Can We Landscape to Accommodate Deer? The Tracy Estate Research Garden

The landscape of New Jersey is remarkably rich in vegetation and open space, despite the state\u27s reputation as the nation\u27s most populous state. This landscape is increasingly the product of intense interaction between the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and both native and cultivated vegetation, particularly in suburban communities, where both the whitetail and the vegetation coexist in abundance. Nearly extirpated at the tum of the century due to over-hunting, the state\u27s white-tailed deer population today exceeds 140,000 because habitat is ideal and hunting seasons are carefully regulated. In many instances, where landowners choose not to use hunting as a management tool, deer herds quickly exceed the cultural carrying capacity