Regional efforts to understand the causes of disease in white-tailed deer and the impact of those diseases on populations have a long history in the Southeast. The deer health/disease challenges faced by state wildlife management agencies over the last 50+ years have varied. Once upon a time, a primary challenge was the lack of a basic understanding of deer health and disease in recovering populations. Today, managers often face challenging aspects of deer diseases that go beyond biology and are instead rooted in a variety of social, political, and economic factors. Appropriately interpreting and communicating complex disease topics is of increasing importance. Further, strong partnerships and interdisciplinary collaborations are critical as deer managers navigate the abundance of differing perspectives, opinions, and motivations related to deer health and disease.
Mark Ruder is Director of the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) at the University of Georgia. Founded in 1957 to investigate diseases of deer, today SCWDS is a regional wildlife health cooperative comprised of 18 state/territorial wildlife management agencies... Read More →
Monday February 17, 2025 8:30am - 9:00am EST
Chesapeake ABCD
Historically, deer managers had a full plate with responsibilities related to hunting, seasons, and stakeholders. In recent decades, looming disease issues have stretched responsibilities further. How can “we” tackle these challenges together? Solutions may include minimizing risks, data coordination, decision-support tools, and communication strategies, but require a forward-looking perspective on time investment and agency administration priorities.
Krysten Schuler is a wildlife disease ecologist and director of the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab. She works closely with state wildlife agencies, particularly the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to deliver the New York State Wildlife Health Program. She also... Read More →
Monday February 17, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am EST
Chesapeake ABCD
Krysten Schuler is a wildlife disease ecologist and director of the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab. She works closely with state wildlife agencies, particularly the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to deliver the New York State Wildlife Health Program. She also... Read More →
Mark Ruder is Director of the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) at the University of Georgia. Founded in 1957 to investigate diseases of deer, today SCWDS is a regional wildlife health cooperative comprised of 18 state/territorial wildlife management agencies... Read More →
Monday February 17, 2025 9:30am - 10:00am EST
Chesapeake ABCD
Animal movement is shaped by the environment and the necessity to engage in essential activities. Animals must use urban and rural environments in different ways to meet food, cover, and reproduction needs. Urban deer present management challenges, and understanding deer movement with respect to developing landscapes is critical to inform effective deer management decisions that promote sustainable city planning. We analyzed the impact of urbanization on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) movement by studying 107 female deer that were captured and GPS-collared along an urbanization gradient in Durham and Orange Counties, North Carolina, from 2022 to 2024. We analyzed GPS collar data recorded at 2-hour intervals during the parturition season to assess the effects of land cover, proximity to anthropogenic features (e.g., roads), and time of day on white-tailed deer movement. We used hidden Markov movement models to classify deer into latent behavioral states and applied step selection functions to evaluate how deer navigate the landscape. This approach enabled us to quantify the proportion of time deer spent in each state across the urbanization gradient and understand how anthropogenic features affect deer movement. We determined that urbanization influenced deer movement and landscape use, with differing habitat selection across the gradient. Understanding the multifaceted effects of urbanization on deer movement, habitat selection, and behavior is important to inform management actions and predict responses of deer in urbanizing landscapes.
As urban sprawl increases, white-tailed deer have become more abundant across urban landscapes leading to increased deer encounters with residential fences. Deer-fence interactions can create dangerous situations for deer, first responders, and the public if a deer fails to jump over the fence effectively and becomes entangled in or on the fence. In order to reduce deer-fence conflicts, it is necessary to first understand the biomechanical processes deer use to cross vertical barriers. We conducted deer jumping trials in which captive deer crossed over vertical barriers (i.e., welded-wire fence panels) of varying heights while being recorded by high-speed cameras. We compared biomechanical measurements between successful and unsuccessful crossing attempts including joint angles, flight arc, and deer velocity through four phases of the jump: approach, take-off, suspension, and landing. We quantified biomechanical measurements among age, sex, and weight of deer relative to barrier heights. Our first sampling group consisted of 5 adult male deer (110 – 190 lb) and 30 total crossing attempts. Among all 30 attempts, 7 were successful, 9 were failures, and 14 did not attempt to cross. Across all biomechanical measures, it appears that the angle of the deer’s back at take-off, which affects the deer’s trajectory, most influences crossing success. We are conducting similar trials with 22 adult female deer. Altering the height and visual attributes of fencing (e.g., spacing and thickness of rails) will enable us to improve deer jumping success or entirely discourage deer from jumping barriers in order to reduce deer-fence conflicts.
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are key hosts for zoonotic diseases due to their susceptibility to pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 (SCV2), Lyme Disease (Borrelia burgdorferi), and highly pathogenic avian influenza. Urban environments, with their high densities of both deer and humans, amplify the potential for disease spillover. In collaboration with USDA-WS, NPS, Washington D.C. Department of Energy and Environment, Fairfax County Park Authority (VA), and Montgomery Parks (MD), the University of Maryland’s URBANxNATURE and Applied Spatial Wildlife Ecology Lab are investigating human-deer disease transmission in urban settings. Deer are being captured using drop nets and anesthetized with BAM, 2024-2026. Nasal and oral swabs, blood samples, and ticks are being collected for testing. Out of 140 deer sampled in the winter of 2023-2024, 27 individuals tested positive for SCV2. Positive samples included ten nasal and six oral PCR positives from sharpshooting events, and eight sVNT seropositive results (five wildtype, three Omicron) from live trapping. Additionally, we confirmed the first longhorned ticks (Haemaphysalis longicornis) in Washington, D.C. These findings will inform an agent-based modeling framework to predict human-deer interaction hotspots, the context of such encounters, and the associated risk of airborne zoonotic disease transmission, contributing to urban wildlife management and public health strategies.
