Here's a paper i wrote my first year of college with the help of some very resourceful information. This may clear up some questions people have about Georgia's deer population.....especially the chart. The paper is kinda shotty compared to what i write now days.
Georgia Deer Population
Georgia has always been noted for its wildlife abundance. Georgia,
unlike some states, has nearly everything wildlife needs. Its rapidly producing
forests along with the amount of pure water give the wildlife population of
Georgia the perfect set up to live a wonderful and peaceful life. Not yet
being as developed as some states also contributes to the abundance of
wildlife sported in Georgia. In the places that are developed, wildlife is
protected and well respected. Possibly the most famous animal Georgia is
noted for is the White-tailed deer. Georgia has not always been top in the
ranks for white-tailed deer population, but here of late, Georgia has been one
of the top notch deer states in the country.
Georgia was one of the states that strived to join the greatest
success of modern wildlife management back in 1978 by restoring the white-
tailed deer population. The white-tailed deer population in the United States
before colonization by Europeans is a matter of speculation. As many know,
Native American tribes depended on the deer population of the country as a
food source. This leads many to believe that deer were quite abundant
throughout the country. The settling Europeans also were impressed with the
wealth of the wildlife and game in the “new world.” White-tailed deer also
provided Native Americans a means of trade, which along with the food
source and Europeans’ impact on the “game,” gave the deer little chance of
remaining in high numbers. Deer were completely extirpated in some areas
due to over harvest. The lowest amount of white-tailed deer population
recorded took place from 1850 and the turn of the century. Exports of deer
skins killed by natives along with hunting by settlers was outlawed in many
states because of the depletion of general population. These laws, however,
were unenforceable. Deer populations had been decimated by the time the
laws could be enforced. The Lacey Act, set up by the federal government,
finally stopped market hunting in the U.S. around 1900. Estimates in deer
population ranged from 300,000 to 500,000 over a ten year span. Areas in
the south that were inaccessible by settlers were still fairly abundant with
deer. Few deer also remained on large plantations because of low hunting
pressure. The accessible areas of the Appalachians as well as the piedmonts
regions were wiped free of their deer population. Deer populations throughout
the Midwest were limited to river bottoms and inaccessible drainages. The
efforts of restoration of deer began as early as the late 1800’s. These early
efforts were quite ineffective and consisted mostly of single restocking and
relocating of deer. These ineffective efforts were usually attempted by
sportsmen and large land owners concerned about the population of deer in
their area. In 1937, the Pittman-Robertson Act created a source of funding
to pay for the restoration of wildlife. This act also enabled larger, more
configured restoration efforts. These efforts started in the 1930’s and
continue even today. Most efforts consisting of restoring white-tailed deer
were completed by the 1960’s and 1970’s. Today, these operations are used
mainly for relocating animals in over-populated areas when harvesting is not
an option. The creation of National Wildlife Refuges and Wildlife Management
Areas play a large part in the protection of the relocated deer in the United
States. The main problem with early restocking efforts was finding a reliable
source of deer. Using common sense, the leaders of the efforts realized they
first must have deer to relocate, then move on from there. Twenty-five of
the twenty-nine main states in the efforts used deer from states other than
themselves. Four states take the credit for most of the repopulation of all
other states. These states include Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, and
Wisconsin. Deer from seven other states were also imported into Alabama,
Florida, and Pennsylvania. States like West Virginia and Virginia had deer
imported by nearly ten different states. These restocking efforts caused
many subspecies of deer throughout the country. This raised some
controversy throughout the United States. The controversy was raised due
to there being 17 different distinct species of white-tailed deer in the North
America (above Mexico). This prior idea of 17 different species of deer in
North America was since argued and nearly contradicted in 1984 due to the
fact that the different species of deer were judged by coat color, size, antler
size, cranial details, and characteristics of deer. These reasons in judgment
can simply be explained by the location and climate of the particular animal.
The deer have since lost one quarter of their genetic diversity due to the
mixing of the “sub-specie.” No records have been shown that this mixture of
deer affected the size or health of the reproduced deer (McDonald, Miller 1-
4).
According to official records, “early settlers in north and central
Georgia initiated the species extirpated from this part of the state prior to the
completion of the railroads.” “Year round hunting with dogs and night hunting
by torchlight decimated deer populations before 1900.” Georgia received deer
from Montana, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Michigan, and even Europe. However,
there is no proof of these restocking efforts in existence. Restocking efforts
in Georgia began with efforts to restock wildlife management areas in northern
Georgia. These deer were received from Pisgah Game Reserve in North
Carolina. (McDonald, Miller 27). Georgia all together received deer from
Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, unknown
sources, as well as a large number of deer from Georgia itself. A large number
of these Georgia deer were obtained from Blackbeard Island off of the Georgia
coast. Berry College in Georgia was also a large contributor when it came to
restocking of deer. Berry College was included in nearly every restocking
effort in the state of Georgia. (McDonald, Miller 9). The deer received by
Georgia from Georgia were simply relocated in a low population areas of the
state. These restocking efforts in Georgia ranged from 1928 to 1992
(McDonald, Miller 7). The deer received by Georgia were a mixture of male
and female deer. Most of which were relocated in counties throughout
Georgia that had deficient populations of deer. Most of these consisted of
northern counties. These northern counties were low in population due to the
fact that most of early settlement took place in north Georgia. Which stated
earlier, was one place of over harvest of white-tailed deer.
Georgia has had a rapidly increasing population of deer since
restocking efforts were standard and established. This basically meaning that
the deer restocking efforts were very successful. A very detailed report was
done by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources from 1978 to 1999.
Here are some statistics and numbers from that report. These numbers are all
done by season, but are done “prehunt,” which means before the hunting
season started. CHART, NEXT PAGE.
________________________________________________________________________
SEASON TOTAL ADULT ADULT MALE FEMALE
POP MALE FEMALE FAWN FAWN
________________________________________________________________________
78-79 482,934 115,905 232,902 69,746 64,381
79-80 431,643 114,605 186,758 67,746 62,534
80-81 473,127 122,605 219,831 67,959 62,732
81-82 512,478 138,602 233,190 73,157 67,529
82-83 540,450 137,330 258,356 75,277 69,487
83-84 552,061 122,919 258,776 88,590 81,776
84-85 684,631 181,263 326,885 91,771 84,712
85-86 786,666 184,717 376,579 117,192 108,178
86-87 953,038 248,701 452,524 130,943 120,870
87-88 1,205,639 298,867 585,360 167,134 154,278
88-89 1,212,812 292,317 602,662 165,278 152,564
89-90 1,234,607 306,415 645,923 146,780 135,489
90-91 1,294,677 326,663 593,873 194,553 179,587
91-92 1,311,914 334,173 599,841 196,508 181,392
92-93 1,210,654 296,238 525,526 202,222 186,667
93-94 1,167,866 288,545 463,013 217,971 198,337
94-95 1,038,707 265,522 391,453 199,767 181,966
95-96 1,110,228 262,016 417,852 225,236 205,124
96-97 1,107,995 304,456 415,711 202,823 185,005
97-98 1,388,376 362,186 601,547 220,815 203,829
98-99 1,170,445 322,613 510,099 175,622 162,112
99-00 1,277,675 358,132 557,897 188,056 173,590
_________________________________________________________________AVERAGE 961,301 244,763 429,844 149,325 137,370
________________________________________________________________________
(McDonald2 1-6.)
This chart shows the result of proper management of a restocked
deer herd.
From 1978 to 2000 the Georgia deer population average per square mile
jumped from 13.1 all the way up to 34.5 deer per square mile. The average
deer per square mile of the 22 seasons is 26 deer per square mile.
Georgia’s deer population has now gotten high enough to where law
makers are finding different ways to decrease the population. There are two
main reasons that these lawmakers are pushing to decrease the population.
The first reason would have to be auto accidents. Thousands of Georgia deer
are involved in car collisions every year. In a 6 year span from 1988 to 1993,
Georgia drivers collided with 0ver 23,000 deer. These numbers are recorded
from Georgia State Patrol accident reports. The main cause of deer being hit
on the roads of Georgia is development. Developed areas are more prone
to “deer accidents” due to the pressure on deer in sub-urban areas. This
pressure leaves deer less forest land to roam. A deer can easily make a the
mistake of stepping out in a road when a car is coming. Most drivers are
unknowledgeable when it comes to “dodging Georgia’s deer.“ Most accidents
involving deer are unpreventable, however, if drivers would practice safe
driving around deer. Something as simple as knowing that deer usually travel
in herds of two to ten can help someone out when they see one deer step
out on the road, then speed up (GA DNR Watching the Road). The state is
doing nearly everything they can do to decrease the amount of deer collisions
on Georgia roads. A single deer can do major damage to a healthy farm crop.
Multiply that by the number of deer in a single herd. White-tailed deer look at
what crop owners grow in their fields as quite a delicacy, as well as an ample
food source. The Department of Natural Resources have done almost
everything they can do to help out farmers with the deer infested crops. The
DNR gives out extra deer tags, as well as tags for year round deer harvesting,
which even allows deer to be taken by the land owners at night. The
statewide deer season usually ranges from late summer until early winter.
Deer are also not to be harvested or hunted at night. This proving that the
tags given to farmers by the DNR give them quite the advantage when
wanting to eliminate deer from their farms. The DNR also has the farmers use
scare tactics to keep deer from eating their crops. The crop owner is
instructed to put out different items to deter deer from coming into the
crops. These items are usually something out of the ordinary that should not
be there. Common things used are balloons, shiny pans and plates,
scarecrows, lights, and sprinklers. As far as the non-visual items go, mainly
scents and tastes are used to deter deer. Scents such as human scents,
soap, dogs, milorganite, animal waste, and eggs and egg mixtures are used.
These all seem to be quite affective when compared with time before their
usage (Kammermeyer, Gregory, Williams 7-11). The federal government is at
the point where they will do what they can to help out farmers when their
crops are being destroyed by deer. An increase in legal deer harvest is also
used when trying to lower deer population numbers. Three years ago the
deer limit was 5 deer per hunter, 2 of which could be antlered deer. Up until
last year, the harvest limit was 8 deer per person, two of which could be
antlered deer. This coming season, hunters are legally allowed to harvest 12
deer in the state of Georgia. 10 of the deer taken must be antlerless.
Hunters are allowed to take one antlered deer no matter what size, and the
other must have 4 points on one side of his rack or better. The reasoning for
the size limit is to long term produce more trophy deer in the state of
Georgia. Many private clubs and some counties have already adopted trophy
management.
Georgia has been, still is, and always will be noted for its great
population of deer. Georgia is also one of the top states when rated for
population. The great forests and wildlife management give the white-tailed
deer everything they need and more to live the best life they can live in
Georgia. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Wildlife Resources
Division is always working around the clock to help the deer population in
Georgia remain healthy and stable. These two organizations along with others
have done an excellent job in managing all of the wildlife in the state of
Georgia.
Georgia Deer Population
Georgia has always been noted for its wildlife abundance. Georgia,
unlike some states, has nearly everything wildlife needs. Its rapidly producing
forests along with the amount of pure water give the wildlife population of
Georgia the perfect set up to live a wonderful and peaceful life. Not yet
being as developed as some states also contributes to the abundance of
wildlife sported in Georgia. In the places that are developed, wildlife is
protected and well respected. Possibly the most famous animal Georgia is
noted for is the White-tailed deer. Georgia has not always been top in the
ranks for white-tailed deer population, but here of late, Georgia has been one
of the top notch deer states in the country.
Georgia was one of the states that strived to join the greatest
success of modern wildlife management back in 1978 by restoring the white-
tailed deer population. The white-tailed deer population in the United States
before colonization by Europeans is a matter of speculation. As many know,
Native American tribes depended on the deer population of the country as a
food source. This leads many to believe that deer were quite abundant
throughout the country. The settling Europeans also were impressed with the
wealth of the wildlife and game in the “new world.” White-tailed deer also
provided Native Americans a means of trade, which along with the food
source and Europeans’ impact on the “game,” gave the deer little chance of
remaining in high numbers. Deer were completely extirpated in some areas
due to over harvest. The lowest amount of white-tailed deer population
recorded took place from 1850 and the turn of the century. Exports of deer
skins killed by natives along with hunting by settlers was outlawed in many
states because of the depletion of general population. These laws, however,
were unenforceable. Deer populations had been decimated by the time the
laws could be enforced. The Lacey Act, set up by the federal government,
finally stopped market hunting in the U.S. around 1900. Estimates in deer
population ranged from 300,000 to 500,000 over a ten year span. Areas in
the south that were inaccessible by settlers were still fairly abundant with
deer. Few deer also remained on large plantations because of low hunting
pressure. The accessible areas of the Appalachians as well as the piedmonts
regions were wiped free of their deer population. Deer populations throughout
the Midwest were limited to river bottoms and inaccessible drainages. The
efforts of restoration of deer began as early as the late 1800’s. These early
efforts were quite ineffective and consisted mostly of single restocking and
relocating of deer. These ineffective efforts were usually attempted by
sportsmen and large land owners concerned about the population of deer in
their area. In 1937, the Pittman-Robertson Act created a source of funding
