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Comprehensive Deer Management Program
Montgomery County, MD
Rob GibbsNatural Resources Manager
M-NCPPC, Montgomery Dept of Parks
Deer Impacts
Deer-vehicle Collisions (DVCs)
Depredation to agricultural crops
Impacts to natural vegetation – esp. in parks
Depredation to ornamental shrubs/gardens
Lyme disease
1993 - 2010 - Deer-vehicle CollisionsMontgomery County, MD - MCPD
Notes:- #s represent only accidents involving police response - The actual number is likely much higher.- DVCs are correlated with several factors including: # of deer, # of cars, speed of cars, etc.
14331244
17051891
2033 20032127 2047 1997 1969 1951 1945 193018411867
17741776
861
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
YEAR
No.
of A
ccid
ents
Deer impacts to the ecosystem
Reduction of Wildlife food Cover Plant diversity Forest
regeneration Bird species Small mammals
14
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
220
Kent
Carroll
Howard
Queen
Anne's
Frederic
k Cecil
Calvert
Talbot
Caroline
Harford
Washing
ton
Montgo
mery
Somers
et
Anne A
runde
l
Baltim
ore
Charles
Wicomico
Worceste
r
Prince
Geo
rge's
Allega
ny
Baltim
ore C
ity
Garrett
Dorches
ter
St. Mary'
s
Inci
denc
e pe
r 100
,000
Lyme Disease Incidence, Maryland, 2007
Maryland overall: 45.1 / 100,000
Brief History 1993 - County Council appointed Citizen Task Force to
study white-tailed deer – published report April 1994.
1995 – Deer Mgt Work Group (DMWG) formed - charged with developing and implementing a deer mgt plan based on Task Force recommendations.
– Management plan approved August 1995.
– First managed hunts held in parks - Fall 1996, after extensive public process.
DMWG annually reviews data, publishes a report including deer mgt recommendations for upcoming year.
www.parksdeermanagement.org
Deer Management Work Group (DMWG)
M-NCPPC, Mont. Co. Dept of Parks Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources M.C. Police Dept. Maryland Cooperative Extension National Park Service Washington Suburban Sanitary Comm. USGS – Patuxent Wildlife Research Ctr.
Comprehensive Management Plan
Goal: Reduce deer-human conflicts to a level compatible with human priorities and land uses.Reduce Deer-vehicle CollisionsReduce depredation to agricultural crops and
ornamental shrubs/gardens reduce impacts to natural vegetation and preserve
natural diversity of MCDevelop countywide education program
Implemented to date:
Educational Efforts – 1
Informational brochure Reference materials available in public
libraries, through MCE, deer info web page.
Implemented to date:
Educational Efforts – 2 Educational Programs - local cable TV & Nature Centers
Homeowner workshops - over 1500 citizens and landscaping professionals have attended.
Developed by MD Cooperative Extension
Focus on home landscape protection - also address DVCs and Lyme disease
May 2008 – Lyme Disease Awareness Month – Brochure, webpage. (Dept of Health)
Implemented to date:
To Address Deer-vehicle Collisions Improved data collection and mapping Seasonal PSAs to remind and warm public Safety info on Cable TV traffic stationWork with Road Agencies to improve Fencing, and road design
– especially bridgesWork with Washington Area Council of Govts (COG) wildlife
subcommittee to identify and address regional DVC issues Produced a 12 minute video Fall 06 – cable TV, driver’s Ed classes
Implemented to date:To reduce damage to landscaping Fencing, repellents, habitat alteration used in parks and
by the public. Changed County Code to allow 8’ deer fencing in side
and back yards and all agricultural land.
Implemented to date:To manage deer populations:
Adjustments to legal bag limits – DNR• To increase antlerless harvest.
