Deer
Harvest Trends June 2008
Kip
Adams, QDMA Director of Education and Outreach, Northern
Region
In 2001 the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA)
produced a map showing the estimated deer density by county
for the lower 48 states. The map also included deer herd
and harvest information, the estimated number of
deer-vehicle collisions and QDM trend information. The map
contained data provided by state wildlife agencies from
1994 to 1999. The map has been extremely popular as it is a
valuable reference to compare relative deer densities,
harvest data and other herd statistics among states.
Recently, QDMA updated the map with information obtained
from state wildlife agencies. The new map contains
information from 2001 to 2005 and noticeable changes have
occurred since the initial map was produced. The data set
is not complete as a few states didn’t provide data
and some didn’t provide all of the requested
information, but the submitted information provides for
meaningful comparisons among states and between the 2001
map and the present.
With respect to antlerless harvest, 1999 was a landmark
year since it marked the first time hunters in the U.S.
harvested more antlerless deer than bucks. In 1999 hunters
harvested approximately 6.2 million whitetails, with bucks
accounting for slightly less than half. In 2005 hunters
harvested approximately the same number of deer but bucks
accounted for only 44% of the total. From 1999 to 2005 buck
harvest as a percentage of total harvest declined while the
antlerless harvest increased by about 10%.
More importantly, the percentage of yearlings in the buck
harvest declined from an average of 51% in 1999 to 45% in
2005. During this same period the percentage of
2.5-year-olds increased from 28 to 32% and 3.5-year-olds or
older increased from 19 to 23%. Some states made tremendous
advances such as Pennsylvania dropping from 80 to 52%
yearling bucks. Wisconsin dropped from 68 to 51% and
Mississippi dropped from 50% to a nationwide low of 12%
yearlings! Kudos to the Magnolia state! Arkansas followed a
close second with 20% yearlings. Pennsylvania used to lead
this undesirable category but is now around the national
average with at least six other states harvesting a higher
percentage of yearlings, including neighbors Maryland, New
Jersey, New York and Ohio (data not provided by Delaware or
West Virginia). Michigan, New Jersey and New York now tie
for the national lead with 63% of their buck harvests being
1.5 years old.
Two states regressed in this statistic with South Carolina
and New Hampshire both harvesting a higher percentage of
yearlings in 2005 than in 1999. South Carolina increased
from 48 to 55% and New Hampshire from 46 to 51% yearlings.
In fairness to South Carolina, it was ahead of the curve in
1999 and is still doing well today especially considering
that more than half of the state has a
four-and-a-half-month season with no buck limit. Also, New
Hampshire has already established a procedure to reduce
their yearling harvest rate. In 2005 the New Hampshire Fish
and Game Department published their 2006-2015 Big Game
Management Plan and Objective 2-1 of that plan states,
“Manage regional deer populations to ensure that
yearling males don’t exceed 50% of the adult male
population.” From 2004 to 2006 the percentage of
yearling bucks had exceeded 50% of the buck harvest in one
of the state’s wildlife management units (WMU).
Therefore, the Department organized an ad-hoc deer advisory
committee to determine the preferred strategies for
reducing the yearling harvest rate in that WMU, and they
implemented the chosen strategy in 2007. This component of
their deer management plan is arguably one of the most
progressive QDM procedures implemented by any state agency,
and since its implementation the percentage of yearlings in
the buck harvest has dropped to 24% in that WMU and 45%
statewide.
With respect to 2.5-year-olds, Maryland doubled their
percentage in the harvest from 23% in 1999 to 46% in 2005.
Nebraska increased from 29 to 56% and Indiana increased
from 25 to 35%. Pennsylvania only separates their buck
harvest into yearlings and 2.5 years and older, and the
Keystone state improved from 20 to 48% bucks that were at
least 2.5 years old. In actual numbers, these percentages
represent an increase from nearly 39,000 to 58,000 bucks.
With respect to bucks 3.5 years old and older, Mississippi
leads the nation with 60% of their buck harvest reaching
this age category. This percentage has tripled in
Mississippi since 1999. Texas is second with 49% and
Arkansas is third with 38%. Other notables include Rhode
Island with 37%, North Carolina with 28%, and Wisconsin
jumped to 20% 3.5 years old or older (double their
percentage in 1999).
Overall, Texas leads the nation in buck harvest by
harvesting nearly 250,000 bucks and fortunately only 28% of
them are yearlings. Michigan is second with nearly 220,000
bucks but unfortunately 63% of them are yearlings. Alabama
and Wisconsin are next with approximately 183,000 bucks.
Only 51% of bucks harvested in Wisconsin’s are
yearlings and age-class data wasn’t provided by
Alabama. Given Alabama’s unlimited buck harvest
regulations and season length in 2005, it is likely the
percentage of yearlings was quite high. However, in 2007
the state took action and restricted the buck bag limit to
three (one of which must have at least four points on one
antler) per year in an effort to reduce their yearling
harvest rate.
Antlerless deer harvests are more difficult to compare
across states and years as some states are aggressively
reducing populations while others are seeking to stabilize
herds. From 1999 to 2005, one of the most notable
statistics was the increase in antlerless harvest in the
Midwest. Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio and
Missouri increased their antlerless harvests by an average
of 78% from nearly 400,000 to over 710,000. Illinois and
Iowa lead this list with 153 and 114% antlerless harvest
increases, respectively. Overall Wisconsin leads the nation
in this category by harvesting approximately 274,000
antlerless deer. Alabama is second with about 256,000 and
Pennsylvania is third with 234,000. Pennsylvania’s
antlerless harvest is 27% higher than in 1999 but 38% lower
than in 2003 when the state was aggressively reducing the
deer herd.
One final comparison is to view each state’s total
deer harvest. In 2005, about 2/3 (65%) of the states shot
as many or more antlerless deer than bucks, while 1/3 (35%)
shot more bucks. Delaware topped the list with antlerless
deer comprising 70% of their harvest. Georgia, Iowa, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania and Tennessee ranged from 66 to 69%,
and Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin ranged
from 60 to 65% antlerless deer. States such as Maine, New
Hampshire and Vermont shoot fewer than 50% antlerless deer.
This is not surprising in northern New England where lower
deer densities combined with severe winter weather allow
for successful deer management programs with reduced
antlerless harvests. However, states with productive deer
herds like Michigan, Nebraska and North Carolina should
likely have harvests comprising more than 50% antlerless
deer rather than the 40 to 47% they averaged in 2005.
A decade ago QDM was still in its infancy but its positive
impacts on deer herds and habitats were becoming evident.
Today, the QDM philosophy is not only growing in acceptance
among hunters, but also shaping the future of deer hunting
and management throughout North America. State wildlife
agencies are urging sportsmen to play their role in
balancing deer populations by harvesting female deer and
hunters are increasingly answering the call. Many states
also are responding to the increasing support by hunters
for more restrictive buck harvest guidelines. Still more
hunters are voluntarily restricting buck harvests on their
properties beyond what is required by law. In our
ever-changing world at least one thing is clear;
today’s hunters are far more knowledgeable about
whitetails, their role in management, and their preference
for QDM. Aldo Leopold would be very proud.
Kip’s Korner is written
by Kip Adams, a Certified Wildlife Biologist and Northern
Director of Education and Outreach for the Quality Deer
Management Association (QDMA). The QDMA is an
international nonprofit wildlife conservation organization
dedicated to ethical hunting, sound deer management and
preservation of the deer-hunting heritage. The QDMA
can be reached at 1-800-209-DEER or www.QDMA.com.