White-tailed deer monitoring at Arkansas Post National Memorial, Arkansas: 2005–2020 trend report

Peitz, David; Reibold, Naomi

doi:10.36967/nrr-2285087

From 16 years (2005–2020) of monitoring trends in white-tailed deer within a defined survey area of Arkansas Post National Memorial, we have been able to demonstrate both population declines and recoveries. The adjusted count of deer had a seven-fold increase between 2007 and 2011 following a two-year decline and a three-fold increase between 2017 and 2019 following a six-year decline. Overall, the deer population has declined slightly, averaging a 0.5% reduction in herd size annually. The number of deer in the survey area ranged from 16.77 ± 21.26 (mean + 95% CI) individuals/km2 in 2007 to 118.95 ± 39.03 individuals/km2 in 2011. The amount of visible area surveyed each year varied between 0.25 and 0.47 km2 (coefficient of variation = 16.47%). If the white-tailed deer population becomes too large, this poses several problems for Arkansas Post National Memorial. First, it adds a level of complexity to implementing active natural resource management critical to preventing the cultural landscapes of Arkansas Post National Memorial from changing into something that has little resemblance to the historical character of the park. Deer deferentially browse native vegetation over exotic vegetation, thus promoting the spread of exotic species, and the success of tree planting can be curtailed by heavy deer browsing. Second, controlling deer related disease, some of which can affect domestic livestock and human health in and around the park, becomes increasingly difficult when there are more deer. Third, as additional ancillary data suggests, the largely unreported and costly deer-vehicle collisions in and around Arkansas Post National Memorial have the potential to increase if the deer populations grow.

White-tailed deer monitoring at Arkansas Post National Memorial, Arkansas: 2005–2020 trend report

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