The Need and Difficulty of Bringing the Pennsylvania Deer Herd Under Control

The Pennsylvania white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus.) herd has increased dramatically in the last several decades, despite greatly increased harvests. The high statewide deer density (11+ deer/km2) causes serious losses to agricultural crop production, forest regeneration, and diversity of forest flora and fauna. High deer numbers are associated with an excessive number of vehicle-deer accidents, and is implicated in the rapid increase in the incidence of Lyme disease in humans. Current efforts to reduce deer densities locally and statewide (extended antlerless harvest seasons and special farm hunts) are not solving the damage problem. Other solutions should be considered, such as increasing the bag limit of antlerless deer, increasing hunter willingness to harvest more deer through hunter education programs, resolving land access problems, and developing more appropriate deer management units. Deer managers must be aware of the limitations of conventional harvest strategy to resolve deer damage problems, and of the need for improvisation to meet management needs. This article was written by Gary W. Witmer and David deCalesta for the 5th Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference held in Ithaca, NY on October 6-9, 1991.

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