Urbanization presents a challenge for managing white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) due to the constraints it imposes on traditional methods of deer population management. Specifically, hunting effectiveness can be diminished due to decreasing parcel size, loss of huntable land, shifting landowner values, and restrictive local policies. Given the potential negative outcomes of unmanaged deer populations as landscapes urbanize, our objective was to describe how deer harvest susceptibility varied along an urban to rural gradient. Specifically, we: 1) quantified harvest probabilities for deer, 2) evaluated how these probabilities varied along an urbanization gradient based on percent impervious surface, percent huntable lands, sex, and age of deer, and 3) identified how harvest susceptibility varied throughout the hunting season. From 2022-2024, we tracked 72 male and 95 female white-tailed deer in Durham County, North Carolina, along an urban-rural gradient. Using GPS data, we quantified percent impervious surface and huntable lands within each individual's calculated home range. Results indicate that males were harvested more frequently than females across the gradient, with adults (≥ 2.5 years) being more susceptible than yearlings (1.5 years). The majority of harvest occurred after the peak conception date in the study area. Additionally, harvest probability declined as urbanness increased, regardless of sex or age. These results provide insight for wildlife managers in determining when and where harvest occurs along an urban-rural gradient, and whether to adjust strategies to meet management goals in increasingly urbanized landscapes.
Urbanization is expanding throughout the globe, creating urban-rural gradients and altering wildlife communities. While some wildlife populations decline as human presence increases, others such as white-tailed deer persist in areas with transitional habitats and increased urbanization. However, densities of white-tailed deer along urban-rural gradients are poorly understood leading to gaps in population information and management despite continued deer use. We used a spatially explicit capture-recapture framework (SCR) with fecal DNA to estimate deer densities along an urban-rural gradient in Durham County, North Carolina. Sampling occurred at 356 plots across 7 sites with percent impervious surface ranging from 1% (rural) to 60% (urban), and included public and private lands with 120 participating landowners. Field collection took place in February and March 2023 over 3 weeks using a cluster sampling design. We collected 642 fecal samples resulting in 491 genotypes (≥8 microsatellite markers, 1 sex-determining marker) of 380 unique deer (252M:127F). Based on SCR estimates, sampling site densities ranged from
Rangelands are often managed for cattle production and wildlife. Understanding the effects of cattle on wildlife relative to other factors, such as precipitation, is key to effective multiuse management. We experimentally manipulated cattle management on East Foundation’s San Antonio Veijo Ranch in South Texas where white-tailed deer are not exposed to harvest or supplemental feed. We measured recruitment indices using evidence of lactation in autumn from 284 adult female deer captured from 2011-2023 and known fate survival to 12-weeks of 90 neonates monitored during 2020-2023. We characterized capture locations of adult females and birth sites of neonates based on landscape attributes, precipitation, and cattle management. We fit generalized linear mixed models predicting the lactation status (yes or no) as a function of these covariates. We fit Cox-proportional hazards models to predict mortality hazard of neonates as a function of the same predictors. We found the presence of cattle during the fawning season (June-August) reduced the probability of lactation in adult females and increased the odds of neonate mortality. We also found both recruitment indices increased strongly with spring rain and moderately with brush density. Our results demonstrate a benefit of the rotational grazing treatment, such that deer recruitment improved where cattle were absent during the fawning season. While rainfall patterns strongly influenced recruitment, manageable factors including cattle grazing and brush density offer potential approaches to manipulate deer recruitment. Our results highlight the utility of managing these factors to achieve deer recruitment objectives.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, have become increasingly important in the monitoring and management of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) particularly when used alongside thermal imaging sensors. Thermal drones have successfully been used for fawn capture, deer density estimation, harvested deer recovery, and other management practices, and thermal drones have been found to be both accurate and precise for deer density estimation given proper flight planning. Drones as a tool for deer monitoring and management improve upon manned aircraft in terms of costs and associated risks, but thermal drones nonetheless suffer from limitations related to battery life, signal range, line of sight requirements, and sensitivity to environmental conditions among other factors. Building on our previous work evaluating the precision and accuracy of deer density estimates gathered via drones, this presentation will discuss the current state of commercially available thermal drone technology, costs and considerations associated with implementing this technology, and lessons learned from our work. We will detail recommended flight parameters, drone models, and sensors as well as the future of this technology and its integration into deer monitoring and management. This discussion provides fundamental information for wildlife managers and researchers seeking to implement this rapidly evolving technology into their own work.
