven forbid if it ends up being an epidemic of TB up here," said Conway Marvin, who owns land near Skime. "It will impact our economy. Thousands of jobs up here depend on that time of year."
Seven wild deer -- two during the 2005 hunting season and five during last fall's season -- were found to be infected with the disease. Officials believe it came into the state through cattle, and contact between cattle and deer can spread it to the deer population.
Seven cattle herds in the area were "depopulated" because infected animals were found.
Powell said the sharpshooters with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services will take a break this week and "re-bait" their shooting sights. They'll resume shooting next week.
They've been hunting day and night, shooting deer of all ages and genders with silencers and infrared night-vision equipment.
Their target area includes a six-mile radius of Skime, just north of Roseau, Marshall and Beltrami counties, where TB first was found in a cattle herd in early 2005.
The sharpshooters must have permission from landowners. Some landowners, like Marvin, haven't given permission and will seek permits to shoot deer on their land, Powell said.
Marvin and his brothers own about 2,600 acres of wildlife habitat near Skime and they've developed the parcels for their enjoyment.
"It's our land, and we have developed it, and plowed and disced it and watched the deer grow, and we think it's a right we want to exercise," he said.
Marvin, who owns a sporting goods store near Warroad, said northern Minnesota would be hurt economically if the TB outbreak isn't stopped.
He wants government agencies to take a multi-pronged approach to stop the disease from spreading -- including subsidizing high fences to separate cattle from deer, or conducting extra shooting.
"We can't just shoot all the deer and expect it to go away, and we can't remove all the cattle and expect it to go away," he said. "We don't think the other prongs are moving very fast."
Powell said that as of Monday, the sharpshooters had killed 96 adult females and 11 adult males; 23 yearling females and 19 yearling males; 35 female fawns and 40 male fawns.
Even if a deer is infected, the meat is safe to eat with proper cooking. So far, all the meat has gone to local people who signed up for it.
Source:
http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?a=287556&z=2
It will take about three months to find out whether the tissue from any of the deer tested positive for TB, said Michelle Powell, wildlife health program coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
"Heaven forbid if it ends up being an epidemic of TB up here," said Conway Marvin, who owns land near Skime. "It will impact our economy. Thousands of jobs up here depend on that time of year."
Seven wild deer -- two during the 2005 hunting season and five during last fall's season -- were found to be infected with the disease. Officials believe it came into the state through cattle, and contact between cattle and deer can spread it to the deer population.
Seven cattle herds in the area were "depopulated" because infected animals were found.
Powell said the sharpshooters with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services will take a break this week and "re-bait" their shooting sights. They'll resume shooting next week.
They've been hunting day and night, shooting deer of all ages and genders with silencers and infrared night-vision equipment.
Their target area includes a six-mile radius of Skime, just north of Roseau, Marshall and Beltrami counties, where TB first was found in a cattle herd in early 2005.
The sharpshooters must have permission from landowners. Some landowners, like Marvin, haven't given permission and will seek permits to shoot deer on their land, Powell said.
Marvin and his brothers own about 2,600 acres of wildlife habitat near Skime and they've developed the parcels for their enjoyment.
"It's our land, and we have developed it, and plowed and disced it and watched the deer grow, and we think it's a right we want to exercise," he said.
Marvin, who owns a sporting goods store near Warroad, said northern Minnesota would be hurt economically if the TB outbreak isn't stopped.
He wants government agencies to take a multi-pronged approach to stop the disease from spreading -- including subsidizing high fences to separate cattle from deer, or conducting extra shooting.
"We can't just shoot all the deer and expect it to go away, and we can't remove all the cattle and expect it to go away," he said. "We don't think the other prongs are moving very fast."
Powell said that as of Monday, the sharpshooters had killed 96 adult females and 11 adult males; 23 yearling females and 19 yearling males; 35 female fawns and 40 male fawns.
Even if a deer is infected, the meat is safe to eat with proper cooking. So far, all the meat has gone to local people who signed up for it.
Source:
http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?a=287556&z=2
Monday, March 12, 2007
PENNSYLVANIA NEWS: Deer Carrying Capacity Workshop
Penn State Cooperative Extension in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry will present a Deer Density and Carrying Capacity workshop on March 24 at the Governor Dick Park Environmental Education Center in Mt. Gretna, Lebanon County.
The workshop, designed for anyone interested in learning more about white-tailed deer biology and management as it relates to the carrying capacity of the habitat, is a hands-on, in-the-field experience that will get participants in the woods collecting deer- population and habitat data.
"Participants will learn how to calculate the deer density in a given forest setting; how to evaluate the condition of deer habitat; and how the condition of the habitat relates to deer biology, deer numbers and deer carrying capacity," says Dave Jackson, a forest specialist with Penn State Cooperative Extension. "This is an opportunity to talk to wildlife biologists and foresters who have experience in implementing various forest and wildlife habitat management strategies."
The program will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The cost is $15 per person and includes refreshments, lunch and handout materials. The Governor Dick Park is located in Mt. Gretna.
Pre-registration for this workshop is required prior to Monday, March 19. Space is limited, so please register early. To register, or for more information, contact the cooperative extension office in Centre County at (814) 355-4897 or by e-mail at CentreExt@psu.edu
The workshop, designed for anyone interested in learning more about white-tailed deer biology and management as it relates to the carrying capacity of the habitat, is a hands-on, in-the-field experience that will get participants in the woods collecting deer- population and habitat data.
"Participants will learn how to calculate the deer density in a given forest setting; how to evaluate the condition of deer habitat; and how the condition of the habitat relates to deer biology, deer numbers and deer carrying capacity," says Dave Jackson, a forest specialist with Penn State Cooperative Extension. "This is an opportunity to talk to wildlife biologists and foresters who have experience in implementing various forest and wildlife habitat management strategies."
The program will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The cost is $15 per person and includes refreshments, lunch and handout materials. The Governor Dick Park is located in Mt. Gretna.
Pre-registration for this workshop is required prior to Monday, March 19. Space is limited, so please register early. To register, or for more information, contact the cooperative extension office in Centre County at (814) 355-4897 or by e-mail at CentreExt@psu.edu
Friday, March 09, 2007
OHIO NEWS: Record Harvest in 2006
Ohio deer hunters took a record 237,316 deer during the 2006-07 hunting season and for the third year in a row the harvest surpassed 200,000, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The total number of deer taken was 13 percent above last year's season total of 209,513. The new record tops previous record of 216,443 set in 2004.
"We are very satisfied with this year's record harvest," said Steven A. Gray, chief of the Division of Wildlife. "Ohio's deer management program is a model for the country. The challenge now becomes maintaining a healthy deer herd into the future."
Source:
http://zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070309/SPORTS/703090310/1006
"We are very satisfied with this year's record harvest," said Steven A. Gray, chief of the Division of Wildlife. "Ohio's deer management program is a model for the country. The challenge now becomes maintaining a healthy deer herd into the future."
Source:
http://zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070309/SPORTS/703090310/1006
Thursday, March 08, 2007
PENNSYLVANIA NEWS: House Bill 550 Allows Farmers to Contract Deer Hunters
Religion and politics. Two subjects people say you should never bring up in conversation.
You can add another to that list: deer.
We’ll never argue that deer aren’t beautiful animals. But so are lions and tigers and bears.
In Chester County, there are probably a bunch of bears, no lions or tigers — but there are certainly plenty of deer. And the fact is that these herds and herds of deer are destroying property and crops.
State Rep. Art Hershey, R-13th, of Cochranville, is trying to help the situation with proposed legislation.
Orchard growers and other farmers in the state will get some help in their fight to control crop losses from deer if the new law proposed by Hershey is passed.
Hershey’s legislation, known as House Bill 550, was unveiled Feb. 26. A key provision is that it would allow farmers to hire a contractor to kill deer on their property.
The bill is going to be introduced to the Legislature in the coming weeks. Another aspect of the pending bill is that it would expand the list of agricultural products that farmers can farm to be eligible for killing deer for crop damage.
Under current law, farmers who grow cultivated crops, fruit trees, vegetables, and raise live stock, poultry and maintain beehives can cull deer herds on their property if they have sustained crop losses.