to pay for the restoration of wildlife. This act also enabled larger, more
configured restoration efforts. These efforts started in the 1930’s and
continue even today. Most efforts consisting of restoring white-tailed deer
were completed by the 1960’s and 1970’s. Today, these operations are used
mainly for relocating animals in over-populated areas when harvesting is not
an option. The creation of National Wildlife Refuges and Wildlife Management
Areas play a large part in the protection of the relocated deer in the United
States. The main problem with early restocking efforts was finding a reliable
source of deer. Using common sense, the leaders of the efforts realized they
first must have deer to relocate, then move on from there. Twenty-five of
the twenty-nine main states in the efforts used deer from states other than
themselves. Four states take the credit for most of the repopulation of all
other states. These states include Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, and
Wisconsin. Deer from seven other states were also imported into Alabama,
Florida, and Pennsylvania. States like West Virginia and Virginia had deer
imported by nearly ten different states. These restocking efforts caused
many subspecies of deer throughout the country. This raised some
controversy throughout the United States. The controversy was raised due
to there being 17 different distinct species of white-tailed deer in the North
America (above Mexico). This prior idea of 17 different species of deer in
North America was since argued and nearly contradicted in 1984 due to the
fact that the different species of deer were judged by coat color, size, antler
size, cranial details, and characteristics of deer. These reasons in judgment
can simply be explained by the location and climate of the particular animal.
The deer have since lost one quarter of their genetic diversity due to the
mixing of the “sub-specie.” No records have been shown that this mixture of
deer affected the size or health of the reproduced deer (McDonald, Miller 1-
4).
According to official records, “early settlers in north and central
Georgia initiated the species extirpated from this part of the state prior to the
completion of the railroads.” “Year round hunting with dogs and night hunting
by torchlight decimated deer populations before 1900.” Georgia received deer
from Montana, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Michigan, and even Europe. However,
there is no proof of these restocking efforts in existence. Restocking efforts
in Georgia began with efforts to restock wildlife management areas in northern
Georgia. These deer were received from Pisgah Game Reserve in North
Carolina. (McDonald, Miller 27). Georgia all together received deer from
Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, unknown
sources, as well as a large number of deer from Georgia itself. A large number
of these Georgia deer were obtained from Blackbeard Island off of the Georgia
coast. Berry College in Georgia was also a large contributor when it came to
restocking of deer. Berry College was included in nearly every restocking
effort in the state of Georgia. (McDonald, Miller 9). The deer received by
Georgia from Georgia were simply relocated in a low population areas of the
state. These restocking efforts in Georgia ranged from 1928 to 1992
(McDonald, Miller 7). The deer received by Georgia were a mixture of male
and female deer. Most of which were relocated in counties throughout
Georgia that had deficient populations of deer. Most of these consisted of
northern counties. These northern counties were low in population due to the
fact that most of early settlement took place in north Georgia. Which stated
earlier, was one place of over harvest of white-tailed deer.
Georgia has had a rapidly increasing population of deer since
restocking efforts were standard and established. This basically meaning that
the deer restocking efforts were very successful. A very detailed report was
done by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources from 1978 to 1999.
Here are some statistics and numbers from that report. These numbers are all
done by season, but are done “prehunt,” which means before the hunting
season started. CHART, NEXT PAGE.
________________________________________________________________________
SEASON TOTAL ADULT ADULT MALE FEMALE
POP MALE FEMALE FAWN FAWN
________________________________________________________________________
78-79 482,934 115,905 232,902 69,746 64,381
79-80 431,643 114,605 186,758 67,746 62,534
80-81 473,127 122,605 219,831 67,959 62,732
81-82 512,478 138,602 233,190 73,157 67,529
82-83 540,450 137,330 258,356 75,277 69,487
83-84 552,061 122,919 258,776 88,590 81,776
84-85 684,631 181,263 326,885 91,771 84,712
85-86 786,666 184,717 376,579 117,192 108,178
86-87 953,038 248,701 452,524 130,943 120,870
87-88 1,205,639 298,867 585,360 167,134 154,278
88-89 1,212,812 292,317 602,662 165,278 152,564
89-90 1,234,607 306,415 645,923 146,780 135,489
90-91 1,294,677 326,663 593,873 194,553 179,587
91-92 1,311,914 334,173 599,841 196,508 181,392
92-93 1,210,654 296,238 525,526 202,222 186,667
93-94 1,167,866 288,545 463,013 217,971 198,337
94-95 1,038,707 265,522 391,453 199,767 181,966
95-96 1,110,228 262,016 417,852 225,236 205,124
96-97 1,107,995 304,456 415,711 202,823 185,005
97-98 1,388,376 362,186 601,547 220,815 203,829
98-99 1,170,445 322,613 510,099 175,622 162,112
99-00 1,277,675 358,132 557,897 188,056 173,590
_________________________________________________________________AVERAGE 961,301 244,763 429,844 149,325 137,370
________________________________________________________________________
(McDonald2 1-6.)
