Deer Management

This is the last week of deer season in Hampshire County until the brief winter private-property season at the end of December.  I've estimated between 40-55 deer per square mile around our area in northern Hampshire County.

Piebald white-tailed deer at Patuxent Wildlife Research Ctr.

Many deer management plans aim to reduce that population to under 20 deer per square mile.  Some metropolitan areas suffer from whitetailed populations over 100/mile2!

We're surrounded by the river on three sides and mountains on all four sides, so we have less immigration/emigration than most places.  As a result, we occasionally see evidence of a shrinking gene pool like unusual antlers and piebald deer.  Of course we also see a lot of tree damage.


This also suggests greater vulnerability to disease.  Not only do greater deer densities mean more interaction and the potential for spreading disease, but a reduced gene pool can also mean lesser resistance to all environmental challenges.

Venison Pizza

Hunting remains the best available option, particularly if you can convince hunters to harvest does.  I've lost enough young trees to antler rubs to appreciate harvest the bucks too, but harvesting a recently impregnated doe is much better for population management. 

My schedule this semester has been too busy to squeeze in any hunting, but my co-worker Shari brought in some ground venison this week.  I used over 1/2 pound, mixed with jalapeno peppers, on a single pizza.