And local farms say the damage from deer is real.
“We lose up to one-third of our apple crop every year due to the deer problem,” said Karen Vollmecke, of Vollmecke Orchards in West Brandywine.
At W.D. Wells & Associates Inc. in West Grove, President Bill Wells said that the company has sustained $190,000 in lost income due to crop losses from deer between his landscaping business and his nursery, Watercrest Farms.
“We suffer greatly,” said Wells. Aside from the loss of plants at the nursery, there is the loss of landscaping customers. “Many residents are so fed up with their shrubbery being eaten, that they say, ‘We’re not going to invest in landscaping anymore.’” An added expense at the nursery is trying to protect trees by putting plant covers around them, which only works on single-trunk trees. “We protect 5,000 trees a year.”
According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, farmers do not need a special permit to shoot deer but they must contact their local wildlife conservation officer and follow all the rules.
Farmers have to abide by the safety zone law, which says that they cannot shoot within 150 yards of an occupied dwelling. The current law only allows farmers or the employee of a farm to shoot deer.
Wells said that over the years he has had employees who were recreational hunters and were able to shoot a few deer but, “the idea of being able to hire someone to do it is very attractive.”
Vollmecke said she hoped the new law would allow farmers to use contractors who would hunt with a bow and arrow. The safety zone is reduced to 50 yards from a dwelling unit for bow and arrow hunters. For farmers like Vollmecke who are surrounded by subdivisions, archers could be more successful.
Jason Decoskey, chief of technical services of the Bureau of Wildlife Protection of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, acknowledged in an interview Tuesday that there is a severe deer problem in areas such as Chester County due to the “urban/suburban” interface.
For Stuart Constable, production manager of Highland Orchards in West Bradford, the orchard is at ground zero when it comes to the urban/suburban interface. “It’s really been bad the last four to five years.”
We think the deer problem in the counties surrounding Philadelphia is out of control. And we insist that every safety precaution is taken if the deer population is to be thinned.
Something needs to be done. Hershey’s bill is a start.
source:
http://www.dailylocal.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/DailyLocal;!1742888106?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=
pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FDLN%2FOpinion&r21.content=%2FDLN%2FOpinion%2FHeadlineList_Story_112380
You can add another to that list: deer.
We’ll never argue that deer aren’t beautiful animals. But so are lions and tigers and bears.
In Chester County, there are probably a bunch of bears, no lions or tigers — but there are certainly plenty of deer. And the fact is that these herds and herds of deer are destroying property and crops.
State Rep. Art Hershey, R-13th, of Cochranville, is trying to help the situation with proposed legislation.
Orchard growers and other farmers in the state will get some help in their fight to control crop losses from deer if the new law proposed by Hershey is passed.
Hershey’s legislation, known as House Bill 550, was unveiled Feb. 26. A key provision is that it would allow farmers to hire a contractor to kill deer on their property.
The bill is going to be introduced to the Legislature in the coming weeks. Another aspect of the pending bill is that it would expand the list of agricultural products that farmers can farm to be eligible for killing deer for crop damage.
Under current law, farmers who grow cultivated crops, fruit trees, vegetables, and raise live stock, poultry and maintain beehives can cull deer herds on their property if they have sustained crop losses.
And local farms say the damage from deer is real.
“We lose up to one-third of our apple crop every year due to the deer problem,” said Karen Vollmecke, of Vollmecke Orchards in West Brandywine.
At W.D. Wells & Associates Inc. in West Grove, President Bill Wells said that the company has sustained $190,000 in lost income due to crop losses from deer between his landscaping business and his nursery, Watercrest Farms.
“We suffer greatly,” said Wells. Aside from the loss of plants at the nursery, there is the loss of landscaping customers. “Many residents are so fed up with their shrubbery being eaten, that they say, ‘We’re not going to invest in landscaping anymore.’” An added expense at the nursery is trying to protect trees by putting plant covers around them, which only works on single-trunk trees. “We protect 5,000 trees a year.”
According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, farmers do not need a special permit to shoot deer but they must contact their local wildlife conservation officer and follow all the rules.
Farmers have to abide by the safety zone law, which says that they cannot shoot within 150 yards of an occupied dwelling. The current law only allows farmers or the employee of a farm to shoot deer.
Wells said that over the years he has had employees who were recreational hunters and were able to shoot a few deer but, “the idea of being able to hire someone to do it is very attractive.”
Vollmecke said she hoped the new law would allow farmers to use contractors who would hunt with a bow and arrow. The safety zone is reduced to 50 yards from a dwelling unit for bow and arrow hunters. For farmers like Vollmecke who are surrounded by subdivisions, archers could be more successful.
Jason Decoskey, chief of technical services of the Bureau of Wildlife Protection of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, acknowledged in an interview Tuesday that there is a severe deer problem in areas such as Chester County due to the “urban/suburban” interface.
For Stuart Constable, production manager of Highland Orchards in West Bradford, the orchard is at ground zero when it comes to the urban/suburban interface. “It’s really been bad the last four to five years.”
We think the deer problem in the counties surrounding Philadelphia is out of control. And we insist that every safety precaution is taken if the deer population is to be thinned.
Something needs to be done. Hershey’s bill is a start.
source:
http://www.dailylocal.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/DailyLocal;!1742888106?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=
pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FDLN%2FOpinion&r21.content=%2FDLN%2FOpinion%2FHeadlineList_Story_112380
Monday, March 05, 2007
NEBRASKA NEWS: Record Deer Harvest in 2006
Hunters killed a record total of 65,091 deer in Nebraska during the 2006 hunting seasons, 4,200 more deer than ever before, according to Kit Hams, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s big game program manager.
During the November firearm season, hunters took 43,081 deer, a success rate of 61 percent; 4,164 deer were taken during the muzzleloader season, a success rate of 26 percent, compared to 4,771 deer in 2005; and archers took 4,596 deer, a success rate of 29 percent, compared to 4,283 deer taken by bowhunters in 2005.
Hams said there were records for the harvest of both mule deer and whitetails in 2006. There were 11,610 mule deer taken last year, compared to 11,149 in 2005. Hunters took 53,322 whitetails in 2006, compared to 49,587 in 2005.
source: http://www.swnebr.net/newspaper/cgi-bin/articles/articlearchiver.pl?159821
The total buck harvest for 2006 was 42,186 deer as 77 percent of rifle hunters, 84 percent of archers, 77 percent of youth hunters and 60 percent of muzzleloaders took adult bucks. The total antlerless deer harvest was 22,492 deer, of which 55 percent were taken on antlerless-only tags.
Hams said the Commission is attempting to control deer populations across the state and that is best accomplished by removing antlerless deer from the herd. “Hunters took about 22,500 antlerless deer in 2006. Our goal is to increase the harvest of antlerless deer to 25,000-26,000 during the 2007 hunting seasons,” he said.
During the November firearm season, hunters took 43,081 deer, a success rate of 61 percent; 4,164 deer were taken during the muzzleloader season, a success rate of 26 percent, compared to 4,771 deer in 2005; and archers took 4,596 deer, a success rate of 29 percent, compared to 4,283 deer taken by bowhunters in 2005.
Hams said there were records for the harvest of both mule deer and whitetails in 2006. There were 11,610 mule deer taken last year, compared to 11,149 in 2005. Hunters took 53,322 whitetails in 2006, compared to 49,587 in 2005.
source: http://www.swnebr.net/newspaper/cgi-bin/articles/articlearchiver.pl?159821
The total buck harvest for 2006 was 42,186 deer as 77 percent of rifle hunters, 84 percent of archers, 77 percent of youth hunters and 60 percent of muzzleloaders took adult bucks. The total antlerless deer harvest was 22,492 deer, of which 55 percent were taken on antlerless-only tags.
Hams said the Commission is attempting to control deer populations across the state and that is best accomplished by removing antlerless deer from the herd. “Hunters took about 22,500 antlerless deer in 2006. Our goal is to increase the harvest of antlerless deer to 25,000-26,000 during the 2007 hunting seasons,” he said.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
ENGLAND NEWS: CONTINUED GROWTH IN DEER POPULATIONS
INCREASING deer populations in East Anglia mean it is inevitable there will be more road accidents involving the creatures, experts have warned.