Early detection is critical to managing CWD effectively and the average number of national samples needed for adequate testing annually is increasing. We surveyed state wildlife agencies to determine their budget dedicated to CWD surveillance, monitoring and testing, the number of samples tested, average wait time for results, and if sampling goals were met in 2019 and 2024. We also asked where CWD samples are collected from and if replacement tags are offered to hunters who harvest a CWD positive deer. Since 2019, agencies have allocated an additional $13 million nationally for CWD; a 128% increase. Contributing to this additional cost is a 38% increase in sampling efforts from 2019 to 2023, with 43 states testing nearly 250,000 samples. Despite the increasing cost and manpower required for testing, average wait time for results decreased from 36 to 29 days since 2019, with at least four states offering results in one week. Increased surveillance has forced agencies to diversify how samples are collected and agencies reported nearly ten different sources, with clinically suspect deer the most popular (96%). Forty-two states rely heavily on hunter harvested deer with 18 states offering replacement tags to hunters who take a CWD positive animal. Fortunately, 26 states met their sampling goals in 2023, with at least eight more reaching their goals in individual CWD surveillance zones or counties. Our results shed light on the drain that CWD has on wildlife agency resources and the intensive and opportunistic sampling that is crucial to manage the disease.
Efforts to standardize terminology are valuable across scientific disciplines for improving clarity, enabling consistent evaluation of research findings, reducing confusion, and improving the accuracy of scientific communication. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has become a marked and expanding threat to cervid health and North American conservation. The Surveillance Optimization Project for CWD (SOP4CWD) was implemented to provide quantitative modeling and data warehousing tools to partnering wildlife agencies to improve surveillance efficiency in free-ranging populations. This interdisciplinary collaboration recognized a need for a standardized glossary of CWD-related epidemiology, disease management, and mathematical modeling terminology to effectively unite monitoring and control efforts across scientific disciplines and managerial jurisdictions. Using an expert elicitation approach, we compiled a comprehensive list of terms relevant to CWD and standardized definitions agreed upon simultaneously by persons with disease, statistical, and deer ecology expertise. We augmented the glossary with terms commonly found in the academic literature surrounding CWD. The final glossary will facilitate consistency in communication and promote coordination of CWD surveillance, research, management, and mitigation across vast jurisdictional boundaries.
Scavengers can impact the geographic spread of pathogens through complex interactions that can either decrease or increase the risk of transmission. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy fatal to cervids and has been detected throughout much of the United States and internationally. Chronic wasting disease prions have long environmental persistence, and some scavengers have been shown to pass infectious CWD prions through their digestive tracts. We designed a study in a CWD-endemic area of northwestern Arkansas to determine which scavengers routinely feed on white-tailed deer carcasses and may be involved in movement of CWD prions. Using videos from game cameras, we recorded species that visited white-tailed deer carcasses and calculated abundance, presence duration, and feeding rate. American crows had the greatest number of individuals per video (5.33, 95% CI: 3.88 – 7.32), followed by turkey vultures (3.03, 2.21 – 4.16), and black vultures (2.94, 2.14 – 4.04). Black vultures had the longest bout duration in minutes (10.46, 8.01 – 13.67), followed by bald eagles (9.00, 6.88 – 11.77) and turkey vultures (8.45, 6.47 – 11.04). Bald eagles (50%, 38 – 62%), black vultures (49%, 40 – 58%), and American black bears (45%, 33-56%) spent the greatest proportion of time feeding. Species rank varied across metrics but the average of the three behavioral measurements indicated that black vultures, bald eagles, and turkey vultures had the greatest potential to ingest and potentially move CWD prions. Our research highlights the need to experimentally evaluate more avian scavengers for the potential to shed infectious prions.
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) poses a significant challenge to wildlife disease management, driven by the highly infectious nature of prions, the potential for both direct and indirect transmission routes, and the prolonged progression of the disease in infected cervids. These features greatly complicate surveillance and control efforts in both free-ranging and captive cervid populations. Recent advances in Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) assays and related technologies are contributing to a paradigm shift in CWD surveillance. Due to its remarkable sensitivity and specificity, RT-QuIC offers the detection of prions in a variety of environmental and biological samples that were previously untestable. Simultaneously, agent-based epidemiological modeling informed by CWD biology and cervid demographics (e.g., OvCWD) offers a valuable framework for designing and optimizing novel RT-QuIC-based surveillance strategies. We present three innovative RT-QuIC testing applications that enhance CWD surveillance: (1) detection of CWD prions in cervid saliva on non-porous surfaces, (2) monitoring prions in environmental matrices such as soil and water near herd congregation sites, and (3) testing of skeletal remains years after deposition. Surveillance data derived from both wild and captive white-tailed deer populations across these three areas are summarized. We show how these three approaches can be used strategically with agent-based epidemiological models to guide efforts to prevent disease spread, identify and remediate environmental prion reservoirs, and ultimately improve the sustainability of cervid populations. Our findings underscore the potential of integrating RT-QuIC surveillance with epidemiological modeling to transform CWD management through proactive, data-driven strategies.