Nathan Weber

Urban deer management: Determining hunter’s demographics and perceptions and their influences on participation and landscape preference in an urban archery hunting season

Management of urban, white-tailed deer has been an important issue in many communities within their geographical range. White-tailed deer are both the most sought after game species in North America and rated as one of the top species wildlife viewers like to encounter, but they also are the cause of more damage and injury than any other North American Species. Some municipalities like Columbia, Missouri, have used archery hunting as a tool to reduce deer densities within their boundaries. My research, obtained through hunter surveys, focuses on what factors lead hunters in Columbia to choose to take part in urban management seasons. Additionally, I focus on how demographics, motivations, and preferences of landscape relate to harvest and a hunter’s idea of success. The research will hopefully lead to a better understanding of factors that determine participation, motives, and habitat preferences of urban archery hunters, which can lead to the formation of more effective policies to control white-tailed deer populations.

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