The comments were made in the wake of an horrific crash on the A14 in Suffolk on Monday, in which a father and daughter were killed after swerving to avoid a dead deer in the road.
Ten thousand vehicle-deer collisions are reported in eastern England each year and Suffolk/Norfolk has the third highest rate of this kind of accident in the country.
Nationally, the wild deer population is estimated at 1.2 million and growing. In eastern England the number is thought to be about 75,000.
David Hooton, regional liaison officer for the Deer Initiative, which gives advice to landowners on sustainable management of wild deer populations, said there were now six different species of deer in the wild in this region.
They included red, roe, fallow, muntjac, sika and Chinese water deer, the more exotic ones having escaped from private collections and bred successfully in the wild.
A red deer - the biggest species in the wild - is thought to have been involved in Monday's fatal accident.
Mr Hooton said changed living patterns which saw many more vehicles on the roads at night accounted for part of the increase in collisions with deer.
However, recent mild winters had helped breeding success and the change to autumn sowing of cereal crops meant there was plenty of food available in the winter months.
“While foxes might pick up a few of the smaller species, deer no longer have a natural predator in this country and populations are likely to continue to rise until they get to the point where there is not enough food to see them through the winters,” Mr Hooton said.
The Deer Initiative gave advice to landowners over the culling of deer populations to try to protect crops, new tree plantations and ancient woodlands.
But many landowners were not culling at a high enough level to “keep the lid” on populations.
“We all want to see deer in the countryside because they are beautiful, aesthetic creatures but populations have to be managed properly in order to restrict damage to crops and trees,” Mr Hooton said.
The Deer Initiative is funded by the Forestry Commission and Natural England.
Source: http://www.eadt.co.uk/content/eadt/news/story.aspx?brand=EADOnline&category=News&tBrand=EADOnline&tCategory=news&itemid=IPED27%20Feb%202007%2023%3A45%3A24%3A313
The comments were made in the wake of an horrific crash on the A14 in Suffolk on Monday, in which a father and daughter were killed after swerving to avoid a dead deer in the road.
Ten thousand vehicle-deer collisions are reported in eastern England each year and Suffolk/Norfolk has the third highest rate of this kind of accident in the country.
Nationally, the wild deer population is estimated at 1.2 million and growing. In eastern England the number is thought to be about 75,000.
David Hooton, regional liaison officer for the Deer Initiative, which gives advice to landowners on sustainable management of wild deer populations, said there were now six different species of deer in the wild in this region.
They included red, roe, fallow, muntjac, sika and Chinese water deer, the more exotic ones having escaped from private collections and bred successfully in the wild.
A red deer - the biggest species in the wild - is thought to have been involved in Monday's fatal accident.
Mr Hooton said changed living patterns which saw many more vehicles on the roads at night accounted for part of the increase in collisions with deer.
However, recent mild winters had helped breeding success and the change to autumn sowing of cereal crops meant there was plenty of food available in the winter months.
“While foxes might pick up a few of the smaller species, deer no longer have a natural predator in this country and populations are likely to continue to rise until they get to the point where there is not enough food to see them through the winters,” Mr Hooton said.
The Deer Initiative gave advice to landowners over the culling of deer populations to try to protect crops, new tree plantations and ancient woodlands.
But many landowners were not culling at a high enough level to “keep the lid” on populations.
“We all want to see deer in the countryside because they are beautiful, aesthetic creatures but populations have to be managed properly in order to restrict damage to crops and trees,” Mr Hooton said.
The Deer Initiative is funded by the Forestry Commission and Natural England.
Source: http://www.eadt.co.uk/content/eadt/news/story.aspx?brand=EADOnline&category=News&tBrand=EADOnline&tCategory=news&itemid=IPED27%20Feb%202007%2023%3A45%3A24%3A313
Friday, February 16, 2007
CALIFORNIA NEWS: Collisions with deer cause millions in damage claims
By Denis Cuff, MEDIANEWS STAFF 02/16/2007 02:31:24 AM PST
Pat Dupler likes to admire the wild deer in the East Bay hills, but she also has learned to fear them as potential unguided missiles that blast into the path of moving cars. Dupler has collided three times with deer at night, twice in Contra Costa County and once in the Sierra foothills. The collisions did not injure her, but rattled her and caused several thousands of dollars in car damage.
"I'm a careful driver," said Dupler, a retired Martinez nurse who drives a Volvo sedan. "I had no time to avoid these accidents. Once, I didn't even see the animal until it hit my side window and its face pushed against my windshield. It was horrible."
Bambi, a kindly friend in the forest, can become the nightmare of the highway in the East Bay and other places in deer country. Nationally, deer collisions with cars annually cause some $1.1 billion in vehicle damage, kill 150 people and injure 29,000 others, according to estimates by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The collision rate is going up as more homes are built in woodsy deer habitat, experts say. Collision risks escalate during the deer rutting season, which is in the late fall and early winter. In the East Bay, though, the risk is year-round.
California was rated 26th out of 50 states for deer collision claims last year, trailing states with larger deer herds, according to a survey of State Farm Insurance customers. But the toll in California is still significant, police accident records show. Vehicle collisions with animals in California killed five people, injured 431 others and damaged 15,750 vehicles between 1996 and 2005, according to records compiled by the California Highway Patrol.
Safety and wildlife experts have no easy solutions to prevent crashes between cars and deer. Giving birth control chemicals to deer is expensive and difficult. In the 1990s, the East Bay Regional Park District determined in a pilot project that it cost $2,000 to $3,000 annually to give birth control chemicals to each doe at a Fremont park.
FULL STORY: http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_5239753
Pat Dupler likes to admire the wild deer in the East Bay hills, but she also has learned to fear them as potential unguided missiles that blast into the path of moving cars. Dupler has collided three times with deer at night, twice in Contra Costa County and once in the Sierra foothills. The collisions did not injure her, but rattled her and caused several thousands of dollars in car damage.
"I'm a careful driver," said Dupler, a retired Martinez nurse who drives a Volvo sedan. "I had no time to avoid these accidents. Once, I didn't even see the animal until it hit my side window and its face pushed against my windshield. It was horrible."
Bambi, a kindly friend in the forest, can become the nightmare of the highway in the East Bay and other places in deer country. Nationally, deer collisions with cars annually cause some $1.1 billion in vehicle damage, kill 150 people and injure 29,000 others, according to estimates by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The collision rate is going up as more homes are built in woodsy deer habitat, experts say. Collision risks escalate during the deer rutting season, which is in the late fall and early winter. In the East Bay, though, the risk is year-round.
California was rated 26th out of 50 states for deer collision claims last year, trailing states with larger deer herds, according to a survey of State Farm Insurance customers. But the toll in California is still significant, police accident records show. Vehicle collisions with animals in California killed five people, injured 431 others and damaged 15,750 vehicles between 1996 and 2005, according to records compiled by the California Highway Patrol.
Safety and wildlife experts have no easy solutions to prevent crashes between cars and deer. Giving birth control chemicals to deer is expensive and difficult. In the 1990s, the East Bay Regional Park District determined in a pilot project that it cost $2,000 to $3,000 annually to give birth control chemicals to each doe at a Fremont park.
FULL STORY: http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_5239753
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
U.S.A. News: More Cities and Towns Cull Deer
Charisse Jones, USA TODAY
The nation's swelling deer population is prompting a growing number of towns and cities to permit hunting within their borders, much of it by bow and arrow. The goal: reduce the number of traffic collisions involving deer and ease conflicts between the animals and their human neighbors.
Motorists are involved in more than 1 million accidents a year involving deer. That has led several states to lift Sunday bans on hunting or test animal- detection systems that warn drivers of nearby deer. Among communities adding limited hunts to their strategy:
•Fort Smith and Barling, Ark., lifted a hunting ban in a 7,200-acre area that lies in both towns. One hundred permits were sold for bow hunting this season, which ends Feb. 28. The hunt was set up because of concerns there might not be enough food for deer and the risk of the animals roaming into the area as it fills with new homes and businesses, says Sandy Sanders, director of a local redevelopment authority.
•Kansas City, Mo., had bow hunts for the first time in two public parks. From late November to Dec. 10, 41 deer were killed, says Debra Burns, urban wildlife biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. The City Council authorized the hunts after learning that at least 400 deer a year were hit by vehicles within the city, Burns says.
•Warsaw, Ind., in November authorized archers to hunt deer for three weeks this winter. "It was a baby step," Councilman Jeff Grose says of the hunt, which led to the killing of 20 deer. "We felt the residents in that area had a legitimate argument to declare the deer population as a nuisance."
•Alamosa, Colo., is allowing hunting by bows and shotguns on a city-owned golf course until Feb. 28. The hunt comes after incidents in which deer killed backyard pets, caused property damage and were hit by vehicles. "This won't decrease the population," City Manager Nathan Cherpeski says. "At best, it's going to slow the growth."
Suburbs of Des Moines, St. Louis, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, have staged bow hunts or are considering them.
North Carolina's Wildlife Resources Commission will vote March 7 on whether to permit a five-week bow-hunting season, the first time hunting would be allowed within city or town limits. If approved, each community would decide whether to allow the hunts.
"It's a way to help control the population," says Fred Harris, the commission's deputy director. The proposal was "generally" supported at nine public hearings around the state in January, Harris says.
Some animal-rights advocates say the hunts cause more harm than good. Laura Simon of the Humane Society of the United States says the chances of traffic accidents increase as hunted, scared deer dart across roads. Towns can keep deer from traffic by using reflectors or fencing, and residents can make their gardens unappealing with repellents or flowers that deer dislike, she says.
Towns authorizing deer hunts have imposed safety rules. Among them: Hunters must keep at least 100 yards away from any building. "We tried to take a situation that has risk with it and make it as safe as we could for not only the archers, but the deer and the residents in the area." Grose says.
Source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-02-06-deerhunt_x.htm
The nation's swelling deer population is prompting a growing number of towns and cities to permit hunting within their borders, much of it by bow and arrow. The goal: reduce the number of traffic collisions involving deer and ease conflicts between the animals and their human neighbors.
Motorists are involved in more than 1 million accidents a year involving deer. That has led several states to lift Sunday bans on hunting or test animal- detection systems that warn drivers of nearby deer. Among communities adding limited hunts to their strategy:
•Fort Smith and Barling, Ark., lifted a hunting ban in a 7,200-acre area that lies in both towns. One hundred permits were sold for bow hunting this season, which ends Feb. 28. The hunt was set up because of concerns there might not be enough food for deer and the risk of the animals roaming into the area as it fills with new homes and businesses, says Sandy Sanders, director of a local redevelopment authority.
•Kansas City, Mo., had bow hunts for the first time in two public parks. From late November to Dec. 10, 41 deer were killed, says Debra Burns, urban wildlife biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. The City Council authorized the hunts after learning that at least 400 deer a year were hit by vehicles within the city, Burns says.
•Warsaw, Ind., in November authorized archers to hunt deer for three weeks this winter. "It was a baby step," Councilman Jeff Grose says of the hunt, which led to the killing of 20 deer. "We felt the residents in that area had a legitimate argument to declare the deer population as a nuisance."
•Alamosa, Colo., is allowing hunting by bows and shotguns on a city-owned golf course until Feb. 28. The hunt comes after incidents in which deer killed backyard pets, caused property damage and were hit by vehicles. "This won't decrease the population," City Manager Nathan Cherpeski says. "At best, it's going to slow the growth."
Suburbs of Des Moines, St. Louis, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, have staged bow hunts or are considering them.
North Carolina's Wildlife Resources Commission will vote March 7 on whether to permit a five-week bow-hunting season, the first time hunting would be allowed within city or town limits. If approved, each community would decide whether to allow the hunts.
"It's a way to help control the population," says Fred Harris, the commission's deputy director. The proposal was "generally" supported at nine public hearings around the state in January, Harris says.
Some animal-rights advocates say the hunts cause more harm than good. Laura Simon of the Humane Society of the United States says the chances of traffic accidents increase as hunted, scared deer dart across roads. Towns can keep deer from traffic by using reflectors or fencing, and residents can make their gardens unappealing with repellents or flowers that deer dislike, she says.
Towns authorizing deer hunts have imposed safety rules. Among them: Hunters must keep at least 100 yards away from any building. "We tried to take a situation that has risk with it and make it as safe as we could for not only the archers, but the deer and the residents in the area." Grose says.
Source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-02-06-deerhunt_x.htm
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
DELAWARE NEWS: Fifty Deer Per Square Mile Post-Hunt Still Too Many
State experts say Delaware still has too many deer.
Rob Hossler with the Division of Fish and Wildlife told hunters Sunday that there were an estimated 36,000 deer in Delaware after the recent hunting season. He says the goal is to reduce the population to 40 deer per square mile of deer habitat- or 29,000 statewide.
Hossler says the state could add several days to the hunting season and might allow hunters to bag more deer.
Source:
http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=6005158&nav=MXEF
Rob Hossler with the Division of Fish and Wildlife told hunters Sunday that there were an estimated 36,000 deer in Delaware after the recent hunting season. He says the goal is to reduce the population to 40 deer per square mile of deer habitat- or 29,000 statewide.
Hossler says the state could add several days to the hunting season and might allow hunters to bag more deer.
Source:
http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=6005158&nav=MXEF
COLORADO NEWS: Deer Hunt in City of Alamosa
The city of Alamosa declared open season Tuesday on town deer, a population that officials say has become both too abundant and aggressive.
The town's first deer hunt - up to 30 licenses, five at a time, to be issued on antlerless animals - will run through February on the front nine of the golf course and on a 1,300-acre ranch held by the town as a wildlife preserve, City Manager Nathan Cherpeski said.
The hunt allows for archery and shotguns, but no rifles (errant bullets would travel too far). The town is handing out maps for hunters and any members of the general public who might want to avoid those areas. And hunters who receive licenses must go to a local instructor to qualify as an accurate archer or shooter.
"Our deer population is causing car accidents and property damage," Cherpeski said. "Two pets have been killed, small dogs - killed in their own yards. The deer stand 20 feet away (from people) and are not afraid. ... Twenty or 30 mill around the high school campus."
The Colorado Division of Wildlife consulted on the managed hunt, which has been under consideration for a few years, but the division is letting the town run it.
"It is within their jurisdiction," DOW spokesman Joe Lewandowski said. "The division will be keeping an eye on it. That number (of licenses) will not significantly check this deer population."
Cherpeski said that if 30 mule deer does are taken, it will only slow the population growth, not stop it. Officials have been unable to do a hard count of the deer because the population is scattered and mobile, but they estimate 500 to 1,000 are in town or on the outskirts.
Source:
http://www.denverpost.com/technology/ci_5121868
The town's first deer hunt - up to 30 licenses, five at a time, to be issued on antlerless animals - will run through February on the front nine of the golf course and on a 1,300-acre ranch held by the town as a wildlife preserve, City Manager Nathan Cherpeski said.
The hunt allows for archery and shotguns, but no rifles (errant bullets would travel too far). The town is handing out maps for hunters and any members of the general public who might want to avoid those areas. And hunters who receive licenses must go to a local instructor to qualify as an accurate archer or shooter.
"Our deer population is causing car accidents and property damage," Cherpeski said. "Two pets have been killed, small dogs - killed in their own yards. The deer stand 20 feet away (from people) and are not afraid. ... Twenty or 30 mill around the high school campus."
The Colorado Division of Wildlife consulted on the managed hunt, which has been under consideration for a few years, but the division is letting the town run it.
"It is within their jurisdiction," DOW spokesman Joe Lewandowski said. "The division will be keeping an eye on it. That number (of licenses) will not significantly check this deer population."
Cherpeski said that if 30 mule deer does are taken, it will only slow the population growth, not stop it. Officials have been unable to do a hard count of the deer because the population is scattered and mobile, but they estimate 500 to 1,000 are in town or on the outskirts.
