Deer per square mile

[Hardwood11]

With the posts on EHD, Western IA no doe tags, not shooting does…

What is the ideal deer per square mile? What is way too high ? I know properties are vastly different, but maybe assume 640 acres in which half is timber and heavy cover and the other half has is crop land.

Or

Use you own farm as an example . I’d like to hear some perspective on this .

 

[Bucksnbears]

No Way can I answer that Hardwoods.
Food, winter thermal cover, predators,all come into play up here.
Good topic though.

 

[Hardwood11]

No Way can I answer that Hardwoods.
Food, winter thermal cover, predators,all come into play up here.
Good topic though.

I thought it would be a good topic? I guess we will see if anyone responds ?

 

[Wi transplant]

My 2 cents if you thinks its too high your probably right! Lower deer densities equal bigger deer healthier deer!

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[Muskrat24]

My 2 cents if you thinks its too high your probably right! Lower deer densities equal bigger deer healthier deer!

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

Interesting concept but pre-2012 saw way more mature large antlered deer harvested. Same percentage I don’t know but seems to me more deer equates to more bucks getting to maturity and able to reach genetic potential. Even with substantially higher deer numbers pre-2012/EHD I don’t think most areas were at carrying capacity from habitat/feed perspective. Now from insurance company/ car collisions/farmers perspective they were. I couldn’t even take a stab at what current population is per square mile around me now.

 

[Stoney]

I would have to completely agree. When deer populations were much higher I saw far more mature bucks with my eyes and no cameras than I do now with both. But a lot has changed, fewer deer, much better weapons & more firepower, poachers w/ night vision/thermal scopes, more hunters, less habitat, EHD…hard to say what the main culprit or two is. The last couple years, lucky if I even know of one or two bucks making it 5 yrs in my area…

 

[Sligh1]

Very loosely off the cuff…. Farms in iowa with say half timber & half ag (which is not majority of state!!!) …. the land can hold for ONLY health of herd…. Per square mile
Very low: 5-25
Medium: 26-50
High: 50-75
“Too high”: 100+

Few points….
1) is a dude leaving tons of standing food & tons of natural browse created? If so, even over 100 deer PSM would be fine. Very few are or would do that though
2) the huge reality of farming…. No farmers are gonna be ok with #’s when they get insane of course. & if u are 100% farming & leaving 0 plots- can’t have #’s that high anyways.
3) reality is, most 50/50 farms are probably around the 10-35 deer side of it. Some pockets higher of course. So- what we “want” if we wanted “lots of deer” is for sure NOT what’s out there right now. A few counties or a few pockets across state are exceptions of course.
4) most of state is wide open with very few deer. Carrying capacity is maybe 1% of what it “could be” but clearly that’s in ag regions where there’s only one goal: top yield on corn & beans.
5) social stress is a factor. IMHO - it’s less so than I would have said even 5 years ago. Maybe because I dont really see it much now with lower populations though.
6) all timber areas…. Way less of course. All ag- way more but no cover to hold them so both have issues.

Back on point …. In my fairytale world of “deer paradise” where deer were priority #1 & crops didn’t mean a thing…. 50% timber farm…. Leaving tons of food & having every drop of the timber full of browse, mast productions & cover…. Ample food 365 days a year through diversity. I’d pry shoot for 100 deer per square mile. Reality where we want to balance farming, deer damage, disease, reality of how much work we want to do to land…. Maybe 50 deer per square mile. This is all my wild guess ramblings that if u asked me a week from now- I’d give u different figures

 

[iowavf]

I've said this the last several years, when the habitat shrinks, the deer numbers in that area will shrink and they'll go somewhere else. Might be why you see pockets of EHD worse than others due to the concentration of deer? Still have the same number of hunters hunting the areas with less habitat and of course not seeing the deer they did, so now they're complaining the numbers are too low in the area. The numbers will never be the same in those areas until more habitat is added to hold deer.

 

[Hardwood11]

Very loosely off the cuff…. Farms in iowa with say half timber & half ag (which is not majority of state!!!) …. the land can hold for ONLY health of herd…. Per square mile
Very low: 5-25
Medium: 26-50
High: 50-75
“Too high”: 100+

Few points….
1) is a dude leaving tons of standing food & tons of natural browse created? If so, even over 100 deer PSM would be fine. Very few are or would do that though
2) the huge reality of farming…. No farmers are gonna be ok with #’s when they get insane of course. & if u are 100% farming & leaving 0 plots- can’t have #’s that high anyways.
3) reality is, most 50/50 farms are probably around the 10-35 deer side of it. Some pockets higher of course. So- what we “want” if we wanted “lots of deer” is for sure NOT what’s out there right now. A few counties or a few pockets across state are exceptions of course.
4) most of state is wide open with very few deer. Carrying capacity is maybe 1% of what it “could be” but clearly that’s in ag regions where there’s only one goal: top yield on corn & beans.
5) social stress is a factor. IMHO - it’s less so than I would have said even 5 years ago. Maybe because I dont really see it much now with lower populations though.
6) all timber areas…. Way less of course. All ag- way more but no cover to hold them so both have issues.

Back on point …. In my fairytale world of “deer paradise” where deer were priority #1 & crops didn’t mean a thing…. 50% timber farm…. Leaving tons of food & having every drop of the timber full of browse, mast productions & cover…. Ample food 365 days a year through diversity. I’d pry shoot for 100 deer per square mile. Reality where we want to balance farming, deer damage, disease, reality of how much work we want to do to land…. Maybe 50 deer per square mile. This is all my wild guess ramblings that if u asked me a week from now- I’d give u different figures

Good breakdown … I’d agree on the 50 deer per square mile as a real breaking point up or down. I’d guess my section is 50-60 deer. Straight guess based on trail cam and sightings.

 

[Rous14]

Good question and topic and there’s been great answers so far. I actually have a drone survey scheduled on my farm this January so I’ll know for sure then (at least for that time of year).

As many have said already, lots of variables! I suspect on my 270ac farm in January when I have the survey done that I’ll have 70ish deer on it, maybe more, and my immediate neighbors will have the same. So, at least in those few months of Dec-Feb we have a high density but imo not too high strictly speaking from a deer hunters interests. Lots of food plots, fantastic security and thermal cover, and above avg woody browse from the hinge cutting and tsi we do each year. And my farm is almost all cover, not much open tillable ground that is fairly worthless that time of year.

Ive made my opinions on deer numbers known many times on here but Im certain that the carrying capacity is much higher than most suggest. 2000-2012 is proof of that imo. Again though this is strictly from a deer hunters perspective and I understand there are other stakeholders involved (farmers, motorists).