Opinions On Deer Populations In SoMd

[JustynSayneBand]

I am curious to know what everyones opinions are on the actual deer populations in Southern Maryland. What I mean is, DNR seems to feel that the deer populations are high, maybe too high. Now, in my personal opinion, I sort of feel that the populations are not what they are said to be by DNR.

What I am asking is, do you see an increase in deer sightings, as compared with previous years, or do you feel the same way I do, that they are less populated than stated.

 

[RoseRed]

As long as they don't run out in front of me and make me hit them, I have no opinion.

 

[harleygirl]

I am curious to know what everyones opinions are on the actual deer populations in Southern Maryland. What I mean is, DNR seems to feel that the deer populations are high, maybe too high. Now, in my personal opinion, I sort of feel that the populations are not what they are said to be by DNR.

What I am asking is, do you see an increase in deer sightings, as compared with previous years, or do you feel the same way I do, that they are less populated than stated.

Driving over the bridge to King George yesterday, I saw two dead just on my road. In a field around dusk I saw about six or seven. Driving home later that night in the rain three ran right out in front of me by Potomac Speedway. I say the population is up......

 

[oldman]

I'd tend to believe the deer population is still pretty high based all I've read, heard and observed. Just had a herd of 8 in my yard a couple days ago. 4 of them were pretty young and playing like dogs, running, jumping, playing tag like they didn't have a care in the world. What a joy to watch just outside my window.

 

[greyhound]

I am curious to know what everyones opinions are on the actual deer populations in Southern Maryland. What I mean is, DNR seems to feel that the deer populations are high, maybe too high. Now, in my personal opinion, I sort of feel that the populations are not what they are said to be by DNR.

What I am asking is, do you see an increase in deer sightings, as compared with previous years, or do you feel the same way I do, that they are less populated than stated.

I have seen more this year than I have in awhile. What do you base your opinion of the deer population on?

 

[jazz lady]

Deer no longer have any natural predators, hence the overpopulation that I see. The biggest impact on their population comes from hunters and collisions with motor vehicles.

I live on 5 acres of woods and I see many more deer since I moved here 4 years ago. The bastages also have decimated my flower gardens this past year when in the past they ignored it.

 

[Wenchy]

The land is being developed, and the deer are more visible since they are being forced out of their natural habitats.

I see the same number in the fields around here, but more lying on the side of the road.

Are there more? I don't think so, and probably less since they fall prey now to our vehicles, or our vehicles to them.

BTW...I made a delicious venison meatloaf tonight.

 

[RoseRed]

I almost hit two on base this morning.

 

[Crow Bait]

Its a guess, but I'm pretty sure that the statewide population is holding steady. However, the current regulations are designed to reduce the population.

A hunter in most of MD could, By regulation, harvest 36 deer per season. I don't know anyone that really does that, but it just goes to show that we have alot of deer.
Now, just because we have a lot of deer doesn't mean there couldn't be localized depletion. This is a fact of hunting effort, habitat availablity, and human encroachment.

Finally, the biggest reason we have a large number of deer is because of the way we build. Deer are an edge species. In general they do not live in the DEEP woods. Every time we build a new shopping center, major highway, housing development, etc. we are creating new edge habitat. Lots ot hedgerows and small parcels of forested land that are perfect habitat for deer.

Untill we control the growth in MD, and develop more responsibly ther will be more deer-car interactions.

 

[Softballkid]

The land is being developed, and the deer are more visible since they are being forced out of their natural habitats.

I see the same number in the fields around here, but more lying on the side of the road.

Are there more? I don't think so, and probably less since they fall prey now to our vehicles, or our vehicles to them.

BTW...I made a delicious venison meatloaf tonight.

I'mma have to make some steaks tonight

 

[greyhound]

BTW...I made a delicious venison meatloaf tonight.

Hey...I made one too! I have more venison in the freezer than I do beef.

 

[JustynSayneBand]

I have seen more this year than I have in awhile. What do you base your opinion of the deer population on?

Well, a few factors that brought this post to my attention were. I have a 1200 acre farm in Ripley that is mostly untouched except for 2 large fields that yield soybean one year and corn the next and wheat in the winter. Our average deer population is way down this year and has fallen off for the past three years. The only thing I can contribute that to is the fact that the North side of the property is parallel with that Hunters Brooke subdivision that's been in the news about the arsons for the past 2 years, however, it's about 1/16 of a mile beyond our property lines, there is a fairly wide buffer between the farm and the hood, but, over all, I am not seeing the deer populations herding to the South side of the property either, which is strange because they have no pressure from hunters (cept fer me and ma paw) and there is a year around food source.

But, I also am interested in the rest the region, I do a fair amount of traveling at prime times and I have noticed that where there were deer all the time, there is none to be seen. Rt227 is a perfect example, to a from work all week in the early morning hours, there are several fields that used to have deer constantly like clockwork, but, they're scarce now.

I guess what I am saying is, I am not seeing the number of deer on average like I have been in the past, and it just makes me wonder where DNR gets there population counts from. It surely can not be the local butchers shops, they all tell me they have not been making the business they use to, so...

And given the DNR population counts from deer check-in from year to year, it's so up and down it's not funny, the checking count has been down from last year already, and the year before it was up just by a few deer, so, it just makes me wonder how DNR gets there counts, regionally, not statewide.

Now, I will admit that the wild turkey population has gone through the roof over here in Western Charles County, it's gotten so bad, I want to eradicate the turkeys just so I can hear the deer coming, won't be long and the turkey season will be done in the fall too! Sure am glad to see the wild turkey population on the increase. I wish they'd go increase somewhere else.

