I grew up in southern Illinois and spent a great deal of time in the Oak-Hickory forests of that area, where I learned to love and appreciate wildlands and nature. We certainly saw deer there in Illinois but deer were somewhat uncommon. When we saw deer, we often saw bucks. Not just bucks, but bucks with 8 and 10-point racks and even larger. Of course, in Illinois the deer are fattened on corn and soy beans and the soils are deep and fertile with ample rainfall, so there may not be a good comparison, but the main thing I remember about deer in Illinois is they were relatively rare in the 1960’s and 70’s.

I moved to WV in the 1970’s and I killed my first deer on my first WV deer hunt. I killed the next several with vehicles, which I’d never done in Illinois. Although I’m no great hunter, and certainly not a trophy hunter, if I go looking for venison in this part of West Virginia, its highly unlikely I won’t come home with some meat.

As a forester, I probably have a somewhat different perspective on the deer population than say hunters or other nature enthusiasts. I see the impact of a high deer population on the forest vegetation, especially in the understory layers where they have the highest and most immediate impact. The dense vegetation layer, presence of tree seedlings, forbs, shrubs, and wildflowers, even the accumulation of fallen leaves that forms much of the litter layer on the forest floor, has largely disappeared over the past 25 years. I have watched the natural condition continue to deteriorate until now wildflowers are a rare sight and browse lines, only seen before in areas of extreme concentration such as in Canaan Valley State Park, have become present almost everywhere in Hampshire, Mineral, Hardy, and to some extent Morgan Counties.

I used to see oak and other tree seedlings surviving under the forest canopy virtually everywhere. In the last five years I can only remember seeing a few scattered oak seedlings in maybe a couple of places in Hampshire County. I have not seen trillium or most other once-common wildflowers for years, except in a few small, isolated places in Hampshire County. Areas that were timbered heavily 20 years ago or more have a good stand of young oak established. Many places cut within the past 10 year or so, have virtually no regeneration, largely due to the out-of-control deer population that consumes everything in reach.

I’ve taken trips into Pennsylvania and seen areas the PA DNR thinks has an extremely high deer population. Contrasted to what I see every day, they don’t even begin to have a deer problem. The PA DNR is building protective deer exclusion fences at the rate of about 5-6,000 acres per year. Inside these fences they have ample tree seedlings and wildflowers that have apparently popped up from dormant seed lying latent in the soil. Outside of the protected areas there are still some scattered oaks and other tree seedlings and occasionally a few wildflowers. In this part of WV the situation has persisted so long I worry about the return of many of our native wildflowers. We don’t know the dormant seed viability for most of these species.

Other wildlife also depends upon this same habitat. Wildlife is directly dependant upon the vegetation of the area and the habitat management. As this habitat continues to be degraded, it cuts into its capacity to support native species, and is probably part of the reason we are seeing such an increase in exotic invasive plants.

Although we enjoy seeing wildlife, maximizing wildlife populations so that we can enjoy them, is not necessarily healthy for them or the rest of our ecosystem. Exceeding the natural carrying capacity, or the population that can be supported without degradation of the environment, is inviting disaster. Weakness, stress, diseases, and even starvation are likely outcomes to wildlife populations if the carrying capacity is exceeded for an extended period of time.

High deer populations have resulted in an increase of wildlife-related vehicle accidents, crop damage, and animal nuisance problems. Costly feeding programs would be required to sustain these populations.

Deer hunting is a traditional pastime and even a cultural experience in West Virginia. Hunting continues to be important to residents and adds $400,000,000 to $500,000,000 annually to the state’s economy. Since most predators have been eliminated, hunting is also important in regulating deer populations.

The deer population in this part of West Virginia has been high for over twenty-five years and in some areas may be three to six times the carrying capacity, which for white-tail deer is about 18-20 per square mile. The WV DNR roughly equates this population level with a harvest of 4-5 legal bucks during the hunting season for each square mile (640 acres). A buck harvest that exceeds 4-5 per square mile indicates an over-population, which may be damaging to the ecosystem and its ability to provide good habitat not only for deer, but for other species that are part of the natural ecosystem.

Hunters today are accustomed to seeing more deer than is healthy for the environment, and have an expectation of seeing deer at these levels. If they don’t see a decent buck on opening day, they don’t think there are any deer around, yet many continue to pass up the chance to take one of the numerous antlerless deer that wander by their stands.

A lower population is needed to match the available food, as well as to improve the health of the deer, or improve the quality of the much-sought after big rack of antlers. The old practice of not shooting doe deer is no longer appropriate but is still adhered to by many hunters out of the traditional belief that doe hunting hurts the population.

A balanced herd has one buck to every three antlerless deer (one buck, one doe, one button buck, one yearling doe). An equal kill of bucks and does will keep a population balanced, but if the area is mainly hunted for bucks the ratio quickly becomes skewed. Up to 85% of the legal bucks may be harvested in a season, further skewing the population. Antler development on bucks is dependent upon nutrition, heredity, and age.

A deer harvest policy must be implemented so bucks mature and develop better racks. To balance the population, it is recommended that hunters harvest 7 to 8 antlerless deer per square mile. When the population is in balance the harvest should take at least three antlerless deer per square mile to keep it that way.

William N. Grafton, Wildlife Specialist with the WVU Extension Service suggests:

To decrease damage to crops, garden, landscaping, or forestland, you must reduce the deer herd. For quality, trophy bucks you need to lower the number of deer, especially does. Landowners should set goals and allow access to hunters who will cooperate to reach those goals.

The WV DNR and West Virginia University Extension Service developed the following Deer Harvest Guide: