An Assessment of the Deer Population on Jekyll Island, Georgia and the Management Implications
An Assessment of the Deer Population on Jekyll Island, Georgia and the Management Implications
Date #, 2009 10 November 2011
Presenter Name Will Ric...
An Assessment of the Deer Population on Jekyll Island, Georgia and the Management Implications
Date #, 2009 10 November 2011
Presenter Name Will Ricks
Overview • • • • • •
Introduction to Jekyll Island Deer Introduction to the Population Surveys Spotlight Survey Results Browse Survey Results Management Options Conclusion
Department of Natural Resources
Jekyll Island Deer Facts • • • • •
Whitetail Deer are long-time inhabitants of the island 65% of Jekyll is undeveloped by law Island deer are smaller than mainland whitetails Jekyll deer are very conspicuous These deer often visit communities and golf courses for food. • The deer population on Jekyll is too high • Regulated hunting is prohibited on the island • Education of residents and visitors is important to solving the deer issues on Jekyll
Island Forage • Quality forage is important to deer in coastal habitats • In coastal areas forage is not a limiting factor for deer, but quality forage often is a limiting factor • Plants with low palatability and digestibility dominate the landscape and make it difficult to stay healthy throughout the harsh summers
Forestry Images
Vanishing South Georgia
Department of Natural Resources
Spotlight Survey
Department of Natural Resources
Spotlight Survey •
A survey that samples the number of visible acres in proportion to the number of deer seen.
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Nighttime survey conducted over four nights.
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One night of distance sampling and three nights of counting deer.
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Deer are put into four categories, bucks, does, fawns, and unknowns.
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A formula is used to determine population parameters. Department of Natural Resources
Browse Survey
Department of Natural Resources
Browse Survey •
A survey that samples the number deer bites in different habitat types.
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Five, 100 yard transects were taken
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Habitat types included: beach, field, golf course, marsh, and forest.
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Indicator species were noted in the survey
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The survey was completed in one day.
Department of Natural Resources
Spotlight Survey Results •
One deer per 8 acres / 80 deer per square mile
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712 deer total on the island
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121 bucks
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463 does
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128 fawns
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73% of the deer were found on the golf course
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We covered 41.4 total miles on the island
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Average Visibility was 66.9 yards http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/001042.php
Department of Natural Resources
Browse Survey Results •
101 bites on the beach site
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61 bites on the field site
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97 bites on the golf course site
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58 bites in the marsh site
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93 bites on the forest site
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Indicator species were heavily browsed upon when present http://homepond.blogspot.com/2011_07_01_archive.html
Department of Natural Resources
What Does All This Mean? •
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The deer population is clearly high on Jekyll One deer per 8 acres is over the amount of deer the island can sustain based on the habitat (healthy deer) Bites over 50 in a transect indicates overpopulation (all of the transects were well over 50 bites) 80 deer per square mile should be lowered to 30 deer per square mile The island needs to harvest deer each year to ensure healthy populations and public safety.
Department of Natural Resources
Overpopulation Issues • • • •
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Risk of disease Deer-vehicle collisions Threats to Natural Resources Landscape damage Golf Course damage Human impacts and issues Effects on deer herd health
Sharpshooting – safe and effective Hunting – If allowed Immunocontraception – Costly and ineffective Release of predators – May cause more problems Trap and relocation – Illegal in Georgia
Hunting could be revenue positive Bow hunting is a safe and effective State parks have had success using hunting Harvested deer would be utilized by hunters and charitable organizations
QDMA
Department of Natural Resources
Sharpshooting • • •
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Sharpshooting efforts have proven to be an effective technique on many coastal Atlantic islands It is done by trained professionals so it is very safe It is done over a few nights once a year Research has shown it can reduce the population by as much as 50%
Jekyll Island’s deer population is too high for longterm ecological health and sustainability A reduction in the herd will contribute to human safety and deer herd health throughout the island Hunting and sharpshooting are the recommended, viable options for the island Reduction of the population will have many positive impacts on the island.
