Evaluating Reports of Deer Damage to Crops: Implications for Wildlife Research and Management Programs

We examined damage permit records to determine the incidence of reported white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) damage to crops in Virginia from 1982 to 1984. Permits were issued to 144, 252, and 195 landholders in 1982, 1983, and 1984, respectively. The total number of permits issued in 1983 (355), a drought year, was greater than that of 1982 (199) or 1984 (258). Most permits were issued for peanuts and soybeans in the southeastern section of the state and for orchards in the western portion of the state. Permits were also issued for gardens, corn, and tobacco. We found some patterns between issuance of crop permits and crop phenology. We found no apparent relationships between the number of permits and the amount of deer habitat or estimated deer population size per county. We propose that analysis of damage permit records be used as an aid in (1) directing the emphasis and timing of wildlife control programs, (2) adjusting game harvest quotas, and (3) determining research priorities. Results of such analyses can be incorporated into an integrated pest management approach to the study and management of crop-wildlife interactions