Hunting

Columbian white-tailed deer have been listed as an endangered species at the federal level since 1967 (U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife Service, 2014). Interestingly, populations in Douglas County, Oregon, have made a significant recovery and hunting Columbian white-tailed deer in this region became legal in 2005 (U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife Service, 2014). However, Columbian white-tailed deer remain listed as endangered in all of their other habitats and hunting in those areas is illegal. Hunting other deer species in these regions, on the other hand, is perfectly legal. 

Fallen deer killed by hunters
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Although hunters in these areas do not directly kill Columbian white-tailed deer, research suggests that hunting activity may still negatively impact their populations. A study from the University of Missouri looked at how hunting influenced natural population distributions and movement patterns in a closely related subspecies of white-tailed deer. The researchers found that higher hunting levels led to an increase in movement (measured in km/day) in female deer of ~19%. In addition, higher levels of hunting resulted in an increase in home range of ~56% (measured in hectares) (Root, Fritzell, Giessman, 1988).

Figure 5 - Mean daily movement indices for females exposed to hunting (Root, Fritzell, Giessman 1988). A positive correlation is observed between level of hunting (Human Activity) and deer movement.

Columbian white-tailed deer fawn
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These changes in movement and home range are far greater than what is naturally observed between seasons (Root, Fritzell, Giessman, 1988). This study shows that hunting significantly disturbs natural population distributions and movement patterns, which could in turn have detrimental effects on deer populations. As a result, maintaining strict regulations and practicing responsible hunting is extremely important.

Learn more about hunting regulations and education here.

Continue reading about Columbian white-tailed deer and conservation efforts here.