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease affecting members of the Cervidae family and is present in both wild and captive cervid populations across the United States. CWD continues to spread among captive facilities, with new positive facilities being detected each year. CWD can quickly become established in these facilities due to the close and prolonged contact among deer and repeated exposure to infected individuals or contaminated environments. Early detection is crucial for managing CWD; however, identifying a rare event like CWD introduction in a large population presents significant challenges. Furthermore, the number of samples required to achieve a high level of confidence in detecting CWD increases for low prevalence scenarios, making it particularly difficult to detect a single infected deer in a captive facility. Thus, CWD often remains undetected in the early phase of the outbreak, mainly because of the logistical constraints on wildlife agencies' ability to match the sample size targets. To address these challenges, we developed an agent-based modeling approach that enhances the estimation of CWD detection probability in captive deer facilities. Specifically, we define CWD detection probability as the confidence in identifying the single infected deer within a population, based on a given number of samples tested over the course of a year. Our modeling approach integrates CWD testing records from captive deer facilities, along with herd size, composition, and individual deer transfer histories, to quantify the likelihood of undetected CWD within a facility. These annual detection probability estimates provide a measure of confidence in identifying a single CWD-infected deer within a population, based on the number of deer that tested negative throughout the year. This approach improves the effectiveness of CWD surveillance by enabling the prioritization of surveillance efforts across captive facilities, using the model-derived quantitative metric of detection probability. By refining this estimation process, we provide improved surveillance approach and inform better CWD management strategies in captive cervid populations.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease of cervids, considered to be one of the greatest threats to white-tailed deer populations. Effective management for CWD hinges on understanding how abundance, survival and recruitment are affected by the disease. Using 3 years of data from GPS collars, radio telemetry, trail cameras, and CWD testing of both live and deceased deer, we investigated the effects of CWD on population demographics for a white-tailed deer population in Arkansas’ CWD management zone. We analyzed our data using an integrated hierarchical model in a Bayesian framework to estimate survival, recruitment, movement and disease transmission across 3 study sites with different levels of CWD prevalence. Sample CWD prevalence from both ante- and postmortem sample testing was >20%. Deer that tested positive for CWD had lower annual survival and reproductive rates than presumed negative deer. Populations with the highest prevalence of CWD had lower densities and higher female to male sex ratios. Our results provide insights into the dynamics of CWD in the Southeastern United States and suggest CWD is working in concert with environmental factors to alter age structure and reduce population abundance.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Deer Management Assistance Program was initiated in 1999 with the purpose of providing technical assistance to hunting clubs in managing local deer herds and their habitat on private lands of Arkansas. In over 25 years of existence DMAP has seen participation rise but with accumulating workloads of the agency’s DMAP biologists, increasing turnover rates of both hunting clubs and staff, and the lack of clear focus; participation in DMAP began to wane. In 2021 the AGFC deemed private lands management a high priority, opening the way for the revitalization of DMAP. The agency streamlined administrative processes through standardization and automation of annual reporting and initiated a partnership with the National Deer Association to create five new cost share positions. Greenway Equipment was brought on as a corporate sponsor to increase technical assistance for the habitat management component of the program. The agency utilized an existing partnership with Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry in a new innovative way through DMAP deer donations. This helped clubs not only reach doe harvest goals but additionally helped address food insecurity issues in Arkansas. DMAP in Arkansas is now experiencing its highest participation and enrolled acreage in the past decade. Importantly, biologists are now spending more quality time with each club, receiving more CWD sample submissions, deer donations, and providing a higher quality annual report than ever before.
Deer Management Assistance Program Coordinator, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Jeremy Brown is a Certified Wildlife Biologist and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s statewide Deer Management Assistance Program coordinator. JB (as he is known by friends) earned a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife management and ecology and a Master of Science degree... Read More →
Tuesday February 18, 2025 8:00am - 8:20am EST
Chesapeake ABCD
For 47 years, the nation’s first Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) has been providing cooperative guidance by professional wildlife biologists to hunters in Mississippi in efforts to better manage lands for healthier deer herds. In this study, DMAP deer harvest data was analyzed from the past four decades to describe the different changes in the deer herds over time when participating in the program compared to the first year a property is enrolled. Within the first five years, on average, doe harvest increased 44% and doe lactation went up 8%. Buck harvest also increased on average by 26%. Within the first 10 years, buck antler score potential at maturity increased on average by 14 inches and buck age increased by 40%. There was also variation in these changes over time depending on the decade the properties first enrolled in DMAP, the soil region of the state they were located, and depending on what percentage of the doe harvest recommendations from the biologist were met. Overall, this data shows significant beneficial changes over time in deer herds for properties enrolled in DMAP compared to their first year. This information will support efforts to educate the public on the benefits of DMAP, while helping in marketing for DMAP enrollment.
Undergraduate degree - Miss. State UniversityWorked and conducted research for the MSU Deer Lab under Dr. Steve DemaraisMasters degree - Texas A&M - KingsvilleGraduate research on white-tailed deer on the Comanche-Faith Project under Dr. Fulbright, Dr. Hewitt, and Dr. DeYoungWorked... Read More →
Tuesday February 18, 2025 8:20am - 8:40am EST
Chesapeake ABCD
1, 2Joseph R. McDermott, 1Tommy Apostolopoulos, 1John T. Hast, 1Christine Casey, 1Kathleen Williams 1Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. 1 Sportsman’s Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601. 2Corresponding Author: Joseph R. McDermott. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife resources. 1 Sportsman’s Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) has had a CWD Response Plan in place since 2002. Approved by the Commission, the Plan’s main objective is to guide KDFWR’s initial actions upon a positive CWD detection either inside of the state or near the border. KDFWR first implemented its Response Plan in 2021 following multiple detections <10 miles from the border in Tennessee. Following three years of enhanced CWD surveillance, KDFWR detected its first positive case in a wild deer harvested in Ballard County, KY in late 2023. Less than one year later KDFWR received notification of another positive animal, this time in a captive deer nearly 200 miles east of the original detection. A discussion of the state agency’s response to these detections is found herein.
