Introduction
The white-tailed deer can be different things for different Missourians. For wildlife enthusiasts, it is natural beauty and grace; for motorists, a collision threat; for farmers, a potential crop damager; for recreational hunters, a worthy adversary. But for all Missourians, the whitetail is an important part of the natural resource heritage under our stewardship.
The white-tailed deer is one of Missouri's most valuable wildlife resources. Each year hunters spend around three million hunter-days in the field pursuing the whitetail, contributing millions of dollars to the economy in the process. Public viewing of deer attracts thousands of visitors to our state's public lands annually. A recent survey of urban and rural Missouri citizens revealed that of all animals outside a zoo, people most prefer to see the white-tailed deer. It also is a favorite with children. The whitetail was selected as our state mammal by vote of school-age children.
On the down side, deer cause thousands of vehicle accidents on our roadways annually and feed on agricultural and household plantings throughout the state. It is not surprising that the Missouri public has strong feelings toward whitetails, mostly positive, but some negative. As a steward of this important wildlife resource, the Missouri Department of Conservation is sensitive to these attitudes.
The Department's goal is to maintain deer numbers at levels that serve the best interest of the Missouri public. This requires knowledge of whitetail biology. Equally important, however, is commitment and cooperation from Missouri citizens who serve both as the advisory board that guides our management and the tool with which we regulate deer numbers. The landowner is the key to this process because most deer management in Missouri takes place on private properties.
This handbook is designed to help managers and landowners set and achieve deer management goals on individual land holdings. Diverse, often complex factors, affect deer, and every piece of land is unique. Therefore, our goal is not to provide a deer management cookbook that will work in every situation. Rather, we hope to provide a framework of information that enables landowners to make educated decisions about management of their lands. Information presented is from a variety of sources. However, whenever possible, we used information gathered from deer research projects conducted in Missouri.
Historical Review
The history of white-tailed deer in Missouri shows positive
and negative influences humans can have on wildlife. During presettlement
times, the whitetail was abundant in Missouri, especially in the
more fertile and diverse habitats of northern Missouri. The influx
of European settlers to Missouri during the last half of the nineteenth
century coincided with a rapid decline in the deer population
(Figure 1). Unrestricted market hunting and habitat destruction,
such as cutting, burning, farming and grazing forest lands, contributed
most to this decline.
Token laws restricting the killing of deer were passed in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but they went largely unenforced. In 1925, the state's deer herd was estimated to be only around 400. In response to these findings, the Missouri State Legislature declared deer season closed and made the first substantial effort to enforce its regulation. At the same time, deer brought to Missouri from Michigan were released onto five refuges in the Ozarks. In 1931, deer season reopened but resulted in a small harvest, which indicated a low population that was stable or declining.
Only when the first Conservation Commission formed in 1937
did significant efforts to restore the whitetail begin to succeed.
The Commission closed deer hunting season from 1938 to 1943. During
this closure, additional deer were stocked from Wisconsin, Michigan,
Minnesota and from existing refuges within the state. Enforcement
of the Wildlife Code of Missouri by professionally trained conservation
agents helped deter poaching.
By 1944, the statewide deer population soared to 15,000, and Missouri held its first deer season since the recovery effort had begun. Between 1944 and 1951, hunting was restricted to bucks only to allow deer populations to grow. In 1951, limited doe harvests were initiated.
The story since then is clear: Early management promoted continued population growth which, in turn, was accompanied by people's growing interest in deer hunting. Recent management efforts have attempted to define optimal population levels and design hunting regulations to achieve them. The success of the deer program is a tribute to Missourians' support of their natural resources and to the adaptability of the white-tailed deer to human-altered habitats.
Authors: Jeff Beringer & Lonnie P. Hansen
Editor: Charlotte Overby
Designer: Heidi Doerhoff
Photos: Jim Rathert
Illustrations: David Besenger & Julie Smith