This chart shows the result of proper management of a restocked
deer herd.
From 1978 to 2000 the Georgia deer population average per square mile
jumped from 13.1 all the way up to 34.5 deer per square mile. The average
deer per square mile of the 22 seasons is 26 deer per square mile.
Georgia’s deer population has now gotten high enough to where law
makers are finding different ways to decrease the population. There are two
main reasons that these lawmakers are pushing to decrease the population.
The first reason would have to be auto accidents. Thousands of Georgia deer
are involved in car collisions every year. In a 6 year span from 1988 to 1993,
Georgia drivers collided with 0ver 23,000 deer. These numbers are recorded
from Georgia State Patrol accident reports. The main cause of deer being hit
on the roads of Georgia is development. Developed areas are more prone
to “deer accidents” due to the pressure on deer in sub-urban areas. This
pressure leaves deer less forest land to roam. A deer can easily make a the
mistake of stepping out in a road when a car is coming. Most drivers are
unknowledgeable when it comes to “dodging Georgia’s deer.“ Most accidents
involving deer are unpreventable, however, if drivers would practice safe
driving around deer. Something as simple as knowing that deer usually travel
in herds of two to ten can help someone out when they see one deer step
out on the road, then speed up (GA DNR Watching the Road). The state is
doing nearly everything they can do to decrease the amount of deer collisions
on Georgia roads. A single deer can do major damage to a healthy farm crop.
Multiply that by the number of deer in a single herd. White-tailed deer look at
what crop owners grow in their fields as quite a delicacy, as well as an ample
food source. The Department of Natural Resources have done almost
everything they can do to help out farmers with the deer infested crops. The
DNR gives out extra deer tags, as well as tags for year round deer harvesting,
which even allows deer to be taken by the land owners at night. The
statewide deer season usually ranges from late summer until early winter.
Deer are also not to be harvested or hunted at night. This proving that the
tags given to farmers by the DNR give them quite the advantage when
wanting to eliminate deer from their farms. The DNR also has the farmers use
scare tactics to keep deer from eating their crops. The crop owner is
instructed to put out different items to deter deer from coming into the
crops. These items are usually something out of the ordinary that should not
be there. Common things used are balloons, shiny pans and plates,
scarecrows, lights, and sprinklers. As far as the non-visual items go, mainly
scents and tastes are used to deter deer. Scents such as human scents,
soap, dogs, milorganite, animal waste, and eggs and egg mixtures are used.
These all seem to be quite affective when compared with time before their
usage (Kammermeyer, Gregory, Williams 7-11). The federal government is at
the point where they will do what they can to help out farmers when their
crops are being destroyed by deer. An increase in legal deer harvest is also
used when trying to lower deer population numbers. Three years ago the
deer limit was 5 deer per hunter, 2 of which could be antlered deer. Up until
last year, the harvest limit was 8 deer per person, two of which could be
antlered deer. This coming season, hunters are legally allowed to harvest 12
deer in the state of Georgia. 10 of the deer taken must be antlerless.
Hunters are allowed to take one antlered deer no matter what size, and the
other must have 4 points on one side of his rack or better. The reasoning for
the size limit is to long term produce more trophy deer in the state of
Georgia. Many private clubs and some counties have already adopted trophy
management.
Georgia has been, still is, and always will be noted for its great
population of deer. Georgia is also one of the top states when rated for
population. The great forests and wildlife management give the white-tailed
deer everything they need and more to live the best life they can live in
Georgia. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Wildlife Resources
Division is always working around the clock to help the deer population in
Georgia remain healthy and stable. These two organizations along with others
have done an excellent job in managing all of the wildlife in the state of
Georgia.
Last edited:
