10-Year Deer Management Plan

Jim Sr · Jul 23, 2007

DNR To Hold Public Meetings On Maryland’s 10-Year Deer Management Plan
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ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) requests comments on white-tailed deer management in Maryland. DNR will use the comments to assist in revising Maryland’s 10-Year White-tailed Deer Management Plan.

Seven public meetings will be held to collect comments from individuals around the State. Each public meeting will start with a short presentation and then attendees will have the opportunity to provide their comments to DNR’s deer management staff.

Comments may also be submitted through mail, fax, email, or phone via the contact information below from August 1 through August 31, 2007.
Paul A. Peditto
Director, DNR Wildlife & Heritage Service
Tawes State Office Building, E-1
580 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, MD 21401.
Fax: 410-260-8596
Email: customerservice@dnr.state.md.us
Phone: 410-260-8540 or toll free at 877- 620-8DNR, ext. 8540

The public comments received by e-mail can be viewed at http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/hntgp.asp.

SCHEDULED PUBLIC MEETINGS:

Jim Sr · Aug 19, 2007

The small turnout

By BIll Burton
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi...7/08_16-75/OUT

Published August 16, 2007
A decade ago when the Department of Natural Resources administrators and scientists held a meeting at Annapolis High School to review aspects of a long-range deer program, several hundred hunters showed up in addition to a few dozen anti-hunters and animal rights extremists. In Cumberland it was more than a thousand with hunters packed into every nook and cranny at the meeting site.

Care to guess what the attendance was 10 years later at the Annapolis meeting the other night at Broadneck High School to talk about the next 10-year deer management? I'll give you a hint – there were more Department of Natural Resources personnel there than there were hunters and humane activists. The well publicized session drew five hunters, one animal rights activist and Joe Lamp of Arnold, who is a member of DNR's Wildlife Advisory Commission and quite often among those who side with animal activists on hunting and game management issues. But, Lamp to his credit makes it a point to attend all meetings – he's deeply involved in wildlife matters though often on the other side of the fence.

The small turnout, which included two outdoor writers, was a mixed blessing for DNR staffers; they came loaded for bear, armed with statistics, updates, charts and film seeking input from hunters into a new management plan only to have the meeting last a half hour before it broke down to a few attendees talking informally with each other and deer authorities on hand. Had hunters lost interest?

Not really. History shows when hunters and fishermen are dissatisfied with goings on they turn out in force, but when things are going smoothly they stay at home. So the disappointing attendance was undoubtedly an indication hunters are satisfied with the whitetail and Sika situation – as they well should be. The current 10 year plan just winding up has brought bigger deer bag limits, Sunday hunting, made a big dent in deer overpopulation woes all without jeopardizing the herd. Things are hunky dory.

The Cumberland deer meeting drew only 50, others at other locations were attended by numbers in the 20s. Among those the other night was Caroline Mathias of Severna Park who had a pile of copies of her presentation, almost all of which she took home. Among her concerns were hunters as young as 8 afield, Sunday hunting and a claim that deer if left alone can regulate their own numbers.

When all the meetings are over, biologists sort things out, administrators make their decisions and a hunter review of firm proposals are made, things will remain pretty much the same. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Probably/possibly there will be a change in the antlered deer bag in Western Maryland, possibly statewide. A hunter survey asked many questions about deer baiting, which prompts one to ponder whether that will be tightened up, also DNR seems interested in public hunting programs in state parks. Stay tuned.

Jim Sr · Aug 19, 2007

DNR's numbers show residents keen on deer

By BILL BURTON
Published August 19, 2007

Deer are not ogres inn the view of most Marylanders, despite the damage they cause via crop depredation, lawn damages and vehicular accidents. In a statewide survey of 1,200, a large percentage of those interviewed agreed that they are an important part of the balance of nature and people like to see them around.

Also, though deer are a controversial subject in this area, most residents by far think the Department of Natural Resources does a good job in conserving the deer population. Surveyed were 400 landowners who farmed 20 acres or more for crops, 400 from the general public and the same number of hunters.

The consensus is that deer are being managed well, play an important and popular role in the wildlife scheme. But the three groups have varying ideas on management as we head into a new 10-year management plan primarily for whitetails. The next decade of deer management will abide by the new plan so it is important what people think. Managers won't make any decisions until the science of management is hashed out to determine what fits in on that basis - and how and if hunter, public and farmer thinking fits in with science.

For years now, much of the media focus on deer has been on damages inflicted by whitetail overpopulation, yet curiously the survey shows among all three groups there is strong sentiment that they are worth it. Among farmers 72 percent responded they strongly agree or agree with the statement "Deer are important enough that I am willing to tolerate some damage to my yard, garden or agricultural crops."

Twenty eight percent either strongly disagreed, or disagreed strongly. Others were neutral or didn't know. Among the general public, 64 percent were in agreement, 11 percent disagreed. With hunters, it was 84 percent to 11 percent.

Sixty one percent of the public approve of deer hunting, 20 percent disagree. More than 90 percent of farmers do, 3 percent don't. Regular crossbow hunting remains somewhat controversial, and among hunters 30 percent think opportunity should be increased, 41 percent want it to remain as is and 21 percent favor a decrease. Twenty seven percent favor a special crossbow season, 62 percent oppose.

