Download the Great Cypress Swamp Deer Study (PDF)
Deer Management
We have been actively involved with the development of deer management programs for nearly 20 years. During the early 1950’s the re-establishment of a resident deer population was a major goal of fish and wildlife departments across the country. Extremely protective hunting seasons combined with the very highly adaptable nature of deer made for an exciting success story. As land use patterns with development and agriculture changed, the deer population continued to grow at an ever-increasing rate. Interactions between human activity and deer, once rare, became more and more commonplace and more often with negative impact. Deer browsing was taking its toll on crops as well as existing native vegetation and any seedlings planted in reforestation projects. In some wooded areas at Milford Neck and Taylor’s Bridge the forest understory suffered and natural tree regeneration was non-existent.
Our initial response was to seek increased hunting opportunities. This led us to implement progressive deer management plans on our properties that encouraged higher doe harvests. Later we implemented restrictions on buck harvest. By 1995 we had implemented what is now called Quality Deer Management (QDM) on most of our properties. QDM is a management strategy that seeks to manage the deer herd in a scientific manner that is biologically and socially in balance with available habitat. This translates into a more balanced doe to buck ratio as well as a more natural age structure within the herd. It is not trophy buck management. The task continues but we are able to quantify positive results on some of our properties. We have collected extensive harvest record data on our Great Cypress Swamp and Milford Neck properties that indicate our emphasis on doe harvest and restriction on harvest of young bucks has resulted in a higher percentage of the older age class bucks and a reduction in the percentage of doe. We seem to have reduced crop damage, but it will take years for the native understory to recover. In as much as land use patterns are continuing to change, we expect increasing deer pressure on our properties. Sound QDM has become and will continue to be essential to maintain high quality natural habitats.