Gaining insights into what drives landowners' decisions to allow hunting on their land is vital for wildlife management, particularly given rapidly expanding suburban and urban environments. Through a cooperative project with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), researchers at NC State University successfully created a spatial-predictive model to estimate land available for hunting utilizing data from surveys of nonindustrial and industrial private landowners. Increasing property size, male ownership, length of time the property has been owned, property being used to earn income, and landowners with a rural upbringing were all positively related to a property being hunted. Higher housing and road density and older landowners were negatively related to a property being hunted. County estimates of the amount of available hunting land were calculated by running all privately owned parcels in North Carolina through the model. A second cooperative project between NCWRC and NC State is updating and expanding on the model, exploring how political identity predicts landowners' decisions about whether hunting will occur on their properties while accounting for several important socio-demographic and geographic variables and utilizing data from a survey of residents along an urban-to-rural gradient in Durham County, North Carolina. Findings of the most recent study revealed political identity as a significant predictor of hunting permission, with conservative landowners being 6 times more likely to permit hunting than their liberal counterparts. Gender also emerged as a notable factor, as properties owned by men were three times more likely to be hunted than those owned by women. Road density, gender, and political identity were identified as negative predictors of landowner hunting decisions in decreasing order of importance. Conversely, property size was the most important positive predictor for landowners allowing hunting, and the most important predictor of hunter access overall. These results illustrate the necessity of incorporating political, demographic, and geographic elements in discussions about how to effectively communicate with landowners regarding hunting access for wildlife management purposes, and the model can also improve wildlife population estimates by improving huntable land estimates.
Since first detecting chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the free-ranging white-tailed deer population in 2012, the Missouri Department of Conservation has implemented targeted removal to slow disease spread. Targeted removal is one of few interventions with evidence of efficacy yet is often met with resistance and lack of stakeholder support. As such, identifying the motivations and barriers of landowners to participating in targeted removal is key to addressing participation deficiencies and fostering landowner engagement in CWD management. We conducted 12 focus group meetings in Missouri during 2022 with landowners who owned property near where CWD has been detected. Motivations for participating in targeted removal included a sense of civic responsibility to people and/or the deer population, additional hunting opportunity, food, convenience of the removal program, and positive feelings about contributing to CWD management. Barriers or deterrents to participation included misunderstanding about CWD and the objectives of targeted removal, perception of low deer density, reluctance to relinquish what landowners felt was management control of their land during targeted removal, distain for targeted removal methods (e.g., night shooting, baiting), and objections about when targeted removal occurred (i.e., winter, after deer season). Landowner participation in targeted removal could likely be increased by communicating more effectively about CWD and the objectives of targeted removal to combat misinformation, providing additional opportunity during the regular deer season enabling hunters to play a more active role in disease management at that time of year, considering changes to targeted removal methodology, and working to align targeted removal goals with landowner deer management goals when possible.
In 2019, the Boone and Crockett Club (B&C) issued a position statement on baiting, stating that hunting over bait can be considered fair chase in some circumstances. Fair chase, as defined by B&C, “is the ethical, sportsmanlike, and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper or unfair advantage over the game animal.” According to Aldo Leopold, an ethic is based on public support for right actions and opposition to wrong ones. Past surveys indicate that most of the general public, state wildlife agencies, and state wildlife agency deer biologists oppose hunting with bait. The major reason typically given by the general public is fair chase. Additionally, deer hunting over bait violates two principles of B&C’s definition of fair chase. First, providing food habituates deer to humans, making them less wild to the point of being semi-tame. Second, bait gives the hunter an unfair advantage by training deer to show up at a specific time and place. Lastly, hunting deer over bait is not fair chase just because it is “appropriate given the circumstances,” as written in the B&C position statement. The deer management objective does not determine fair chase. “Appropriate given the circumstances” renders the whole idea of fair chase meaningless. As noted by author Jim Posewitz, fair chase “addresses the balance between the hunter and the hunted,” and when there is doubt about whether a hunting practice is fair chase, “advantage must be given to the animal being hunted.” In my opinion, deer hunting over bait, regardless of the circumstances, is not fair chase.
The Westervelt Company owns over 600,000 acres of timberland across five Southeastern states. Prior to the 2022 hunting season, the use of bait, supplemental feed, and minerals was prohibited on Westervelt-owned property as a precaution to reduce risk for the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). While the practice of baiting and feeding white-tailed deer does has not been proven to cause CWD, it can play a role in its spread when the disease agent is present. Despite many customer opinions shared, there have been minimal negative impacts on our hunting lease business. In fact, we had several instances of positive feedback and support for our decision. In the fall of 2023, we surveyed our hunting lease customers to determine deer hunting motivations, effectiveness of previous educational campaigns, general CWD knowledge, and future plans if CWD is discovered in the area they hunt. The survey was distributed by email to our customers (n = 1,500) with a response rate of 27% (406 respondents). We found knowledge of CWD to be high, customers to be reachable via email for educational materials, and motivated to hunt for experiencing nature and viewing wildlife. Our survey results can help determine best management practices for engaging hunters on CWD with future communication and outreach efforts.
