Photo: Game Commission

The Game Commission this week released its first ever plan to more effectively manage deer in urban/suburban landscapes, asking the public to offer comments on the draft by May 12. Also posted was more information on the Commission’s deer harvest estimate procedure.

Last year, from April until mid-September, the agency sought public input prior to developing the urban/suburban deer management plan. More than 500 residents offered comments that were reviewed and used by members of the agency's Deer Management Section in drafting the plan.

"We asked Pennsylvanians for their thoughts about resolving deer-human conflicts in urban/suburban areas, as well as suggestions on how to address the unique challenge of urban/suburban deer management," said Jeannine Tardiff, Game Commission deer biologist and author of the plan. "In addition to gathering input from the public, we also reviewed actions being taken by other state wildlife agencies."

Although white-tailed deer provide many Pennsylvanians countless hours of recreational opportunities and enjoyment, are important to the state's economy, and officially recognized as the Commonwealth's "state animal," they can wear out their welcome quickly when they begin stripping vegetation in backyards and becoming frequent obstacles on city streets.

"The whitetail populations in some Pennsylvania urban and suburban settings are living proof that you can have too much of a good thing," Tardiff emphasized.

The plan outlines four main goals: reduce deer impacts in developed areas as much as possible to socially acceptable levels using hunting options; supplement hunting in developed areas and reduce deer-human conflicts using non-hunting options where hunting options are shown to not be feasible or sufficient; inform urban leadership, residents, and hunters about deer management options and opportunities in developed areas; and encourage positive relationships between hunters and communities in developed areas.

To accomplish these goals, the urban/suburban deer plan includes recommendations to:

· Expand hunting opportunities and create an "Urban Deer Control Program" that allows for the taking of deer outside of the regular hunting seasons in developed areas, similar to the Agricultural Depredation Program ("Red Tag" program);

· Discourage deer feeding and support local ordinances that prohibit deer feeding in developed areas with unacceptable levels of deer conflicts;

· Develop a written agency policy on the use of deer fertility control agents, then review and update the policy as needed. While, no effective deer contraceptive program has been developed to effectively manage free-ranging deer populations, such as those in urban/suburban areas of the state, a comprehensive review of current literature and reports about ongoing studies needs to be conducted so the agency and the Deer Management Section can be in a position to address the issue when it arises;

· Increase availability of written, electronic, and web-based informational and educational publications and presentations concerning hunting and non-hunting deer management options in developed areas;

· Create and develop a landowner/hunter database template to be used by communities and municipalities; and

· Provide an advanced hunter education course for hunters in developed areas.

Hunter access historically has hindered efforts to reduce deer numbers in suburbia. Other factors include sporting arms limitations; safety zone restrictions; distorted public perceptions about hunters; and the inconveniences and appeal associated with hunting in areas with large numbers of people, homes and automobiles.

"It's no secret why there is great difficulty managing urban/suburban deer populations," noted Tardiff. "A deer population inaccessible to hunters can quickly exceed the tolerance level of those in the community. The safety issues can become serious, and property damage severe.

"We believe that the urban/suburban deer management plan provides a starting point from which the Game Commission can develop and implement a program that will help hunters, landowners and municipal officials achieve mutually acceptable goals of increasing hunting opportunities and greater control of the deer population in highly-developed areas of the state."

The Game Commission's five-year Deer Management Plan - adopted in 2003 - identifies the reduction of human-deer conflicts as one of its three goals. Those conflicts are most common in urban/suburban settings; places many Pennsylvanians rarely consider whitetail country. But the deer are there, often in excessive numbers, causing property damage and genuine safety concerns.

"The Game Commission is challenged to minimize the negative impacts of urban/suburban deer, yet retain the positive benefits they provide many metropolitan residents," Tardiff said. "Our goal in developing this management strategy is not to eliminate whitetails in urban/suburban areas. Rather, we are developing options that any community with deer overpopulation can use for relief.

"But communities must recognize that there are no quick fixes, or one-time solutions to reducing deer-human conflicts in urban/suburban settings. Deer must be managed aggressively in these situations. If they aren't, years of progress can disappear over a relatively short period of time. Every community needs a deer management plan that is supported by residents and actively pursued."

Deer Harvest Estimating Procedure

Game Commission also posted a more detailed version of its white-tailed deer harvest estimating procedures.

"There always seems to be a desire for more information about the Game Commission's deer management program and procedures, so in an effort to increase understanding and to explain our harvest estimates, these procedures have been posted on our website," explained Dr. Christopher Rosenberry, who supervises the agency's Deer Management Section. "We encourage individuals who care to learn more about how the process works to read the document."

A description of these procedures has been available for some time under the agency's Annual Wildlife Management Reports section of the website. The new document expands on the earlier document and places the information in an easier-to-access, high profile location.

A recent independent review of the deer harvest estimating method used by the Game Commission was determined to be valid and was published in the Journal of Wildlife Management. The method employs a fundamental wildlife management technique called "mark-recapture," which has been used for decades by wildlife managers throughout the world. It also includes data collected by the annual physical examination of tens of thousands of hunter-harvested deer.

In the near future, the Game Commission will hold an open house at the agency's Harrisburg headquarters to provide the public an opportunity to learn about the deer harvest estimating process. Details will be announced in early May.

Comments on the Urban/Suburban Deer Management Plan can be sent by email to urbandeer@state.pa.us , or by mail to: Pennsylvania Game Commission, ATTN: Draft Urban Deer Management Strategy, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797.

The Urban/Suburban Deer Management Plan is available online.

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4/14/2006