The North Carolina Wildlife Commission estimated the white-tailed deer population in the state to be around 1 million. The harvest was 13% lower than the 2020-2021 total of 81,729 deer. Predation and Deer Population. Georgia Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) Current Deer Management Plan, 2015-2024; Deer Management Plan 2005-2014; Urban Deer Management Plan 2005-2014; Controlling Deer Damage; DNR Deer Restocking 1928-1974 Strict measure were taken to improve this, including closing all hunting for many years, restocking from other states, and cracking down on enforcing regulations. In the April 2020 state wildlife report, estimates put the elk population in the Black Hills at approximately 6,000 - 8,000, and the population in Custer State Park at approximately 460. The Oklahoman reports the estimated deer population today at around 750,000. Emily is an editor and content marketing specialist of five years. Icon. Deer Harvest Map. "With roughly 35 calves per hundred cows, we know the herds are increasing. They mostly live in the states coastal regions. There is also a small population of black-tailed deer on the island of Kauai that were introduced from Oregon in 1961. Due to many factors including over-harvesting, hunting and habitat loss the white-tailed deer became uncommon in Connecticut between 1700 1900. Whereas the size of white-tailed deer can vary greatly, mule deer dont show as much of a difference across their range. The state says its population is well-managed and sustainable. Restrictive game laws also helped allow the population to grow. Unlike the white-tailed deers antlers which branch out from a single main beam, the antlers of mule deer are bifurcated. The white-tailed deer has a reddish-brown coat in the spring which fades to a grayish-brown coat during the fall and winter. As the largest of the lower 48 states, Texas has lots of room for deer. While deer are not naturally found in Hawaii, an invasive species has taken over in the last 150 years, the Axis deer. Based on 2015 deer populations estimates from North American Whitetail Magazine, here are the worse deer states to live: 1) Georgia: Deer population around 1.2 million. White-tailed deer dominate Texas, being found in 252 out of 254 counties across the state with an estimated population of 5.3 million. 2021 population numbers listed by the state estimate 293,950 mule deer and 212,814 white-tailed deer. Nebraska. According to the Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937, most of the state conservation efforts are funded through hunting and fishing license sales and firearms sales. RALEIGH, N.C. (May 10, 2022) Results from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's annual deer harvest summary indicate hunters across the state reported harvesting 168,427 deer during the 2021-22 hunting season a 6.3% increase . Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks: deer information and hunting guide. The rut, which is their mating season, occurs in the fall and the fawns are born in the spring. The state is home to more than 400,000 white-tailed and mule deer. There are as many as 70,000 deer-motor vehicle collisions a year in New York state, and about 200 people across the country are killed in such accidents each year. According to Colorado Parks & Wildlife, the deer and elk meat industry begun in Colorado as early as 1880. However in many areas of eastern Massachusetts where hunting is restricted by town firearm laws or land closures, the deer population is not well controlled. In the issue: Big-game preference points and herd counts! The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says they are an abundant and sustainable game species in Louisiana and the species most targeted by Louisiana hunters.. Washington: 305,000. In the current Maryland white-tailed deer management plan the most recent population estimate I saw was 207,000 tailed deer in 2018. Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission: information for hunting in Florida. Our mission at Wildlife Informer is to share free information and pictures of wildlife with our readers. A small population has also been introduced on the island of Kaui, Hawaii. I could not find an exact count that was more recent, however based on estimated deer harvest numbers the total population in Florida as of 2019 may be closer to 550,000. Colorado doesnt count deer species separately. Post hunt population estimates are the starting point for setting antlerless quotas and harvest of antlerless deer is the primary way to manage deer herd abundance. This is quite a noticeable decline from the population high of 250,000 seen in 1988. Today, they are an important game animal and a key part of the states ecosystems. 4382 WMAs. Areas included in this final year of goal setting are the East Central Uplands block ( DPAs 52, 155, 156, 157, 159, 172, 183 . Deer Population Facts Population History In the early 1900's there were an estimated 500,000 white-tailed deer in the United States. Idaho has about 520,000 white-tails, and the rest are mule deer. White-tailed deer were once common in Delaware, but hunting reduced their numbers. 4) Iowa: Deer population around 400,000. This 2021 article in the Greenville Sun quoted the states wildlife resource agency as estimating 900,000 white-tailed deer in the state. For instance, in farmland management zones, harvesting approximately 25% of the . The most recent estimate I could find for West Virginias white-tailed deer population was about 550,000 in 2017. White-tailed deer are statewide but more populous in the east, while mule deer are found in the western two-thirds of the state. 2021 Virginia Deer Season Review. In 2021, the state launched a new initiative to enhance populations of mule deer and white-tailed deer. Take a look! When Europeans first came to America, they found deer a plentiful resource in most states. The population is mostly in the southern part of the state. 