Eighty three percent of hunters are concerned about Chronic Wasting Disease, 15 percent are not. Forty six percent would be likely to hunt deer less, 50 percent not if CWD came to Maryland. Twenty five percent would be likely to quit deer hunting and 86 percent would favor a substantial reduction in the deer population by recreational hunting in an area where CWD was discovered as has been done in West Virginia.

Thirty one percent of hunters consider the deer population too high where they live, 44 percent say it's just right. 22 percent consider it too low. Among farmers, 59 percent say too high, 33 percent just right.

Fifty four percent of hunters support the use of bait (corn or another food) when hunting deer, 36 percent oppose, but with the public it's 24 percent support and 63 percent oppose this practice. Support among the public for the use of sharpshooters and professionals to control deer populations on suburban and urban areas is supported, 56 percent oppose it.

Forty eight percent of the public would prefer the use of a regulated archery season to control deer numbers in urban and suburban areas, 40 percent oppose, 64 percent think economic considerations should play a role in making decisions on deer management, 26 percent don't. (In waterfowl, 20 years ago Canada goose economics on the Eastern Shore played a significant role in maintaining hunting and looser regulations when science indicated significant cuts were in order, then came a moratorium)

Twenty percent of the public consider deer damages increasing. 48 percent figure they remain the same. Among farmers 43 percent consider it increasing, 44 percent the same. Eighty percent of the public has experienced a vehicular accident with deer in the past year. Forty percent responded their family or friends had.

Among the public it's about even whether to open additional lands (parks, management and recreational areas) to deer hunting. Sunday hunting is opposed by a moderate margin, the majority supports the use of immunocontraceptives to control deer populations, a sizable majority of the public think hunter concerns should play a role in deer management.

Also only six percent of the public has had any problems with hunters in the past two years, 23 percent have hunted deer, only 31 percent think the Fund for Animals is a credible source of deer info, it's 78 percent for the Humane Society, and 87 percent agree DNR is.

With farmers, 47 percent of them, their family or friends have had vehicular accident with a deer, 69 percent favor deer hunting, 37 percent favor Sunday hunting, more oppose contraceptives than approve of them in deer population control, almost all believe science should be important In making management decisions and 18 percent have experienced problems with hunters during the past two years.

Fifty five percent of farmers have hunted deer, six percent would like to see an increase in deer on their farm, 47 percent prefer it stay the same, 46 percent want a decrease, 82 percent allow hunting on their farm, 39 percent allow Sunday hunting, 77 percent limit hunting to family and friends, 29 percent charge for hunting and 63 percent have suffered crop damage - only five percent of more than $10,000.

Seventy two percent of farmers consider DNR biologists credible, 3 percent not so, only 15 percent think the Fund for Animals is credible though more than half consider the Humane Society so.

Hunter thinking: Twenty seven percent think yard, garden or crop damage is increasing, 51 percent consider it the same. Fifty nine percent of those who hunted last year took a deer, 41 percent took one; 24 percent two, 14 percent three, nine percent five or more. Twenty eight percent hunt for venison, 28 percent for sport and recreation, 15 percent for deer population control. 12 percent to be close to nature. Thirty five percent of hunters claim their satisfaction with Maryland deer hunting has improved, 41 percent say it remained the same.

Thirty four percent of hunters prefer the bow. 38 percent firearms, 20 percent muzzleloaders, and three percent crossbows. In Region A 59 percent of hunters support reducing the overall antlered bag limit to two a year, two percent consider the deer population too high, 32 percent just right and 63 percent too low, 71 percent would like the population increase on public lands,

Eighty three percent of hunters hunt in Region B where the overall antlered bag is six and 47 percent of hunters would approve of it being lowered to three and 43 percent opposed, most of them strongly. What should the antlerless bag limit be? Twenty five percent claim five; 32 percent say seven or more, 11 percent want two. Twenty nine percent of hunters hunt public lands and 44 percent say deer populations on them are just right, 41 percent, too low.

Sixty nine percent of hunters support Quality Deer Management regulations in areas they hunt, 25 percent oppose baiting, 68 percent approve of it - 51 percent strongly. Forty eight percent of hunters would like to see the deer population where they live increased to provide better hunting opportunity, 35 percent because the population is too low, 24 percent to improve hunter success. Multiple responses were allowed.

Of hunters supporting a decrease, 57 percent do so to reduce vehicle collisions, 36 percent because there are too many deer, 23 percent because of land and farm damages. Eleven percent want to reduce deer/human conflicts and 9 percent want to improve the overall health of the herd.

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi...7/08_19-33/OUT

JeepDriver · Aug 19, 2007

I try and do my part every year!

there are fewer and fewer people hunting now then any other time in recent history. We need to increase the bag limit, extend the season, and open Sundays to hunting.

BlackBart · Aug 19, 2007

JeepDriver said:
I try and do my part every year!

there are fewer and fewer people hunting now then any other time in recent history. We need to increase the bag limit, extend the season, and open Sundays to hunting.

Id like the season to be extended if they really want the herds reduced.

DZ · Aug 20, 2007

Open more places in MoCo to bowhunting!

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