Jeremy Meares is Certified Wildlife Biologist and the Wildlife Services Manager for The Westervelt Company. He holds Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from The University of Georgia. As a member of the Westervelt Wildlife Services team, I am dedicated to assisting our customers... Read More →
Tuesday February 18, 2025 10:20am - 10:40am EST
Chesapeake ABCD
There is increased interest in creating cover specifically for deer bedding. Hinge-cutting has been used to develop “bedding blocks,” but there has been no evaluation of deer use. Hinge-cutting creates visual obstruction via the directional fell as well as regenerating stems and increased ground cover. We established four sites in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania in 2021 to evaluate deer response to hinge-cutting and the effects on vegetation. We established a 5-acre treatment unit and an adjacent 5-acre control unit at each site. We placed four camera traps in each unit. We quantified deer use pretreatment from February 2022 to February–May 2023, before implementing the treatment. We quantified deer use posttreatment through December 2023. We measured visual obstruction within 37 ft and recorded overstory and midstory stem density per acre surrounding camera traps in September 2024. We recorded understory species and grouped them into classes: forb, grass, semi-woody, and woody. Visual obstruction increased 154%, and midstory stems increased 34% following treatment. Hinge-cut tree survival was 72%, and girdled tree mortality was 97%. Understory coverage increased 63% for forbs, 100% for semi-woody, and 120% for woody species following treatment. Percent coverage of grasses decreased 4% in treatment and control. Daily deer detections during fawning season (May–July) decreased 6% in control and increased 146% in treatment after cutting. Daily detections during hunting season (October–December) decreased 24% in control and increased 78% in treatment. Our data indicate hinge-cutting can be used to increase visual obstruction and enhance bedding/loafing areas for deer.
Management of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids is dependent upon landowner access to private property. When access is allowed, CWD management strategies such as targeted removal of cervids can decrease local prevalence. However, the decision to allow property access rests on the landowner’s acceptance of wildlife management actions. Our objective was to evaluate the willingness of landowners to allow access and quantify acceptable financial incentives for targeted removals on their property. We distributed a survey containing a discrete choice experiment (CE) to elicit landowners’ willingness to accept (WTA) payments. Landowners received eight choice questions, each with two targeted removal alternatives and an opt-out option (i.e., no management). The alternatives were composed of three attributes: removal restriction (sex/age of deer removed), implementing agency (state or federal agent), and payment per deer removed ($0-$150). The CE was distributed to landowners in 6 states across the USA with varying levels of CWD prevalence in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). We found that landowners require the highest payment for male deer removal conducted by a federal wildlife agent compared to a non sex/age specified removal by a state wildlife agent. We also found that landowners value no targeted removal management at $227 per deer (95% CI; $214.34-$240.16). Significant differences in landowners' WTA were observed based on hunting status, region, state-level CWD prevalence, and county-level prevalence. The results from this research will inform resource managers tasked with conducting targeted removals to manage CWD as new detections of the disease emerge.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, high seroprevalence of the viral pathogen SARS-CoV-2 (SCV2) was reported in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations in multiple locations across the USA. This has led to widespread concern that white-tailed deer could act as a “reservoir” for SCV2, enabling the long-term persistence and spillback of SCV2 into human populations. However, we lack an understanding of how white-tailed deer movements affect among-deer transmission of SCV2, hindering our ability to predict when populations might act as reservoirs. Focusing on a population in west Tennessee, we combined two years of movement data from 66 deer, landscape-level seroprevalence sampling of 173 deer, and epidemiological modeling to ask: Under what ecological and epidemiological conditions can white-tailed deer act as a reservoir host for SCV2? We detected at least two strains of SCV2 in our study population with seroprevalence ranging from 5%-10%, indicating multiple exposure events. Using our empirical movement data, we built an epidemiological model that accounted for empirically realistic, seasonally varying animal movements. We found that high site fidelity of animals and seasonally varying social interactions made it highly unlikely that SCV2 could persist in the deer population for three or more years. These results held even with high levels of young male dispersal and simulated densities of deer up to 52 per square mile. Thus, despite broad categorization of white-tailed deer as reservoir hosts for SCV2, spatial and social dynamics of west Tennessee deer make it very difficult for SCV2 to persist without repeated spillover events from some external source.
Effective biosecurity practices are essential for mitigating intraspecies and zoonotic disease transmission during human-wildlife interactions, yet it is unclear how infection control policies are put into action by those working with cervids. We evaluated biosecurity practices among professionals working with cervids in the U.S. and Canada via an electronic survey conducted between March 2024 and June 2024. Study objectives were to identify pathogens of concern, describe current biosecurity protocols, evaluate the effectiveness of disinfecting practices against pathogens of concern, and explore associations between practices and factors such as profession, regional endemic diseases, and the nature of interactions. Survey respondents were primarily composed of ecologists/biologists (n=37, 47.4%), veterinarians (n=36, 46.2%), and managers or wildlife capture professionals lacking those backgrounds (n=5, 5.4%). Respondents identified Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and SARS-CoV-2 as primary pathogens of concern, with CWD being the most frequently targeted for disinfection, even in non-endemic areas. Use of personal protective equipment was common. While most respondents indicated the existence of biosecurity protocols, adherence was inconsistent, particularly in free-ranging settings versus captive settings. Disinfection frequency also varied in association with professional background. Respondents in regions where CWD was endemic were more likely to have formal biosecurity policies and protocols compared to non-endemic areas. Our study also identified infection control gaps, with some respondents using ineffective disinfectants or suboptimal concentrations against reported pathogens of concern. These findings highlight the need for standardized, evidence-based guidelines when developing, implementing, and updating cervid biosecurity protocols, particularly regarding effective disinfectant use.
Toxoplasmosis (causative agent Toxoplasma gondii) is a zoonotic disease that causes significant morbidity in animals and humans. In wildlife, T. gondii infection may influence reproduction and behavior, including induced abortion, increased aggression, and abnormal movement; however, prevalence and sublethal impacts are poorly understood. To investigate T. gondii influence on white-tailed deer population dynamics, we used four years of biological and known fate data from a deer population in southern Texas to determine T. gondii prevalence and survival of does and their offspring as a function of doe serostatus. Serology revealed 29 of 59 (49%) does had a titer of ≥1:25 on a modified agglutination test, and were considered seropositive for T. gondii. From 2020-2023, Kaplan-Meier annual survival of seropositive and seronegative does ranged from 70-100% and 85-100%, respectively. Adult survival was high except in 2022, a year with harsh winter and drought conditions, when survival of seropositive does was lower than that of seronegative does (70% vs. 85%, respectively). Across all years, survival of fawns from seropositive and seronegative does did not differ. However, in 2021, a year with above average rain, fawns born to seropositive does had lower survival (20% vs 46%). These trends suggest that T. gondii infection may compound the effects of external stressors on adult white-tailed deer when conditions are poor, but have a more noticeable influence on fawn survival when conditions are optimal. Further understanding of sublethal effects of T. gondii infection is needed to assess potential impact on survival and recruitment in wildlife populations.
White-tailed deer are crepuscular, short-day breeders that use rubs and scrapes (i.e., signposts) in the environment to communicate physiological status to conspecifics. Deer optical anatomy and visual capabilities are relatively well-understood including sensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths. UV wavelengths are present during crepuscular hours but are not visible to humans. Previous studies have described signposts and their use by deer but quantification of the spectral characteristics, including photoluminescence (i.e., glow resulting from exposure to UV), and how the spectral characteristics of signposts shape deer environmental perception, is unknown. The goal of our study was to quantify the spectral characteristics of signposts, including visibility outside the human visual range and relate our findings to what is known about deer vision. We located 148 signposts (rubs = 110, scrapes = 38) from 8 September – 12 November 2024 in the Piedmont of Georgia. We exposed signposts to 365 and 395 nm UV lights while measuring reflectance/photoluminescence with a telescoping spectral radiometer. We collected spectral data at night to simulate laboratory conditions. We found that the contrast between signposts and the surrounding environment was relatively high including wavelengths outside of the human visual range (based on sources such as urine-based photoluminescence). These data suggest that deer behavior relative to signposts is likely based on visual cues, especially in low light conditions, that are not seen by human observers and gives a new perspective to deer behavior based on visual ecology.
The continuing geographic spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) poses a significant threat to the long-term sustainability of cervid populations, hunting traditions, and private land management across North America. Despite extensive research, substantial uncertainty remains regarding the mechanisms and factors driving CWD transmission. Wildlife agencies are actively working to mitigate the risks posed by this disease, but effective responses require a better understanding of the disease dynamics and the impact of management actions. One promising approach for addressing these uncertainties is the integration of simulation models with policy decision-making processes. Here, we demonstrate the use of OvCWD, a published agent-based modeling framework, to evaluate and compare regional CWD management strategies. Specifically, we highlight how OvCWD models simulate disease spread in deer populations, enabling the comparison of various management interventions aimed at reducing the hazard rate of CWD (i.e., the force of infection). The force of infection metric allows for an estimation of disease burden and helps assess the effectiveness of management strategies. OvCWD models provide valuable insights into the potential outcomes of different interventions and can support the design of locally relevant CWD management strategies.
The integration of depth, RGB, and Infrared (IR) sensors provides a transformative solution for wildlife management by automating distance measurements and enhancing Detection, Classification, Recognition, and Identification (DCRI) capabilities. Traditional wildlife monitoring methods require manual distance measurements, which are time-consuming and prone to error. This sensor package addresses these challenges by capturing depth, IR, and RGB data, enabling precise, automated distance calculations. By leveraging depth data, the system offers accurate distance measurements without the need for manual input, improving the efficiency and reliability of wildlife density estimation in large-scale studies.
In addition to distance measurement efficiency improvements, the system enhances DCRI capabilities through a machine learning (ML) model that processes fused depth, IR, and RGB data. The system’s DCRI capabilities are more agnostic to geographic location, meaning that the model does not require geographically specific training data to perform effectively. By combining depth and standard (two dimensional) image information, the model can detect, classify, recognize, and identify animals in a wider range of environmental conditions. This flexibility ensures that the system can be applied in diverse ecosystems without the need for retraining or specialized data for specific regions, making it suitable for large-scale, real-time wildlife monitoring.
This system provides scalable, data-driven insights for wildlife population monitoring and conservation. By automating distance measurements and enhancing DCRI through ML, it significantly advances the efficiency and accuracy of wildlife management and conservation efforts.
