THE STATUS OF THE DEER HERD IN MANITOWOC COUNTY AND HOW HUNTERS AND LANDOWNERS CAN HELP
The Manitowoc County Deer Advisory Council (CDAC) wishes to inform hunting and non-hunting citizens about the status of the county deer herd, and to ask for their help in managing it. Each CDAC works with local DNR staff to schedule meetings, provide community outreach, seek public input, review population data and deer impacts on forests and agriculture, develop 3-year recommendations on county population objectives and create annual antlerless harvest quotas. The CDACs are made up of county citizens representing conservation groups and the interests of agriculture, transportation, forestry, and tourism. The CDAC gathers input from all these interests, and facts about the deer harvest, herd size and health from statistics compiled by DNR staff, to guide their outreach and recommendations on how to best manage the deer herd in the county.
What we have learned from these sources is that Manitowoc county is home to an abundant deer herd. We have also learned that the deer herd is not evenly distributed across our landscape. Some areas, especially the southern and eastern parts of the county, have very high deer densities, while much of the less-wooded western and northern sections have far fewer deer. Due to the abundant herd along the lakeshore, the metro unit has been expanded this year and will host an extended season. Please see the DNR website for the new boundaries of this unit.
While hunters and much of the general public enjoy seeing deer, a critical feature of deer herd health is carrying capacity. The longer a deer herd exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment, the more the habitat degrades, and the more susceptible the herd becomes to various threats to its health. We all know a chain is as strong as its weakest link. For deer, that weak link is a degraded habitat. A degraded habitat cannot support an abundant deer herd during a harsh winter. Degraded habitats also compromise overall deer health, which can affect fawn survival rates and make deer much more susceptible to disease. In short, a deer herd that stresses its carrying capacity it at risk of suffering a major reduction of its population. Sooner or later, mother nature will “correct” the imbalance and deer numbers will crash, possibly taking the herd many years to recover. An overabundant deer herd is simply not sustainable
An overabundant deer population also negatively impacts others who share their habitat. Deer winter browse has seriously degraded cedar and hardwood regeneration throughout the state, including our county. This threatens other native woodland species that rely on cedar and hardwoods for food, shelter or specialized habitats. It also threatens the future productivity—and even the survival–of many of our oak, maple and beech woodlots in the southern part of the county. Agricultural fields in areas with high deer density suffer notable losses in productivity. High deer numbers have contributed to the significant rise of deer-auto collisions in the county over the last ten years.
It is also a basic reality of deer ecology that a balanced herd will weather almost anything mother nature can throw at it. It will be able to recover much more quickly after facing an unusually harsh winter or onset of disease. And in most years a balanced herd will keep producing generous numbers of deer for many to harvest or enjoy.
The best way to achieve a healthy and sustainable deer herd in our county is for hunters to harvest more does, especially in those areas of the county with high deer densities. If hunters are noticing a significant number of deer in the areas they hunt, or are hunting in the metro unit or the Kiel-Cleveland corridor in the southern part of the county, we ask that they consider harvesting one or more does for each buck they kill. Hunters are encouraged to share extra meat with friends or to donate deer to the Wisconsin Deer Donation program if the deer they harvest exceed the number they can reasonably process and eat (see DNR website for details). If you are a landowner in the county who doesn’t hunt, please consider allowing responsible hunters on your property. Lack of hunting access in our county has become a critical factor compromising the ability of hunters to play their important role in managing the deer herd.
Two final requests. The first is directed at educators in our county. Because of the important place of deer in our ecosystem, we ask educators to consider adding a section on deer ecology and the role of hunting in managing our deer herd to middle school and high school biology classes. This would be time well spent as we prepare future managers of our natural resources. The second is for hunters. Please be diligent in registering the deer you harvest. Your CDAC needs accurate numbers to guide its role in managing the deer herd.
In closing, please feel free to reach out to any members of your county CDAC with questions or comments. We would appreciate hearing from you as together we work to sustain a healthy deer herd for many years to come.