 

[gumby]

Well, a few factors that brought this post to my attention were. I have a 1200 acre farm in Ripley that is mostly untouched except for 2 large fields that yield soybean one year and corn the next and wheat in the winter. Our average deer population is way down this year and has fallen off for the past three years. The only thing I can contribute that to is the fact that the North side of the property is parallel with that Hunters Brooke subdivision that's been in the news about the arsons for the past 2 years, however, it's about 1/16 of a mile beyond our property lines, there is a fairly wide buffer between the farm and the hood, but, over all, I am not seeing the deer populations herding to the South side of the property either, which is strange because they have no pressure from hunters (cept fer me and ma paw) and there is a year around food source.

But, I also am interested in the rest the region, I do a fair amount of traveling at prime times and I have noticed that where there were deer all the time, there is none to be seen. Rt227 is a perfect example, to a from work all week in the early morning hours, there are several fields that used to have deer constantly like clockwork, but, they're scarce now.

I guess what I am saying is, I am not seeing the number of deer on average like I have been in the past, and it just makes me wonder where DNR gets there population counts from. It surely can not be the local butchers shops, they all tell me they have not been making the business they use to, so...

And given the DNR population counts from deer check-in from year to year, it's so up and down it's not funny, the checking count has been down from last year already, and the year before it was up just by a few deer, so, it just makes me wonder how DNR gets there counts, regionally, not statewide.

Now, I will admit that the wild turkey population has gone through the roof over here in Western Charles County, it's gotten so bad, I want to eradicate the turkeys just so I can hear the deer coming, won't be long and the turkey season will be done in the fall too! Sure am glad to see the wild turkey population on the increase. I wish they'd go increase somewhere else.

Want some help gettin rid of the turkeys???

 

[JustynSayneBand]

I'll tell you this, in three years, the turkey population on the farm has increased 10 fold, they are everywhere. I have found only one carcass, probably from a fox, but there are no natural predators on that farm in large numbers. I see a fox maybe 1-2 while hunting during the winter months, and with the amount of acreage, they have a lot of free roaming space. Plus there is a lot of land that is really thick and hard to access even on foot. As for DNR's Wild Turkey Reintroducement Program at the land between Myrtle Grove and Mason Springs, I don't know whether to thank'em or spank'em.

 

[RadioPatrol]

My mom has had the same house in southern PG - aka Ft. Washington for 14 yrs now - in the last 5 it seems we have had the same 5-8 Deer group 1 buck, several Doe and a few little ones around as developers have filled in almost every available Acre of land - I live very close to the disaster known as National Harbor - <maybe 50 Sq Ft> there is a patch of trees in my neighbors back yrd, i know the deer must be living in right next to the house, as I have almost hit one deer or another coming out of the driveway @ 5am .... up here @ least the livable space for deer is vast shrinking stranding them on what ever patches are left .....

 

[JustynSayneBand]

My mom has had the same house in southern PG - aka Ft. Washington for 14 yrs now - in the last 5 it seems we have had the same 5-8 Deer group 1 buck, several Doe and a few little ones around as developers have filled in almost every available Acre of land - I live very close to the disaster known as National Harbor - <maybe 50 Sq Ft> there is a patch of trees in my neighbors back yrd, i know the deer must be living in right next to the house, as I have almost hit one deer or another coming out of the driveway @ 5am .... up here @ least the livable space for deer is vast shrinking stranding them on what ever patches are left .....

Yeah that's the town of Indian Head, there used to be several ares right in the town where you could see deer on an average day, but, now that they turned it into a condo-ghetto, the deer are gone. That's the nice thing about our farm, it's surrounded by Pepco powerlines on one side, environmental buffer on the other two, and Myrtle Groves land across the highway, except for any private building, there is no future interference from development around the entire 1200 acres, the last environmental buffer went in between us and Hunters Brooke, when it was found out that the developer was considering building a development over there, the government was called in to make it an official environmental buffer zone, so, cudos for the pre-thought to that mess.

 

[Bird Dog]

The land is being developed, and the deer are more visible since they are being forced out of their natural habitats.

I see the same number in the fields around here, but more lying on the side of the road.

Are there more? I don't think so, and probably less since they fall prey now to our vehicles, or our vehicles to them.

BTW...I made a delicious venison meatloaf tonight.

I do not know what is better, your AV or venison meatloaf

Population is definitey up in my part of the county.

 

[greyhound]

I'll tell you this, in three years, the turkey population on the farm has increased 10 fold, they are everywhere. I have found only one carcass, probably from a fox, but there are no natural predators on that farm in large numbers. I see a fox maybe 1-2 while hunting during the winter months, and with the amount of acreage, they have a lot of free roaming space. Plus there is a lot of land that is really thick and hard to access even on foot. As for DNR's Wild Turkey Reintroducement Program at the land between Myrtle Grove and Mason Springs, I don't know whether to thank'em or spank'em.

This is just a thought....keep in mind I really don't know a lot about how the deer move.

ok...could the increase in the wild turkey population have any impact on the deer population in your area?

 

[Toxick]

What I am asking is, do you see an increase in deer sightings, as compared with previous years, or do you feel the same way I do, that they are less populated than stated.

Well, I've lived here most of my life.

And I kid you not: this year, I've seen more deer I have for the rest of my entire life combined.

 

[itsbob]

The land is being developed, and the deer are more visible since they are being forced out of their natural habitats.

This is somewhat right.. there is all kind of habitat around this area for the deer to live in, but what deer like to eat is the 'edge' of the woods, where you find the short green growth of bushes and young seedlings... Where do you find the most 'edge'? Along the sides of the roads, and along the edges of developments, where motorists are most apt to find them with their bumpers.