Impact of Predators on Deer Populations

Whether true or false, there are many hunters that believe predators are responsible for eating most of the whitetail fawns born each year. On the other hand, some believe that predators cause only minor losses to fawn crops. However, most hunters fall somewhere in the middle: You will always have predators, but limiting their numbers is not a bad idea.

When talking about deer management, it’s difficult to say whether predator control is warranted on your property because all lands are different. Property differences mean variation in habitat, differences in deer density, and differences in predator density. In addition, research suggest that poor deer habitat allows predators to hunt more efficiently. Whether it does or doesn’t is not the important point, because poor habitat is bad for your deer herd either way. Continue reading Impact of Predators on Deer Populations