Streamlined Deer Management Permit program for farmers - DNR
Managed hunts and sharpshooting operations in selected State & County parks – DNR, MC Parks
Deer Populations in Selected Parks
‘96 ‘97 ‘98 ‘00 ‘01 02 03 07 Little Bennett RP 125 142 101 88 63 61 37 28 Ag/History FP 163 259 155 100 128 108 78 47 N. Branch SVP 73 116 124 110 107 130 64 Black Hill RP 138 170 85 34 86 16 Rachel Carson CP 207 113 133 100 71 37 Goshen Rec. P 136 153 169 127 91 94 Rock Creek RP 118 170 135 215 155 136 54
All numbers represent deer per square mile. Counts done in late winter before fawning.
Annual Deer-auto Collisions on roads near Managed Hunt Sites - by Year
Location
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
Change ‘96-‘02
Seneca Crk State Park
101
50
37
20
16
8
11
-90 (89%)
Little Bennett Reg. Park
43
29
9
11
10
10
7
-36 (84%)
Ag/History Farm Park
40
29
42
38
31
39
27
-13 (33%)
Deer Reduction Methods Lottery-Based Managed Shotgun Hunting
• Parkland with site constraints• Need to control deer, with additional supervision required for
public safety
Group Hunting Program (Suburban Whitetail Management of Maryland Inc. (SWMM)• Large tracts in low populated areas• Need to control deer, with minimal public safety concerns
Sharpshooting Program • Highly sensitive, highly developed areas
Lottery-Based Managed Hunts
Open to public who meet our requirements• DNR license, shooter qualifications, statement of
hunter ethics, background check, etc.
Hunters chosen by lottery Hunt at pre-determined,
marked locations Parks are closed to public
during hunting days
Group Hunting Program
Work with Hunting Group Requirements:
• Insurance, shooting standards, background checks, demonstrated ability to harvest deer, etc.
Under park guidelines, the Group does much of the hunt coordination – site selection, hunter schedules, data collection
Requires limited Park staff supervision
Sharpshooting Program Used in smaller parks in more developed
areas Specially trained Park Police Shooters Coordinated by Park Wildlife Staff Operate between 6:00 PM and 1:00 AM Utilize suppressed rifle, red lens spotlight &
vehicles with elevated shooting platform Minimum community disturbance with
maximum productivity All animals processed by volunteers All meat donated to charity
Park Deer Harvests
Deer harvests for M.C. Park’s Deer Population Management Program by Year.
Fiscal Year ‘97 ‘98 ‘99 ‘00 ‘01 ‘02 ‘03 ‘04 ‘05 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 Totals
Lottery Hunts 180 252 251 228 457 316 350 300 178 296 256 253 243 241 464 4,265
SWMM Coop Hunts 105 286 327 202 213 151 270 268 1,822
Tenant DMP Hunts 39 58 53 51 37 41 66 74 77 496
Sharpshooting 19 258 214 164 399 450 535 350 351 350 383 596 4,069
Total Deer Harvest 180 252 270 228 715 569 572 857 965 1,158 845 858 810 968 1,405 10,652
Countywide Deer Program Harvests
Totals Antlerless % Antlerless
County hunting harvest (DNR) 5,969 4,320 72.37%
Sharpshooting (mont Co Parks) 596 560 93.96%
DNR Deer Mgt Permits (Mont. Co) 322 283 87.89%
Total County Harvest 6,887 5,163 74.97%
M-NCPPC Park program total 1,405 1,312 93.38%
Dickerson -MC-DSW 128 121 94.53%
Seneca mgt hunts (all) 386 289 74.87%
WSSC mgd hunts (Mont Co only) 110 86 78.18%
Total County Deer Program Harvest 2,029 1,808 89.11%
Percentage of total county harvest 29.46% 35.02%
Deer harvests for all hunts associated with County Deer Program.
Comprehensive Deer Mgt. Plan County level program Deer Mgt. Work Group Public input Cooperative efforts: Private landowners, Govt.
and Non-govt. agencies
Goal: to reduce deer impacts in order to reach a balance between deer and human needs.
Goal: to reach a balance
Humantolerance
Deerpopulation
Education &non-lethal mgt.
Populationmanagement
Low
High
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