SPORTS

Managing Ohio's deer herd presents issues

Dick Martin, Gannett Ohio

Ohio's deer kill for all seasons was down this year. Only 175,745 animals were harvested, a noticeable drop from last year's total of 191,455 whitetails.

Managing Ohio’s deer herd offers state officials a complex problem.

The number figures to be even lower next year. Many people are wondering why the population is falling. That answer is surprisingly complex.

The basic problem is too many Ohio counties have oversized deer populations. For various reasons those populations must be reduced. The Division of Wildlife is doing a juggling act that would stress a circus clown trying to keep everyone reasonably happy with the reductions.

It won't be easy.

They have to think of Ohio's farmers. Agriculture is a major business within our borders, and one task is to bring down the herd enough to minimize crop damage.

Insurance companies would certainly like to see fewer deer-vehicle collisions, too. Even such priceless jewels as the state's nature preserves are seeing serious deer damage to trees, shrubs, and sometimes rare plants.

They're doing it by fine tuning the kills allowed in each county. Counties with too many deer will be allowed two deer per hunter or even three until the herd there is brought into balance.

The only way to control county populations is by hunting. Trying to manage it by attempting various forms of birth control or other measures is pointless. Since does usually carry two fawns, killing a doe in the fall after breeding season means three deer gone.

These 10 deer forage in front of a Marion Road home.

As a biologist, I understand the Division of Wildlife's efforts to fine tune Ohio's deer herd into one sustainable for generations to come — while making everyone at least reasonably satisfied.

Yet many hunters aren't happy. Counties that once had large deer herds have fewer now. Places where a gunner or archer could once see half a dozen or more per day now see only one or two.

The Division of Wildlife has been holding "deer summits," inviting hunters to attend meetings with DOW officials and voice their concerns. One unhappy comment that's echoed is "I can't find any deer anymore. I hunted all of the seasons and only saw one or two, and never got a shot."

That's a real problem for the Division. A major part of their income comes from the sale of deer permits and licenses. Not only do Ohio hunters buy them, but a surprising number from Michigan, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Illinois come to our state, too. They pay well for an out-of-state license.

If the herd drops too far and hunters from here and elsewhere stop trying for venison, it could cost the Division a LOT of money as well as businesses from motels to restaurants, gas stations, and more.

There are other considerations. When I was a kid in the hills of southern Ohio, every little valley had a farm or two. Most were small, maybe only five acres or so, but enough for a little corn and hay, some pasture, a hillside apple orchard, and a garden.

Most of those little farms are gone now, and their land first converted into brush and thickets which are good deer habitat, then today into mature forests. As many hunters know, deer are browsing animals, and in the winters particularly, they live on twigs, brush, and whatever else they can find.

These two deer lounge in front of Judy Jolley’s tombstone in Marion County.

Mature forest has little food for deer, other than acorns. Deer surveys show as populations grew, there has been a decrease in the quality of the herd in most regions of the state.

John Windau, spokesperson for the Division said, "Our hunter attitude surveys show that hunters want quality deer, so we will try to factor for that as well. But hunters should realize that they can't have large populations AND high quality (big bodies and big racks) as well."

Windau also noted a buck shot a couple of years ago was half as likely to be a trophy deer as a buck that was killed 10 to 15 years ago. There has also been decreased reproduction of fawns, all signs that the deer have overpopulated and are not getting the quality of nutrition that they did 10-15 years ago.

So, the Division is doing its best to control the herds in each county for the good of all.

There's yet another factor to consider. The state will have to keep an eye on such things as coyote predation of fawns. This can be considerable over the first six weeks of their life, disease, and car-deer collisions. But the only real control over populations is hunters.

These deer were frolicking in a farmer’s field in Shelby, Ohio.

Obviously, it's not that simple to just kill more deer.

Still, I think the DOW is doing its best with a thorny problem. Hopefully within another few years, we'll begin to see again at least reasonable hunting for healthy animals with a good proportion of dandy bucks.

It's obvious the great days of up to six whitetails in the freezer each year are over, and will probably never come again. It was great while it lasted.

Dick Martin is a retired Shelby biology teacher and author who has written an outdoor column for more than 25 years. He can be reached at richmart@neo.rr.com.