Source:
http://www.denverpost.com/technology/ci_5121868
MINNESOTA NEWS: 2006 Second Highest Harvest On Record
Minnesota hunters harvested nearly 270,000 deer during 2006, the second highest deer harvest ever recorded, according to a final numbers announced today by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
With nearly 500,000 deer hunters enjoying long seasons and liberal bag limits, DNR officials anticipated a strong 2006 deer harvest. In total, firearms hunters harvested 229,000 deer while archery and muzzleloader hunters harvested 25,000 and 13,500 deer, respectively.
Hunters who participated in the early antlerless season tagged 2,300 deer. Overall, the statewide firearm harvest was up 6 percent, archers enjoyed another record season and increased 8 percent, while muzzleloader harvest decreased 4 percent from their record 2005 harvest.
"Once again, Minnesota deer hunters enjoyed another great deer season,"
said Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game program coordinator.
Prior to 2003, Minnesota hunters had never killed 250,000 deer in any one season. Over the four years, total deer harvest exceeded 250,000 each year.
Source:
http://www.buckmasters.com/more_buckmasters/zones/features/070131Z6Minn.htm
With nearly 500,000 deer hunters enjoying long seasons and liberal bag limits, DNR officials anticipated a strong 2006 deer harvest. In total, firearms hunters harvested 229,000 deer while archery and muzzleloader hunters harvested 25,000 and 13,500 deer, respectively.
Hunters who participated in the early antlerless season tagged 2,300 deer. Overall, the statewide firearm harvest was up 6 percent, archers enjoyed another record season and increased 8 percent, while muzzleloader harvest decreased 4 percent from their record 2005 harvest.
"Once again, Minnesota deer hunters enjoyed another great deer season,"
said Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game program coordinator.
Prior to 2003, Minnesota hunters had never killed 250,000 deer in any one season. Over the four years, total deer harvest exceeded 250,000 each year.
Source:
http://www.buckmasters.com/more_buckmasters/zones/features/070131Z6Minn.htm
Friday, January 26, 2007
GERMANY NEWS: Wolf Resurgence Magically Turns Some Hunters into Crybabies
BAERWALDE, Germany - There's blood on the frost and blame in the air.
The wolves are back, hunting in the night, skulking through gardens, making the farm dogs restless. Sleek and mystical, they have roamed through folklore and fairy tale, a bit of enticing danger at the forest's edge.
But Joachim Bachmann, a hunter with a wall full of trophies, is not so lyrical when it comes to the wolf's reappearance amid the birch and pine of the eastern woods in Saxony.
In today's Germany, the wolf is a "protected species." Mention these two words and you had better duck, because Bachmann can't quite get his mind around how a sheep-eating machine should not be shot on sight. It bothers him even when he sits at the big table in his big house looking out the window to a damp land speckled with paw prints.
"What positive thing does a wolf bring to nature? Nothing," he says.
Something else out beyond the winter grass perturbs him too. Down the road, past a church and through a forest so dense it seems like walking through the bristles on a hairbrush, a woman Bachmann describes as a misguided Little Red Riding Hood charts the personalities and nocturnal habits of wolf packs.
Gesa Kluth's boots are muddy, and her maps are worn; to Bachmann, the biologist is an infuriatingly dedicated state-funded wolf lover.
She's not cooing about him either. Kluth points to a picture on her door of a sturdy white-haired man in a hunting hat peeking out from a stand of evergreens. It's Bachmann.
"He's our No. 1 enemy. We were thinking about getting darts to throw at it," she says.
Kluth spends her days and nights tracking wolves, where they sleep, play and hunt on a territory of about 115 square miles. She plans to trap a few, fix them with radio transmitters and follow their migrations, which appear to be drifting north and west. To her, the wolf is a stealthy, swift, misunderstood beauty.
"The problem is that hunters see themselves as the predators who control the animal population from overpopulating," she says. "But now the wolves have returned and they are the natural predators, which threatens the hunter's lifestyle."
Wolves were hunted to near extinction in Germany in the Middle Ages. They reappeared from time to time, between wars and other epochs that changed borders and rearranged forests.
Dozens were shot in East Germany during the Cold War. But the demise of the communist government and the rise, after German reunification, of environmentally conscious successors have given nature a foothold on land that had been lost to warehouses and iron mills that today languish like industrial ghosts.
Wolves reappeared in this part of Saxony in the mid-1990s, when a lone male crossed the Neisse River from Poland, which has about 500 wolves.
The first German pups were born in 2000; today at least 25 wolves wander the forests on army training sites and hunt along the brown coal of strip mines. A few others live to the north in Brandenburg, where their territory widened as 1.5 million people fled East Germany after the Berlin Wall fell. Last year, a wolf believed to have wandered up from Italy was hit by a car in southern Bavaria.
Like the beast he despises, Bachmann arrived in the east after what people here call "former times." He was born in a part of Silesia that reverted to Poland after World War II. He and his family were forced into East Germany. They escaped in 1953 and moved to the Ruhr region of West Germany, where he eventually ran a fleet of coal trucks. A few years before the wolves rediscovered Saxony, Bachmann built a wood house here, decorating it with an antler chandelier and mounted heads of wild boar, bison and rams.
He and his buddies track deer. So do the wolves. Bachmann is worried that the deer population will be thinned and the state will reduce quotas for hunters. Hunting is cheaper in eastern Germany than in the west, but if wolves upset the ecosystem, hunters would have less deer meat to sell and might stop paying to use privately owned game lands. This could suppress real estate values in a region with limited prosperity.
"The wolf population is doubling each year," Bachmann says. "Soon we'll have more than 120, and then the wild deer will be gone and the forests will be empty. I think many of these wolf lovers orchestrated the return of the wolf. They're getting paid to protect the wolf. They use the wolf as a magnet for donations. Look on the Internet -- you can become a 'wolf patron.'"
source:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/nation/16551444.html
The wolves are back, hunting in the night, skulking through gardens, making the farm dogs restless. Sleek and mystical, they have roamed through folklore and fairy tale, a bit of enticing danger at the forest's edge.
But Joachim Bachmann, a hunter with a wall full of trophies, is not so lyrical when it comes to the wolf's reappearance amid the birch and pine of the eastern woods in Saxony.
In today's Germany, the wolf is a "protected species." Mention these two words and you had better duck, because Bachmann can't quite get his mind around how a sheep-eating machine should not be shot on sight. It bothers him even when he sits at the big table in his big house looking out the window to a damp land speckled with paw prints.
"What positive thing does a wolf bring to nature? Nothing," he says.
Something else out beyond the winter grass perturbs him too. Down the road, past a church and through a forest so dense it seems like walking through the bristles on a hairbrush, a woman Bachmann describes as a misguided Little Red Riding Hood charts the personalities and nocturnal habits of wolf packs.
Gesa Kluth's boots are muddy, and her maps are worn; to Bachmann, the biologist is an infuriatingly dedicated state-funded wolf lover.
She's not cooing about him either. Kluth points to a picture on her door of a sturdy white-haired man in a hunting hat peeking out from a stand of evergreens. It's Bachmann.
"He's our No. 1 enemy. We were thinking about getting darts to throw at it," she says.
Kluth spends her days and nights tracking wolves, where they sleep, play and hunt on a territory of about 115 square miles. She plans to trap a few, fix them with radio transmitters and follow their migrations, which appear to be drifting north and west. To her, the wolf is a stealthy, swift, misunderstood beauty.
"The problem is that hunters see themselves as the predators who control the animal population from overpopulating," she says. "But now the wolves have returned and they are the natural predators, which threatens the hunter's lifestyle."
Wolves were hunted to near extinction in Germany in the Middle Ages. They reappeared from time to time, between wars and other epochs that changed borders and rearranged forests.
Dozens were shot in East Germany during the Cold War. But the demise of the communist government and the rise, after German reunification, of environmentally conscious successors have given nature a foothold on land that had been lost to warehouses and iron mills that today languish like industrial ghosts.
Wolves reappeared in this part of Saxony in the mid-1990s, when a lone male crossed the Neisse River from Poland, which has about 500 wolves.
The first German pups were born in 2000; today at least 25 wolves wander the forests on army training sites and hunt along the brown coal of strip mines. A few others live to the north in Brandenburg, where their territory widened as 1.5 million people fled East Germany after the Berlin Wall fell. Last year, a wolf believed to have wandered up from Italy was hit by a car in southern Bavaria.
Like the beast he despises, Bachmann arrived in the east after what people here call "former times." He was born in a part of Silesia that reverted to Poland after World War II. He and his family were forced into East Germany. They escaped in 1953 and moved to the Ruhr region of West Germany, where he eventually ran a fleet of coal trucks. A few years before the wolves rediscovered Saxony, Bachmann built a wood house here, decorating it with an antler chandelier and mounted heads of wild boar, bison and rams.
He and his buddies track deer. So do the wolves. Bachmann is worried that the deer population will be thinned and the state will reduce quotas for hunters. Hunting is cheaper in eastern Germany than in the west, but if wolves upset the ecosystem, hunters would have less deer meat to sell and might stop paying to use privately owned game lands. This could suppress real estate values in a region with limited prosperity.
"The wolf population is doubling each year," Bachmann says. "Soon we'll have more than 120, and then the wild deer will be gone and the forests will be empty. I think many of these wolf lovers orchestrated the return of the wolf. They're getting paid to protect the wolf. They use the wolf as a magnet for donations. Look on the Internet -- you can become a 'wolf patron.'"
source:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/nation/16551444.html
PENNSYLVANIA NEWS: No Hunt in Norristown Farm Park
COURTHOUSE - The Montgomery County commissioners have ruled out a public deer hunt this year in the Norristown Farm Park.
County Solicitor Michael D. Marino said on Thursday the county and park officials are investigating whether some type of contraception, such as darting, would work instead.
"We are just taking a step back to look at things," said Commissioners Chairman Thomas J. Ellis.
"But we are not going to wait too long because the destruction of assets is just awesome," said Commissioner James R. Matthews, citing the damage to park vegetation when there is an over-abundance of deer.
Last year's three-day shotgun hunt - the first ever in the 700-acre urban park that straddles Norristown, East Norriton and West Norriton - resulted in the slaying of 139 deer including 21 bucks and 118 does.
Animal rights activists strongly opposed the hunt.
However, county officials at that time maintained that the hunt was necessary to decrease the size of the park's growing deer population.
The state game commission had estimated that there was over 400 deer in the park in 2004. County officials added another 100 to that estimate following the 2005 spring fawning season.
County officials have estimated that the park can only sustain a herd of seven to 20 deer. This is based on a game-commission recommendation that a healthy deer population is about 10 deer per square mile.
The county last October held its sixth annual bow-and-arrow deer hunt in the county's Lorimer Park in Abington.
Some 47 hunters participated, bagging a total of 11 deer, including 10 does and one
buck.
Source:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17747114&BRD=1679&PAG=461&dept_id=86218&rfi=6
County Solicitor Michael D. Marino said on Thursday the county and park officials are investigating whether some type of contraception, such as darting, would work instead.
"We are just taking a step back to look at things," said Commissioners Chairman Thomas J. Ellis.
"But we are not going to wait too long because the destruction of assets is just awesome," said Commissioner James R. Matthews, citing the damage to park vegetation when there is an over-abundance of deer.
Last year's three-day shotgun hunt - the first ever in the 700-acre urban park that straddles Norristown, East Norriton and West Norriton - resulted in the slaying of 139 deer including 21 bucks and 118 does.
Animal rights activists strongly opposed the hunt.
However, county officials at that time maintained that the hunt was necessary to decrease the size of the park's growing deer population.
The state game commission had estimated that there was over 400 deer in the park in 2004. County officials added another 100 to that estimate following the 2005 spring fawning season.
County officials have estimated that the park can only sustain a herd of seven to 20 deer. This is based on a game-commission recommendation that a healthy deer population is about 10 deer per square mile.
The county last October held its sixth annual bow-and-arrow deer hunt in the county's Lorimer Park in Abington.
Some 47 hunters participated, bagging a total of 11 deer, including 10 does and one
buck.
Source:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17747114&BRD=1679&PAG=461&dept_id=86218&rfi=6
MAINE NEWS: Proposal To Cull Deer on Marsh Island (Orono)
How to deal with deer overpopulation on Marsh Island has been a controversial issue for more than 10 years in area towns, but now the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has come up with a suggestion.
In a recent letter to Town Manager Cathy Conlow, DIF&W regional wildlife biologist Marc Caron proposes to pursue new rules to open Marsh Island to archery-only deer hunting and add the island to the existing archery area, which includes portions of both Old Town and Orono.
"The solution [Caron] offers is a pretty good one," Conlow said.
DIF&W classifies the island as a wildlife management area where hunting is prohibited, but the department’s commissioner has the authority to change that rule.
The intent of the expanded archery area is to allow hunting in areas that are not open to firearms hunting because of municipal firearms discharge ordinances. All of the areas are near homes and are interspersed with small woodlots, according to the DIF&W Web site.
Before any final decisions are made, she said, the Orono council will hold a public hearing on the issue at its Feb. 12 meeting.
There has been question over the last couple of years whether it would be possible to control the deer herd in some way if the University of Maine, the largest landowner on Marsh Island, decided not to participate.
UM has decided not to jump on board with the plan, and Caron has considered that in his proposal.
"Our decision at this point is that we would not open university land to a hunt, selectively managed or controlled hunt," UM Public Safety Director Noel March said Wednesday.
March headed the UM committee that explored the deer population and control issue.
"As much as there does appear to be certainly a legitimate need to address the deer herd population on Marsh Island, we have concerns to safety of those who use university forests and land, hiking trails, and open fields," March said. "But we will agree to cooperate with abutting landowners in the event that a deer hunt on their property requires them to come onto university land to retrieve a deer or otherwise."
UM’s decision not to participate makes it difficult to hunt on the Orono side, but Conlow said Caron’s proposal still offers some solution to the problem.
"It’s hard to hunt Orono lands, but it will still enable Old Town to deal with the problem over there," Conlow said.
Old Town councilors previously voted to move forward with a controlled hunt as long as safety precautions are taken.
"As long as none of the provisions change, I don’t see any reason to not move forward with the proposal of inland fisheries," Old Town City Manager Peggy Daigle said Thursday.
Old Town councilors also have received a copy of the letter to review.
Caron is seeking a response from Orono officials next month in order to begin steps toward the rule-making process.
Source:
http://bangordailynews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=145613&zoneid=500
In a recent letter to Town Manager Cathy Conlow, DIF&W regional wildlife biologist Marc Caron proposes to pursue new rules to open Marsh Island to archery-only deer hunting and add the island to the existing archery area, which includes portions of both Old Town and Orono.
"The solution [Caron] offers is a pretty good one," Conlow said.
DIF&W classifies the island as a wildlife management area where hunting is prohibited, but the department’s commissioner has the authority to change that rule.
The intent of the expanded archery area is to allow hunting in areas that are not open to firearms hunting because of municipal firearms discharge ordinances. All of the areas are near homes and are interspersed with small woodlots, according to the DIF&W Web site.
Before any final decisions are made, she said, the Orono council will hold a public hearing on the issue at its Feb. 12 meeting.
There has been question over the last couple of years whether it would be possible to control the deer herd in some way if the University of Maine, the largest landowner on Marsh Island, decided not to participate.
UM has decided not to jump on board with the plan, and Caron has considered that in his proposal.
"Our decision at this point is that we would not open university land to a hunt, selectively managed or controlled hunt," UM Public Safety Director Noel March said Wednesday.
March headed the UM committee that explored the deer population and control issue.
"As much as there does appear to be certainly a legitimate need to address the deer herd population on Marsh Island, we have concerns to safety of those who use university forests and land, hiking trails, and open fields," March said. "But we will agree to cooperate with abutting landowners in the event that a deer hunt on their property requires them to come onto university land to retrieve a deer or otherwise."
UM’s decision not to participate makes it difficult to hunt on the Orono side, but Conlow said Caron’s proposal still offers some solution to the problem.
