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Home -> Community Conservation -> Deer Management Program
Why is there Deer Management in Hemlock Farms
In 2004, the deer population in Hemlock Farms was at an all-time high. Vehicle collisions with deer were common, with 75 deer-related vehicular accidents that year. The quality of our environment was also deteriorating. The deer were plentiful but their food supply was scarce. They were starving and left our forest with no understory.
An excerpt from page 53 of the February 2004 issue of Hemlock News said:
The undergrowth is barren of indigenous wildflowers, berry bushes, herbaceous plants, flowering shrubs and tree seedlings. Because of the overabundance of deer, other animals have limited food to eat and reduced shelter from inclement weather. Population cycles of predator-prey dips and peaks are out of balance, resulting in unchecked population growth of some species and total collapse and disappearance of others. Tragically, the deer that are so endearing to us as our neighbors-in-nature are starving in our woods and diseased from poor nutrition.
(Keegan, 53)
Many of these emaciated deer were forced to eat parts of the understory that they wouldn’t normally eat, in addition to hoofing through bags of trash to consume things like lifesavers and gummy bears. They were desperate for food and Hemlock Farms was desperate for a solution. The 2004 Hemlock News article says it best, “If a healthy, natural, forested neighborhood is your desired place to live and recreate, overabundant deer are quickly diverting this desired condition to a radically altered environment.” These events are what prompted our deer management program to begin.
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Who approves the Deer Control Permit for the Hemlock Farms Deer Management Program?
Each year, the Pennsylvania (PA) Game Commission approves a special use permit allowing Hemlock Farms Community Association the option to utilize Wildlife Services to manage white-tailed deer within Hemlock Farms, if needed.
Before this happens, the membership votes on this ballot proposition under the title “Maintain Our Forests.” The deer management program originally started under a proposition titled "Restoring Our Forests." Since the forests have been restored, the title of the ballot proposition has changed to its current title, "Maintain Our Forests."
The February 2005 issue of Hemlock News (page 19) explains the approval process:
The ultimate decision to allow the culling of the herd rests with the membership, not with the Board. Following a settlement agreement as a result of a 1997 lawsuit, the Board does not have the authority to allow hunting or trapping in the Hemlock Farms Community without a majority vote on the proposition. The settlement further stipulates that the hunt needs to be conducted in the same year as the vote. Whether that is a calendar year or an Association year is up for clarification.
But even if the membership makes the hard decision to reduce the deer herd using lethal methods, a permit must be approved through the Pennsylvania Game Commission."
(Stuart 19)
As of December 2008, the community itself applies directly to the PA Game Commission for the Political Subdivision Deer Management Permit. The PA Game Commission no longer requires Hemlock Farms go through the local municipality.
Who Conducts the Deer Management Operations?
Professionally trained Wildlife Biologists and Wildlife Technicians of the USDA Wildlife Services Program conduct the deer management operations. Hemlock Farms has been entering into a Cooperative Service Agreement with the agency for many years now to carry out these management actions.
The reasoning for using these professionals is explained on page 19 of the February 2005 issue of Hemlock News. It says:
This decision to put a deer-management program on the ballot comes after years of investigation into a variety of methods of deer-herd control, including a perimeter fence around Hemlock Farms, trapping and relocating deer, sharp shooting, trapping and euthanising, contraception/fertility control and the consequences of doing nothing.
It comes with the full realization that unless the deer herd is reduced, the forest of Hemlock Farms will continue to die and the deer herd will starve.
After exploring all of the different options, it was found that the use of professional sharpshooters is the most effective and humane way of reducing the deer herd.
(Stuart, 19)
How Does USDA Wildlife Services Manage the Deer Population in Hemlock Farms?
Wildlife Services (WS) conducts deer removal activities based upon a protocol established in 2005 by the collaborative effort of the HFCA, WS, and the PA Game Commission (PGC). All deer are removed using mobile units, consisting of a driver and two WS employees in the back of a marked government truck. Bait sites are placed on HFCA property to position deer in areas for safe shooting. WS utilizes a hand-held infrared unit to locate and observe deer in complete darkness. These capabilities also further enhance WS’ ability to ensure safe removal operations by detecting people, non-target animals, rocks, and homes located on the property. All team members are on alert for hazards and human presence. Spotlights with colored filters are used to make a final determination that the line of fire is safe and there are no obstructions. Adult does are targeted for removal when more than one deer is present. If adult does are not present, deer are removed on a first opportunity basis.