Your Manitowoc County CDAC
THE STATUS OF THE DEER HERD IN MANITOWOC COUNTY AND HOW HUNTERS AND LANDOWNERS CAN HELP
The Manitowoc County Deer Advisory Council (CDAC) wishes to inform hunting and non-hunting citizens about the status of the county deer herd, and to ask for their help in managing it. Each CDAC works with local DNR staff to schedule meetings, provide community outreach, seek public input, review population data and deer impacts on forests and agriculture, develop 3-year recommendations on county population objectives and create annual antlerless harvest quotas. The CDACs are made up of county citizens representing conservation groups and the interests of agriculture, transportation, forestry, and tourism. The CDAC gathers input from all these interests, and facts about the deer harvest, herd size and health from statistics compiled by DNR staff, to guide their outreach and recommendations on how to best manage the deer herd in the county.
What we have learned from these sources is that Manitowoc county is home to an abundant deer herd. We have also learned that the deer herd is not evenly distributed across our landscape. Some areas, especially the southern and eastern parts of the county, have very high deer densities, while much of the less-wooded western and northern sections have far fewer deer. Due to the abundant herd along the lakeshore, the metro unit has been expanded this year and will host an extended season. Please see the DNR website for the new boundaries of this unit.
While hunters and much of the general public enjoy seeing deer, a critical feature of deer herd health is carrying capacity. The longer a deer herd exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment, the more the habitat degrades, and the more susceptible the herd becomes to various threats to its health. We all know a chain is as strong as its weakest link. For deer, that weak link is a degraded habitat. A degraded habitat cannot support an abundant deer herd during a harsh winter. Degraded habitats also compromise overall deer health, which can affect fawn survival rates and make deer much more susceptible to disease. In short, a deer herd that stresses its carrying capacity it at risk of suffering a major reduction of its population. Sooner or later, mother nature will “correct” the imbalance and deer numbers will crash, possibly taking the herd many years to recover. An overabundant deer herd is simply not sustainable
An overabundant deer population also negatively impacts others who share their habitat. Deer winter browse has seriously degraded cedar and hardwood regeneration throughout the state, including our county. This threatens other native woodland species that rely on cedar and hardwoods for food, shelter or specialized habitats. It also threatens the future productivity—and even the survival–of many of our oak, maple and beech woodlots in the southern part of the county. Agricultural fields in areas with high deer density suffer notable losses in productivity. High deer numbers have contributed to the significant rise of deer-auto collisions in the county over the last ten years.
It is also a basic reality of deer ecology that a balanced herd will weather almost anything mother nature can throw at it. It will be able to recover much more quickly after facing an unusually harsh winter or onset of disease. And in most years a balanced herd will keep producing generous numbers of deer for many to harvest or enjoy.
The best way to achieve a healthy and sustainable deer herd in our county is for hunters to harvest more does, especially in those areas of the county with high deer densities. If hunters are noticing a significant number of deer in the areas they hunt, or are hunting in the metro unit or the Kiel-Cleveland corridor in the southern part of the county, we ask that they consider harvesting one or more does for each buck they kill. Hunters are encouraged to share extra meat with friends or to donate deer to the Wisconsin Deer Donation program if the deer they harvest exceed the number they can reasonably process and eat (see DNR website for details). If you are a landowner in the county who doesn’t hunt, please consider allowing responsible hunters on your property. Lack of hunting access in our county has become a critical factor compromising the ability of hunters to play their important role in managing the deer herd.
Two final requests. The first is directed at educators in our county. Because of the important place of deer in our ecosystem, we ask educators to consider adding a section on deer ecology and the role of hunting in managing our deer herd to middle school and high school biology classes. This would be time well spent as we prepare future managers of our natural resources. The second is for hunters. Please be diligent in registering the deer you harvest. Your CDAC needs accurate numbers to guide its role in managing the deer herd.
In closing, please feel free to reach out to any members of your county CDAC with questions or comments. We would appreciate hearing from you as together we work to sustain a healthy deer herd for many years to come.
Your Manitowoc County CDAC