"It’s hard to hunt Orono lands, but it will still enable Old Town to deal with the problem over there," Conlow said.
Old Town councilors previously voted to move forward with a controlled hunt as long as safety precautions are taken.
"As long as none of the provisions change, I don’t see any reason to not move forward with the proposal of inland fisheries," Old Town City Manager Peggy Daigle said Thursday.
Old Town councilors also have received a copy of the letter to review.
Caron is seeking a response from Orono officials next month in order to begin steps toward the rule-making process.
Source:
http://bangordailynews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=145613&zoneid=500
MONTANA NEWS: Deer Cull in Helena Moves Forward
Most of the people who spoke at the Urban Wildlife Task Force's first town hall meeting on Helena's growing deer herd favored reducing the population.
Those folks were evenly split between culling the herd and a combination of lethal and non-lethal options.
A few residents said they don't believe a problem exists. They said they've learned how to live with the animals and don't want to see them killed.
Several people said they favor trapping and transporting the deer to another location, but the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks has a number of concerns about the option.
The task force, which began tackling the issue in May, is set to present its recommendations to the Helena City Commission in early March. The city then will decide whether the herd should be reduced and, if so, how to do the work and how to pay for it.
Any management plan must then be approved by the FWP Commission before it can be implemented. Helena officials said they hope the agency will partner with the city in funding any possible plan.
If the city decides to manage the herd, it will be an ongoing practice.
The population
Gene Hickman, a Helena wildlife consultant who was hired to estimate the herd's size, said the Queen City may have as many as 350 deer during late summer and autumn. He cautioned the estimate is no more than an "educated guess."
He hasn't finished working with the numbers, but said he believes the city had about 300 deer when he did his counts, beginning about a month ago. The census is a snapshot in time - no one knows the herd's size for certain. The highest numbers were found along the city's southern boundary.
One thing is certain: the deer are healthy, and the city's buck/doe ratio means the population will continue to grow, he said.
FWP wildlife biologist Gayle Joslin said population models show the herd will grow exponentially. It could double every three to five years, she said.
If the city decides to manage the population, it will need to set benchmarks, Hickman said.
"We need to find out what the socially acceptable number of deer is," he said.
The options
The task force is considering a number of non-lethal and lethal options. Among them:
- Status quo. Leaving the situation alone could result in additional costs down the road as the herd grows, and could increase the amount of property damage and the risk of accidents and injuries.
- Encouraging the use of unpalatable landscaping, repellants and barriers to keep deer out of yards.
- Fertility control or sterilization. Trained workers could inoculate deer with contraceptive or abortive drugs. The process is expensive, and no FDA-approved chemicals are yet available.
- Capture and transfer. Deer could be tranquilized or trapped, and then moved. It's a high-cost option, and one FWP has concerns about - transporting urban deer to a wild setting could result in high mortality and could possible spread illnesses such as chronic wasting disease.
- Capture and kill. This option may require property owners' permission, and tranquilized deer cannot be consumed.
- Professional wildlife removal. Sharpshooters could bait and cull the deer.
- Certified urban hunting. Community bowhunters could be selected and trained to target the herd.
Lists of options will be displayed at the Lewis and Clark Library and the City-County Building for public viewing.
The comments
One woman drew laughter from the crowd numbering more than 100 when she playfully suggested introducing wolves into the city to cut down the herd's numbers.
A man suggested allowing Helenans and their kids to drive the animals out of town using paintball guns.
A number of speakers said they're worried the deer could spread disease or become aggressive toward children. Folks also are concerned the herd draws predators into the city.
"(Deer) are unpredictable and they aren't safe, and my children aren't safe," a woman said. She said a deer charged a child in her neighborhood last year.
"We have a responsibility to have safe neighborhoods in our community," she added.
One woman said she's concerned about the danger of deer spreading diseases to humans. An FWP official said he's not worried about the possibility, which he said is highly unlikely.
"We're sick of them," one man said of the dozen or so deer he sees in his yard most days. He favored killing the deer.
One older man said he often hiked in the mountains south of the city in his youth. Seeing a deer was rare. Now he sees as many as 19 out his window.
He said he once saw a doe repeatedly pounce on a small dog, killing it.
"Something should be done to eliminate the deer," he said.
One man thought a certified urban hunt was the best option and said many people would volunteer to participate, making it a cheaper choice.
"I don't think this has to cost as much as it could," he said.
Some don't want the city to reduce the herd.
"I enjoy seeing the deer," a woman said. "We learn to adjust with them.
"If someone shoots a deer in my yard, I don't want to pay for it," she added.
A second meeting is planned for Feb. 14 at the Civic Center.
Source:
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/01/26/helena_top/a01012607_01.txt
Those folks were evenly split between culling the herd and a combination of lethal and non-lethal options.
A few residents said they don't believe a problem exists. They said they've learned how to live with the animals and don't want to see them killed.
Several people said they favor trapping and transporting the deer to another location, but the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks has a number of concerns about the option.
The task force, which began tackling the issue in May, is set to present its recommendations to the Helena City Commission in early March. The city then will decide whether the herd should be reduced and, if so, how to do the work and how to pay for it.
Any management plan must then be approved by the FWP Commission before it can be implemented. Helena officials said they hope the agency will partner with the city in funding any possible plan.
If the city decides to manage the herd, it will be an ongoing practice.
The population
Gene Hickman, a Helena wildlife consultant who was hired to estimate the herd's size, said the Queen City may have as many as 350 deer during late summer and autumn. He cautioned the estimate is no more than an "educated guess."
He hasn't finished working with the numbers, but said he believes the city had about 300 deer when he did his counts, beginning about a month ago. The census is a snapshot in time - no one knows the herd's size for certain. The highest numbers were found along the city's southern boundary.
One thing is certain: the deer are healthy, and the city's buck/doe ratio means the population will continue to grow, he said.
FWP wildlife biologist Gayle Joslin said population models show the herd will grow exponentially. It could double every three to five years, she said.
If the city decides to manage the population, it will need to set benchmarks, Hickman said.
"We need to find out what the socially acceptable number of deer is," he said.
The options
The task force is considering a number of non-lethal and lethal options. Among them:
- Status quo. Leaving the situation alone could result in additional costs down the road as the herd grows, and could increase the amount of property damage and the risk of accidents and injuries.
- Encouraging the use of unpalatable landscaping, repellants and barriers to keep deer out of yards.
- Fertility control or sterilization. Trained workers could inoculate deer with contraceptive or abortive drugs. The process is expensive, and no FDA-approved chemicals are yet available.
- Capture and transfer. Deer could be tranquilized or trapped, and then moved. It's a high-cost option, and one FWP has concerns about - transporting urban deer to a wild setting could result in high mortality and could possible spread illnesses such as chronic wasting disease.
- Capture and kill. This option may require property owners' permission, and tranquilized deer cannot be consumed.
- Professional wildlife removal. Sharpshooters could bait and cull the deer.
- Certified urban hunting. Community bowhunters could be selected and trained to target the herd.
Lists of options will be displayed at the Lewis and Clark Library and the City-County Building for public viewing.
The comments
One woman drew laughter from the crowd numbering more than 100 when she playfully suggested introducing wolves into the city to cut down the herd's numbers.
A man suggested allowing Helenans and their kids to drive the animals out of town using paintball guns.
A number of speakers said they're worried the deer could spread disease or become aggressive toward children. Folks also are concerned the herd draws predators into the city.
"(Deer) are unpredictable and they aren't safe, and my children aren't safe," a woman said. She said a deer charged a child in her neighborhood last year.
"We have a responsibility to have safe neighborhoods in our community," she added.
One woman said she's concerned about the danger of deer spreading diseases to humans. An FWP official said he's not worried about the possibility, which he said is highly unlikely.
"We're sick of them," one man said of the dozen or so deer he sees in his yard most days. He favored killing the deer.
One older man said he often hiked in the mountains south of the city in his youth. Seeing a deer was rare. Now he sees as many as 19 out his window.
He said he once saw a doe repeatedly pounce on a small dog, killing it.
"Something should be done to eliminate the deer," he said.
One man thought a certified urban hunt was the best option and said many people would volunteer to participate, making it a cheaper choice.
"I don't think this has to cost as much as it could," he said.
Some don't want the city to reduce the herd.
"I enjoy seeing the deer," a woman said. "We learn to adjust with them.
"If someone shoots a deer in my yard, I don't want to pay for it," she added.
A second meeting is planned for Feb. 14 at the Civic Center.
Source:
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/01/26/helena_top/a01012607_01.txt
WISCONSIN NEWS: CWD Moves East
Professional sharpshooters are being used in the Kettle Moraine State Forest for the first time because chronic wasting disease is discovered in deer there.
As many as nine cases of CWD have been found on the border of Waukesha County.
Sharpshooters are also being used for the first time in Devil's Lake State Park near Baraboo. About 50 deer have been killed in that effort that began this month.
The Department of Natural Resources are using sharpshooters instead of relying on hunters to reduce the herd because tests show CWD has grown in the parks.
Source:
http://wfrv.com/local/local_story_026073430.html
As many as nine cases of CWD have been found on the border of Waukesha County.
Sharpshooters are also being used for the first time in Devil's Lake State Park near Baraboo. About 50 deer have been killed in that effort that began this month.
The Department of Natural Resources are using sharpshooters instead of relying on hunters to reduce the herd because tests show CWD has grown in the parks.
Source:
http://wfrv.com/local/local_story_026073430.html
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
When Deer Misbehave
All of these happened within the last 24 hours:
AURORA COLORADO – A family awoke Tuesday morning to the sounds of a 250 pound deer hopelessly trapped in their basement window well. Thanks to a combined effort from Aurora Animal Control, Police and Fire Departments and the Colorado division of Wildlife, the deer was saved.
Authorities first tranquilized the deer and then members of the Fire Department’s technical rescue team assisted in lifting the deer free from the window well. The deer was taken to Cherry Creek State Park where it was released.
CANBY, OREGON - A large deer with an impressive display of antlers got into some trouble in Canby on Tuesday. Clackamas County Sheriff's Deputy Jeff Miller and an Oregon State Police officer responded to a report of a deer entangled in a rope in south Clackamas County. A resident of South Pellican Road said the deer was in distress.
Deputy Jeff Miller reported the deer was unable to free itself from the grip of the entangled rope suspended from a tree. The rope was snarled in the deer's antlers.
It occurred to the law enforcement officials that a stun gun might do the job by momentarily incapacitating the animal. It would be just long enough to untie the bonds of rope from the deer antlers and set it free. The plan worked. Miller said he did not have to resort to destroying the animal, which ran off free to roam the forest again.
JACKSON, michigan - An unexpected patient causes a commotion at Foote Hospital in Jackson. Around 7 a.m. Wednesday, a doe smashed through the window of the hospital's administration building, ran through a room, down a hallway and into the physicians lounge. The deer was severely injured, so Jackson Police put her down.
About five people were in the office at the time of the incident, they were not hurt, just shook-up. Records were not destroyed.
AURORA COLORADO – A family awoke Tuesday morning to the sounds of a 250 pound deer hopelessly trapped in their basement window well. Thanks to a combined effort from Aurora Animal Control, Police and Fire Departments and the Colorado division of Wildlife, the deer was saved.
Authorities first tranquilized the deer and then members of the Fire Department’s technical rescue team assisted in lifting the deer free from the window well. The deer was taken to Cherry Creek State Park where it was released.
CANBY, OREGON - A large deer with an impressive display of antlers got into some trouble in Canby on Tuesday. Clackamas County Sheriff's Deputy Jeff Miller and an Oregon State Police officer responded to a report of a deer entangled in a rope in south Clackamas County. A resident of South Pellican Road said the deer was in distress.
Deputy Jeff Miller reported the deer was unable to free itself from the grip of the entangled rope suspended from a tree. The rope was snarled in the deer's antlers.
It occurred to the law enforcement officials that a stun gun might do the job by momentarily incapacitating the animal. It would be just long enough to untie the bonds of rope from the deer antlers and set it free. The plan worked. Miller said he did not have to resort to destroying the animal, which ran off free to roam the forest again.
JACKSON, michigan - An unexpected patient causes a commotion at Foote Hospital in Jackson. Around 7 a.m. Wednesday, a doe smashed through the window of the hospital's administration building, ran through a room, down a hallway and into the physicians lounge. The deer was severely injured, so Jackson Police put her down.
About five people were in the office at the time of the incident, they were not hurt, just shook-up. Records were not destroyed.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
TENNESSEE NEWS: Record Deer Harvest
Tennessee Deer Hunters Break All-Time Record
Excellent year breaks previous harvest record by slim margin
by Richard Simms
posted January 16, 2007
Tennessee deer hunters have broken an all-time record... barely.
As of Tuesday morning TWRA's Deer Harvest database shows that 179,819 deer have been harvested and checked in by hunters. The previous record set during the 2004-2005 season was 179,542. Chances are a few more deer harvest records will filter in but it is clear that it has been an outstanding year for Tennessee deer hunters.
State deer biologist Daryl Ratajczak said, "the weather was very cooperative for deer hunters, especially on key opening weekends when the most hunters take to the woods. Hunting was a little easier this year because we had less of a mast crop and hunters were able to pattern deer a little more."
Records show that 44 percent of all Tennessee deer hunters killed at least one deer this season, he said.
"We’d like to increase that number. We’d love to see more hunters successful," he added. "But we think the opportunity is out there. It’s really based more on the limitations of the hunter. I don’t know how much we can do about that."
Many hunters in Tennessee killed more than one deer this year. More than 400 have registered more than 10 deer each.
Chattanooga-area deer hunters have done well. In Hamilton County, hunters have taken 1,563 deer, higher than any other metro county.
Deer herds have clearly become too large in a large portion of Middle Tennessee, according to TWRA, which has established a special Unit L hunting area with especially liberal bag limits.
Partially due to a growing deer herd and better opportunities, there is a growing movement among hunters to be more selective, passing up smaller bucks so they can grow larger. This year more than 50 percent of the bucks killed have been at least 2 1 /2 years old, with seven- or eight-point antlers.
"That’s great to see those older deer increasing," Ratajczak said. "Keep in mind those older, smarter deer are harder to harvest. We don’t have a specific goal for harvest of our older age bucks, but we’re very happy with what we’re seeing now. We want to maintain where we’re at."
Excellent year breaks previous harvest record by slim margin
by Richard Simms
posted January 16, 2007
Tennessee deer hunters have broken an all-time record... barely.
As of Tuesday morning TWRA's Deer Harvest database shows that 179,819 deer have been harvested and checked in by hunters. The previous record set during the 2004-2005 season was 179,542. Chances are a few more deer harvest records will filter in but it is clear that it has been an outstanding year for Tennessee deer hunters.
State deer biologist Daryl Ratajczak said, "the weather was very cooperative for deer hunters, especially on key opening weekends when the most hunters take to the woods. Hunting was a little easier this year because we had less of a mast crop and hunters were able to pattern deer a little more."
Records show that 44 percent of all Tennessee deer hunters killed at least one deer this season, he said.
"We’d like to increase that number. We’d love to see more hunters successful," he added. "But we think the opportunity is out there. It’s really based more on the limitations of the hunter. I don’t know how much we can do about that."
Many hunters in Tennessee killed more than one deer this year. More than 400 have registered more than 10 deer each.
Chattanooga-area deer hunters have done well. In Hamilton County, hunters have taken 1,563 deer, higher than any other metro county.
Deer herds have clearly become too large in a large portion of Middle Tennessee, according to TWRA, which has established a special Unit L hunting area with especially liberal bag limits.
Partially due to a growing deer herd and better opportunities, there is a growing movement among hunters to be more selective, passing up smaller bucks so they can grow larger. This year more than 50 percent of the bucks killed have been at least 2 1 /2 years old, with seven- or eight-point antlers.
"That’s great to see those older deer increasing," Ratajczak said. "Keep in mind those older, smarter deer are harder to harvest. We don’t have a specific goal for harvest of our older age bucks, but we’re very happy with what we’re seeing now. We want to maintain where we’re at."
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