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Missouri and Illinois are just the place for deer to grow.
By Tim Renken, St. Louis Post Dispatch
06/07/2001
More than 200,000 deer were bagged by hunters in Missouri in the fall, almost 90,000 in Illinois.
Those are big numbers. You might think they would put these two states among the leaders in deer populations. But they aren't. Neither state is even close either in their deer populations or in deer density. In fact, both Missouri, with about 700,000 deer last year going into the hunting seasons, and Illinois, with 920,000, are far down in the list. They aren't even close to states like Texas, with 3.7 million, Michigan, with 1.9 million, and Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Alabama with 1.3 million each.
The national population of white-tailed deer last year going into the hunting seasons was 32 million. In 1989, it was 21 million.
In Missouri the statewide population may be shrinking slowly. In Illinois it is growing slowly. It indicates that both states have healthy deer herds and good herd management.
This information is in a new publication by the Quality Deer Management Association, a national group whose purpose is to encourage hunters, landowners and wildlife authorities to adopt practices that improve deer quality.
Last year the association gathered information on deer densities by county, population by state, harvest trends by sex and age, deer/vehicle collision information and what it called Quality Deer Management trend information.
Information on densities by counties is given in a color map. Counties with the highest density, greater than 45 deer per square mile, are red. Counties with 30-45 are orange. Counties with 15-30 are yellow and those with 15 or less are green.
On that map, most of Missouri, including all of the Ozarks, is green, the lowest. Much of the area north of the Missouri River is yellow. Much of northern Illinois is green. Much of the southern half is yellow, with orange counties along the Illinois River, the lower Mississippi and in parts of the Shawnee National Forest.
Areas with the highest densities, 45 per square mile and up, are in central Texas, central lower Michigan, West Virginia, northern Louisiana, large parts of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi and a few counties in Wisconsin.
In many of those areas, some of which have as many as 100 deer per square mile, the deer are stunted and unhealthy. They are altering the flora, damaging crops and getting hit by cars. In 1999, the last year in which figures are available, some 500,000 deer/vehicle accidents were reported nationwide. Most authorities believe that only a third of deer/vehicle accidents are reported to insurance companies.
In some areas, public attitudes and deer management are to blame. If hunters don't harvest enough deer, especially females, deer become overabundant. If hunters bag too many young bucks, those deer don't have time to develop into quality deer.
In Michigan, for example, the estimated harvest of antlerless deer went from just under 200,000 in 1989 to 270,000 in 1999 as state biologists worked to control the herd and hunters responded by taking antlerless deer. The harvest of antlered deer stayed about the same.
"It's no accident that the biggest, healthiest and best deer, the ones in the trophy records, are coming from Midwestern states like Missouri, Illinois, Kansas and Wisconsin," said Jared Bailey, promotions director of the association. "It takes good habitat, educated hunters and good management."
The maps are $9.95 plus $4.95 for shipping and handling from QDMA, 800-209-3337.
By Tim Renken, St. Louis Post Dispatch
06/07/2001
More than 200,000 deer were bagged by hunters in Missouri in the fall, almost 90,000 in Illinois.
Those are big numbers. You might think they would put these two states among the leaders in deer populations. But they aren't. Neither state is even close either in their deer populations or in deer density. In fact, both Missouri, with about 700,000 deer last year going into the hunting seasons, and Illinois, with 920,000, are far down in the list. They aren't even close to states like Texas, with 3.7 million, Michigan, with 1.9 million, and Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Alabama with 1.3 million each.
The national population of white-tailed deer last year going into the hunting seasons was 32 million. In 1989, it was 21 million.
In Missouri the statewide population may be shrinking slowly. In Illinois it is growing slowly. It indicates that both states have healthy deer herds and good herd management.
This information is in a new publication by the Quality Deer Management Association, a national group whose purpose is to encourage hunters, landowners and wildlife authorities to adopt practices that improve deer quality.
Last year the association gathered information on deer densities by county, population by state, harvest trends by sex and age, deer/vehicle collision information and what it called Quality Deer Management trend information.
Information on densities by counties is given in a color map. Counties with the highest density, greater than 45 deer per square mile, are red. Counties with 30-45 are orange. Counties with 15-30 are yellow and those with 15 or less are green.
On that map, most of Missouri, including all of the Ozarks, is green, the lowest. Much of the area north of the Missouri River is yellow. Much of northern Illinois is green. Much of the southern half is yellow, with orange counties along the Illinois River, the lower Mississippi and in parts of the Shawnee National Forest.
Areas with the highest densities, 45 per square mile and up, are in central Texas, central lower Michigan, West Virginia, northern Louisiana, large parts of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi and a few counties in Wisconsin.
In many of those areas, some of which have as many as 100 deer per square mile, the deer are stunted and unhealthy. They are altering the flora, damaging crops and getting hit by cars. In 1999, the last year in which figures are available, some 500,000 deer/vehicle accidents were reported nationwide. Most authorities believe that only a third of deer/vehicle accidents are reported to insurance companies.
In some areas, public attitudes and deer management are to blame. If hunters don't harvest enough deer, especially females, deer become overabundant. If hunters bag too many young bucks, those deer don't have time to develop into quality deer.
In Michigan, for example, the estimated harvest of antlerless deer went from just under 200,000 in 1989 to 270,000 in 1999 as state biologists worked to control the herd and hunters responded by taking antlerless deer. The harvest of antlered deer stayed about the same.
"It's no accident that the biggest, healthiest and best deer, the ones in the trophy records, are coming from Midwestern states like Missouri, Illinois, Kansas and Wisconsin," said Jared Bailey, promotions director of the association. "It takes good habitat, educated hunters and good management."
The maps are $9.95 plus $4.95 for shipping and handling from QDMA, 800-209-3337.
