As deer-hunting season is in full swing, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s Forestry, Wildlife, and Natural Resources team wants to remind new and established hunters of the benefits they receive and provide through the harvesting of deer. For many, hunting is more than just an exciting sport. It is a time to enjoy the outdoors and share venison—a great source of low-fat protein—with family and friends. However, hunting also contributes to the mitigation of many human-wildlife conflicts, benefiting all Alabamians.

Deer Issues

In the early 1900s, populations of white-tailed deer were devastatingly low in the United States, with only an estimated 2,000 deer in Alabama. To address the depleted population, state and federal regulations were implemented to end market hunting and provide management and restocking efforts around the US. This successfully increased deer (and many other wildlife species) populations. In the year 2000, there was an estimated 30 million deer in the US. The deer population in Alabama was 1.75 million.

However, deer populations of this size, along with human population growth and suburban expansion, can cause many unwanted interactions. From the devouring of backyard gardens, damage to agricultural crops, deer-vehicle collisions, and even the restructuring of forest ecosystems, there are many reasons people may be unhappy with the overabundant deer populations.

A survey of Alabama farmers reported white-tailed deer as a major source of destruction to economically important crops, such as cotton, soybeans, peanuts, and corn. Due to the high costs of exclusion fencing, short-lived efficacy of repellents, and limited time for targeted lethal control, farmers may experience heavy crop and financial losses each year.

When it comes to deer-vehicle collisions, all Alabamians can be impacted by deer. Even if you have never been in a deer-vehicle accident, it is likely that you know several others who have been. The risk of deer-vehicle collisions increases around dawn and dusk, with an even greater chance of collision in November through January because of increased movement of deer during the mating season. Between July 2023 and June 2024, there were an estimated 1.8 million insurance claims related to animal-vehicle collisions in the US, according to data by State Farm Insurance. In Alabama, that equates to a one in ninety-seven likelihood of collision with an animal, with the top culprit being deer. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also reported 30 deaths between 2013 and 2022 in Alabama from an animal-vehicle collision. The burden of these financial losses, injuries, or fatalities can be great.

Population Control

Although the solution to some human-deer conflict is not through lethal control, large-scale management that includes maintaining annual deer harvests could play a significant role in mitigating the number of these conflicts. According to the 2022-2023 Alabama Hunter Harvest Annual Report, hunters in Alabama harvested more than 300,000 deer, with approximately 142,000 bucks harvested and 160,000 does harvested. Almost 44 percent of Alabama hunters reported and harvested one deer, 21 percent reported and harvested two deer, and smaller percentages harvested more than two deer. Based on the 87 percent of deer that were reported after harvest, there was a balanced harvest of bucks and does. This is important for not only herd health but also quality hunting opportunities when rubs and scrapes are more commonly observed in a sex-balanced herd.

According to a study that examined deer populations across the Southeast, south Alabama—especially much of the Black Belt area—has a higher deer density when compared to much of the rest of the state. With numerous public lands across the state—including Wildlife Management Areas, Special Opportunity Areas, US Forest Service and Army Corps of Engineers lands, and others—there are many places to engage in the sport, even without access to private lands.

In short, Alabamians are encouraged to spend more time in the deer stand this season to harvest deer—especially does—for not only the reward of quality meat or an impressive mount, but also for the population management that farmers and all Alabamians benefit from.

References

• Bloomington. (2024, September 24). New State Farm data reveals the likelihood of hitting an animal while driving in every state. . Good Neighbor Stories. https://newsroom.statefarm.com/animal-collisions-24/
• Cook, C. (n.d.). White-Tailed Deer. Outdoor Alabama. https://www.outdooralabama.com/ungulates/white-tailed-deer
• Duda, M. D., Jones, M., Beppler, T., Bissell, S. J., Criscione, A., Doherty, P., Hughes, G. L., Center, A., Morris, J., & Lanier, A. (n.d.). (rep.). 2022-2023 Alabama Hunter Harvest Annual Report. Responsive Management.
• Fatality facts 2022: Collisions with fixed objects and animals. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI). (2024, June). https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/collisions-with-fixed-objects-and-animals#collisions-with-animals
• Graham, S. (2023, January 9). Oh deer: When it comes to pest management, deer as big a problem as any in Alabama. Alabama Cooperative Extension System. https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/agronomic-crops/oh-deer-when-it-comes-to-pest-management-deer-as-big-a-problem-as-any-in-alabama/
• Hanberry, B. B., & Hanberry, P. (2020). Regaining the history of deer populations and densities in the southeastern United States. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 44(3), 512–518. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1118
• Holsonback, K. (2014, July 16). Doe Management Equals Deer Management. Outdoor Alabama. https://www.outdooralabama.com/node/1490