The information in this section was provided by USDA APHIS Wildlife Services.
Since October 2005, WS has safely removed 1,435 deer from Hemlock Farms without incidents.
Why Don't I See Many Deer in Hemlock Farms?
What is Typical Deer Behavior?
The National Deer Association summarizes the behavioral patterns of deer by explaining:
Deer are crepuscular, which is a fancy way of saying they are most active during the hours of dawn and dusk. A typical day in the life of a deer looks like this: In the morning hours, when most of us are just waking up or finishing that first cup of coffee, deer are generally moving from their nighttime feeding location back to a chosen bedding area. They spend the majority of the day in thick cover, carrying out a combination of finishing the previous night’s meal and resting, and later that evening they do just the opposite, moving to a desirable food source where they will spend time feeding and resting again. That’s not to say you can’t see deer moving right in the middle of the day, or that they aren’t up and walking around in the middle of the night. It just means they are most active during dawn and dusk, and that’s when they’ll cover the greatest distance during a day’s time. Countless deer movement studies have shown this widespread, behavioral trait, from North to South. (National Deer Association, 2022)
Source: https://deerassociation.com/best-times-to-see-deer/#:~:text=A%20typical%20day,North%20to%20South
What goes into planning the Deer Management Project?
White-tailed deer density surveys are conducted by driving an evenly distributed 21.8-mile survey route throughout Hemlock Farms that traverses approximately 30% of the community. Survey teams consist of a driver/data recorder, and two Wildlife Services (WS) observers in the back of a mobile truck. Surveys are initiated each night after sunset and concluded that evening. Deer observations are conducted utilizing infrared units and spotlights. Observers record the number of deer, deer locations (referenced by grid quadrant), perpendicular distances deer are from the survey route, and time. The survey vehicle moves at approximately 10 miles per hour, stopping only to accurately record data or for traffic considerations. Survey data is entered into a WS deer density database that determines the area surveyed by factoring the survey route distance and the distance deer were observed from the closest point on the survey route. The database then calculates average observation distances, area surveyed (square miles), and deer density estimates (deer per square mile). The results of the surveys are used in conjunction with the deer-related incident data and the forest health data to determine a target number of deer to be removed each year.
The information in this section was provided by USDA APHIS Wildlife Services.
Member Safety
Now that the program has been effect for two decades, deer-related vehicle accidents within the community have drastically decreased. Our members are safer and less likely to incur physical or financial loss from deer while driving within the community. The amount of collisions resulting from deer in 2004 was 75. In 2023, this number was just 3.
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Deer Health
The health of deer within Hemlock Farms has greatly increased since the beginning of the deer management program in 2005. As the management program in HFCA successfully reduced the local density of deer at or near desirable levels, the forest health began to improve. As forest health improved, abundant food resources were now available for the deer living in and around the community. These abundant food resources provided adequate nutrition for individual deer, resulting in increased body weights with healthier fat reserves, increased reproductive rates in females, and larger antler growth in males. Biological data was collected from 2007 through 2015, during which WS gathered some or all of the following data: body weights, kidney fat index, tail fat scores, and reproductive data. WS stopped gathering biological data when field-dressing duties were transferred to processors, and no longer completed on HFCA property.
Kidney Fat and Tail Fat Explanation: Analysis of the deposition and retention of fat reserves in deer gives an indication of their health and nutrition, especially their preparedness to survive winter. WS selected two fat indices commonly used as physiological gauges of health: 1) Kidney Fat Index, and 2) Tail Fat Score. As deer accumulate surplus nutrition, fat reserves are deposited first around the internal organs (e.g., around the kidneys), next along the inside of the body cavity and finally between the muscle and skin (e.g., along the tail). Fat reserves are used by the body opposite the order of deposition when food resources are limiting.
Tail Fat was scored by palpation at the base of the tail on a scale from 0 to 3. A score of 0 represented no fat under the skin with the bones of the tail readily felt. A score of 3 represented ample fat reserves so that no muscle or bone was readily felt.