We work hard to minimize iatrogenic effects on deer during capture events. We have many ground capture options (e.g., darting, drop nets, and Clover traps) and helicopter net gunning to safely capture deer. However less is known about how these methods affect stress hormones (cortisol) and indicators of metabolic demand on the animals including serum concentrations of creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, and lactate. Understanding stressors is especially important in an area with high CWD prevalence. During winter of 2023-2024, we captured (ground and helicopter aided) 75 deer in West Tennessee in an area of high CWD to place collars and collect biological samples. We measured cortisol from deer in both years. We measured metabolic indicators in 2024 (mainly helicopter captures). Thirteen deer died within the first 30 days. We tested CWD status on 8 of the mortalities with 4 CWD+ and 4 CWD-. Although small sample size and high variability of the early mortalities with known CWD status, we found a mean cortisol of 6.5 ug/dl for CWD+ (n=3) and 4.4 ug/dl for CWD- (n=3). Cortisol was higher for helicopter captures (5.3 ug/dl, n=42) compared to Clover traps (4.6 ug/dl, n=3), drop nets (3.5 ug/dl, n=11), and darting (2.5 ug/dl, n=3). All physiological measures of metabolism were high for helicopter captures including lactate mean of 30.7 mmol/L. Helicopters with net gunning appeared to be the most stressful physiologically capture method. Stress may be higher in individuals in CWD enzootic areas and be exacerbated by capture events.
White-tailed deer body and antler size vary widely across their geographic distribution, and managers are interested in factors associated with larger morphometrics. Previous work has considered landscape and temperature effects on morphology, but there is limited information on how these factors interact with site-specific forage availability to determine body and antler size. We collected body mass, antler size, and site-specific growing-season forage availability from 35 properties across 21 eastern U.S. states. Average female body mass increased by 1.7 pounds for every 1˚F decrease in average annual temperature and increased by 3.5 pounds for every 10-percentage point increase in landscape crop coverage. Mature male antler size also correlated with temperature and crop coverage, with antler size increasing by 1.1 inches for every 1˚F decrease in temperature and increasing by 2.8 inches for every 10-percentage point increase in crop coverage. After controlling for landscape effects, adult female body mass increased by 0.13 pounds for every 1 deer day/acre increase in site-specific nutritional carrying capacity based on a 0.3% phosphorus constraint (PNCC). Mature male antler size was marginally correlated with PNCC as well, with antler size increasing by 0.1 inch for every 1 deer day/acre increase in PNCC. Our results indicate climate and landscape variables promoting growing-season forage have a consistent influence on morphology, and we found support for site-specific forage availability influencing female body and male antler size. We recommend managers increase site-specific nutritional availability within the context of landscape-level nutrition to help shape expectations if increasing deer morphometrics is an objective.
Hunters killed more antlerless deer than bucks for the first time in 1999. Doe harvests remained high many seasons afterwards; however, that trend faded by 2015, and we have since struggled to kill more antlerless than antlered deer. Our annual Deer Report contains evidence for renewed emphasis on doe harvest in the USA. We surveyed state wildlife agencies and collected data on the number of white-tailed deer harvested during the 2023-24 season and prior, the percentage of Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) currently at/above/below density goals, trends in fawn recruitment (FRR) and doe fawn breeding rates, depredation permits, and urban deer issues. In total, 21 of 37 states (57%) shot fewer antlerless deer in 2023 than their five-year average, and the combined harvest decreased 3% from 2022 in the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast regions. A quarter of all WMUs in these same regions maintained deer densities above goal five years ago, and that number has risen to 43% today. The Southeast had the largest increase, with the percentage of WMUs above goal rising from 19% in 2018 to 48% in 2023. Since 2014 the national FRR has decreased 10%, and the proportion of doe fawns breeding has declined from 13% to 10% since 2016. Twenty-one of 36 states (58%) issued more depredation tags than they did five years ago, while only six states (17%) reported issuing less. Because of this changing landscape, it is more urgent than ever that hunters do their part to harvest an appropriate number of antlerless deer.
Senior Director of Conservation, National Deer Association
Matt has been with the NDA since 2006. He earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Massachusetts and master’s at the University of New Hampshire. He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist® and Licensed Forester.
Tuesday February 18, 2025 4:20pm - 4:40pm EST
Chesapeake ABCD
Hunters are our nation’s original conservationists. To highlight the benefits of hunting and the importance of deer hunters to our wildlife programs the Southeast Deer Partnership initiated a multi-phase project in 2020 to increase awareness of the benefits of deer hunters and hunting to wildlife programs in the Southeast, including impacts to at-risk species. This “value of deer” project highlighted the economic, social and conservation benefits of deer hunting and included state-specific data on habitat management activities by deer hunters on private lands. The study area included the 15 states in the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) region. Research revealed greater than 6.7 million paid hunting license holders purchase over 12 million licenses, tags, permits and stamps annually, and hunting license sales exceed $251 million in the SEAFWA region. Deer hunting in this region supports approximately 209,000 jobs and $2.1 billion in local, state and federal taxes. Southeast deer hunters spend $183 million on wildlife plantings and over $1 billion on land leased primarily for deer hunting. A public education and marketing campaign promoting the value of deer ensued during 2024. The campaign included a documentary titled Wildtail: American’s Wildest Conservation Success Story and used print, digital and social media formats. The documentary was viewed over 1.1 million times on YouTube and received over 2.3 million Google ad impressions. The overall campaign received over 18.5 million impressions and was one of the largest value of deer promotions to date.
