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Over or Under
By Bob Humphrey
Q: The members of our hunt club are trying to decide how many does we should take this season. Without hiring a biologist, is there a way to tell if our population is too high?
A: There are many variables involved but there are a few things you could do that might at least give you an indication. State wildlife agency biologists generally have an idea what the carrying capacity is for a given area and try to maintain the deer herd around that level through the use of seasons, bag limits and permits. However, that becomes more complicated in situations involving private land with limited access, and it is then up to the landowner or land users.
A few things to look for are heavy browsing or browse lines, which might indicate a higher deer population than is desirable. If you keep weights of the deer killed and have records from several years, you might notice a decline in average body weight. Yearling antler beam diameter is also a good index to the health of the herd, and you can consult your state biologist for what range might indicate overpopulation. There are also methods for doing camera surveys that might help you determine approximate population levels. Don’t be too concerned about over-harvesting. Even under well-regulated management programs it is often difficult to achieve objective doe harvest levels as remaining deer become fewer, and better at avoiding hunters.