To obtain Kidney Fat Index, one kidney was selected randomly from each deer and removed whole with fat attached. Kidney fat index was determined by dividing the mass of the fat surrounding the kidney by the mass of the bare kidney and the dividend was multiplied by 100.
Reproductive Data: Uteri of female deer removed were inspected for the presence of fetuses. Fetuses were removed, determining the gender and age of each fetus using a commercial fetal aging scale.
Important Note:
WS works closely with many agencies, universities, and organizations, to collect various samples from deer that have been removed (blood, tissue, ticks, DNA, etc.). Samples have been collected for external research of blood-borne diseases, DNA, SARS-Cov-2, etc. Tick collections have focused on what species of ticks occur on deer and have also looked at tick-borne diseases such as anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis. These samples were used for broader studies and were not taken because disease was suspected in HFCA deer.
The information in this section was provided by USDA APHIS Wildlife Services.
Environment
Deer are habitat generalists consuming the most nutritious plants and plant parts available in their habitats. They primarily eat forbs, such as clover and flowering plants, during the warm months of the growing season. In the fall and winter, deer rely on browse–twigs and buds of trees. When available, deer eat mast–acorns, other nuts and fruits; however mast may only be seasonally available and is not guaranteed to be produced each year. Forests lacking structure and diversity lack the elements of vegetation on which deer rely. Overabundant deer degrade the forest to the point in which few forbs are produced in the understory, the shrub and tree layer within reach of deer is eliminated, and seedling regeneration to replace mature trees is absent. This described the condition of the forest in Hemlock Farms.
The information in this section was provided by USDA APHIS Wildlife Services.
Page 53 of the February 2004 issue of Hemlock News said this of our environment, "In our community, there is a glaring lack of plants in the undergrowth and a noticeable dying of trees in the overstory. Restoring and rehabilitating these degraded conditions requires immediate, innovative and adaptive action to protect and enhance property values associated with Hemlock Farms."
A little under two decades later, a community-wide survey was conducted to gauge the values and opinions of the members of Hemlock Farms. This survey stated that “Serene environment, natural surroundings are top reasons to buy in Hemlock Farms.” 53% of respondents chose to buy a home in Hemlock Farms because of the “natural, forested surroundings.” This response is a far cry from the “degraded conditions” referenced nearly two decades before.
What Happens to the Meat Acquired From the Program
The deer removed through the Deer Management Program benefit families throughout our local community. As required by the PA Game Commission, Hemlock Farms donates the removed deer to a program called Hunters Sharing the Harvest. The removed deer are processed and donated to local food pantries.
According to the PA Game Commission website, “An average-sized deer will provide enough high-protein, low-fat meat for 200 servings." Hunters Sharing the Harvest covers 50% of the processing fees incurred by Hemlock Farms' deer management program.
Why is there a Deer Management Assistance Program?
Hunting is the primary mechanism to regulate deer numbers in Pennsylvania on an annual basis. The Statewide goals established in the Pennsylvania Game Commission Deer Management Plan include: 1) manage deer for a healthy herd, 2) reduce deer–human conflicts, and 3) manage deer for healthy forest habitat. Allocations of antlerless deer licenses are determined annually to adjust deer densities relative to these goals within each Wildlife Management Unit. The Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) provides an additional means for landowners to manage deer to meet their land-use goals. Political subdivisions are required to participate in the DMAP program, using recreational hunting to the fullest extent possible, as a condition of their deer control permit issued by the PGC. To allow recreational hunters every opportunity to harvest deer in and around HFCA, the PGC does not permit WS to conduct any deer removal in Northeast PA until all hunting seasons have been completed.
The information in this section was provided by USDA APHIS Wildlife Services.
Is HFCA Insured for the Deer Management Program and DMAP Hunting.
Yes, our regular community insurance policy has a rider that can be applied to incidents relating to the deer management program or DMAP. The community has also obtained a special policy for the deer management program and DMAP. The cost of this special policy in 2023 was $311.00. This policy can be found below.
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How are the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) hunters selected?
Each year, Hemlock Farms advertises the opening of the DMAP Coupon period. Only ten to twenty coupons are issued by Hemlock Farms each year for this purpose. In 2023, fifteen tags were available. Hunters email Hemlock Farms beginning at a specified date and time, which is advertised in Hemlock News. The hunters are granted free DMAP coupons through a computer lottery determined by the timestamp on each email.
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