10 Black Snakes in Georgia (With Pictures), 16 Species of Bats in Texas (With Pictures), Black Bear Population by State (Recent Reports), Mountain Lion Population (In Each U.S. State), Moose Population by State (Estimates and Info), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Maryland white-tailed deer management plan, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks site, 2017-2023 South Dakota white-tailed and mule deer management plan, 2021 Range-Wide Status of Black-tailed and Mule Deer, 12 Types of Animals With a Long Tail (with Pictures), 6 Types of Water Snakes in Illinois (Pictures), 460,420 (black-tailed and mule deer combined), 427,500 (combined white-tail and mule deer), central to eastern Canada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New England and Nova Scotia, Key deer / Florida Keys white-tailed deer, Florida keys, mainly from Sugarloaf Key to Bahia Honda Key, Coues white-tailed deer / Arizona white-tailed deer / fantail deer, Arizona and parts of New Mexico into Mexico, Dakota white-tailed deer / northern plains white-tailed deer, western and central Canada, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, North & South Dakota and western Minnesota, Hilton Head Island, Beaufort County South Carolina, south-central Oregon and southern Washington/northern Oregon border, U.S. central plains including Texas panhandle, parts of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska, Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge, McIntosh county Georgia, Rocky Mountains white-tailed deer / northwestern white-tailed deer, western Canada and northern Rocky Mountains, Gulf coast of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, Virginia white-tailed deer / southern white-tailed deer, Pacific Northwest and northern California, southeastern coastal Alaska, south central Alaska, coastal British Columbia, California mule deer (Westside of Sierra Nevada down to south coast), Desert/burro mule deer (southwest California, northwest Mexico and Arizona), Southern mule deer (Southernmost California and Baja California), Rocky Mountain mule deer (Northwest California, western and central North America), Inyo mule deer (Sierra Nevada, California). Producers working to lower deer populations in their fields have found that these early hunts are critical in reducing the total number of female deer over the course of the year. Because of this permits and licenses are becoming more flexible opening up new opportunities for the states hunters. Today, it is thriving. The first recorded sightings of the white-tailed deer in Utah happened in the northern part of the state, Cache county, in the late 1990s. 15 SOAs. Conservation efforts, game management programs, and habitat protection have all helped them survive. Deer are one of the most populous and hunted big game animals in North America. File Layout [< 1.0 MB] Annual Estimates of Resident Population Change for the United States, States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and State Rankings: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022 (NST-EST2022-POPCHG2020-2022) [< 1.0 MB] With each new release of annual estimates, the entire time series of estimates is revised for all years back to the . New Hampshire Fish & Game: Deer Hunting in New Hampshire. Deer populations are actually higher than they were historically in many areas, or they are at the point of exceeding the carrying capacity of their local environment. White-tailed deer in Florida tend to be a little smaller than in other states, due in part to the warm climate. The 2020-2021 deer season showed hunters how . Deer hunting in the state is an important tool to raise money for wildlife management and land acquisition. It is estimated that only 10,000 deer inhabited the state in 1900. The distribution of hunted deer is about 60% mule deer and 40% Coues deer. They may occasionally eat small animals like mice or birds, but it isnt very common. Sika deer are native to Japan, but a small herd of them was introduced to the wild from a private farm. The Department notes that deer live in natural woodlands, shelterbelts, old homesteads, and grasslands in every part of Kansas. Of the states roughly 500,000 deer, roughly 212,000 are white-tailed, and the rest are mule deer. Deer live in every county of the state. . During this time anyone could hunt deer and they were often a life line, providing meat and skin to the early settlers. Hunting is the leading cause of deer mortality in most of the state (Figure 3). These experiments demonstrate the tremendous capacity for deer population growth when occupying good habitat. This may seem small compared to the 10.1 million people living in Georgia, but it does not account for an accurate number of deer in urban areas. They will spend the summer in higher elevations, then travel down to lower elevations during the winter. Also, their numbers can fluctuate quite a bit based on how severe the winters are from year to year. Deer harvests began to increase again in 2016, possibly due to coyote densities declining. State Farm says in any state, the risk of hitting a deer doubles in the fall, when the animals are mating. Virginia has a healthy population of white-tail deer. Like many states, Ohio successfully reintroduced deer, and they are now thriving. Wildlife Informer is reader-supported. Like other deer species they grow new antlers each spring and shed them during the winter. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks: deer information and hunting guide. State/Province Updates: Moderator: Sara Holm: 1:00-1:10 PM: California Deer and Elk Status Update: . Idaho is home to both mule deer and white-tailed deer. New Mexicos game & fish page states that while poor conditions in the early 2000s suppressed deer numbers, things have since improved and today populations are stable with most experiencing growth. By the late 1800s and early 1900s, deer populations had plummeted across the country and some states were in danger of loosing deer entirely. Potential Deer Population Growth in 10 Years. Please note that tracking wildlife populations is not an exact science. With no natural predators the population boomed.