Improving Deer Habitat

August 12, 2021

Question: What is CDFW doing to increase the deer population?

Answer: CDFW is involved in efforts statewide to improve deer habitat. For example, our Private Lands Management Program works to improve habitat on private lands and ranches. We’ve helped nonprofits like the California Deer Association obtain grant funding for habitat improvements. CDFW is working on collaborations with private and public landowners and managers on land management plans and strategies. Additionally, CDFW is developing a statewide deer management plan that will be supplemented with area-specific conservation plans. We are also beginning to implement long-term monitoring plans that will utilize current methods to assess and monitor deer populations. These monitoring plans will help CDFW staff procure data on current density, and trends over time, of key conservation units. Monitoring efforts will include fecal DNA and camera surveys supplemented in conjunction with periodic GPS collaring.

Why don’t you open up mountain lion hunting. They are getting over populated and are putting a big dent on the deer population! Mountain lions are not a threatened or endangered species and it’s bs that other states actually manage their populations and in this state they just let it go out of control. Very poor wildlife management in this state just like the poor forest management! We went to a no burn state and aren’t doing control burns anymore and look at what’s happening. Mountain lions are everywhere! Make them a premium tag, charge $100 for a tag and only allow certain amount of tags per zone.

Why don’t you open up mountain lion hunting. They are getting over populated and are putting a big dent on the deer population! Mountain lions are not a threatened or endangered species and it’s bs that other states actually manage their populations and in this state they just let it go out of control. Very poor wildlife management in this state just like the poor forest management! We went to a no burn state and aren’t doing control burns anymore and look at what’s happening. Mountain lions are everywhere! Make them a premium tag, charge $100 for a tag and only allow certain amount of tags per zone.

I agree with the sentiment, especially wrt managing game in a sensible way. But they estimate 4,000 to 6,000 mountain lions in the state, and over 400,000 deer (that’s down from over 2M deer in the 60s, btw). For comparison, it’s estimated there are between 30k and 40k bears in CA. Can such a relatively small number of lions have a major impact on the deer population?

At 6000 Mt Lions  that kill 1 deer a month  thats 72,000 less deer every year. Not counting Bear and Coyote fawn predation looks like net zero deer in a few years. They might do something if the Lions start eating the homeless.

Anyone know the Coyote population estimate?

Got to be really high! I live in Sacramento county and we have them running around our neighborhood several times a year and can hear them every night. A few neighbors see mountain lions on their security cameras. A few years back at one of my duck hunting spots I watched a pack of about 12 coyotes kill and eat an entire full sized doe. I was about 200 yards away. When I was walking out I went over to where the doe was at and there wasn’t any meat left and there were a few bones missing. Those dogs don’t waste much. From what I understand is that a pack can eat a deer per day. So you figure between all the bears, mountain lions, coyotes and bobcats. Bobcats will kill fawns and smaller deer. Also the amount of poaching has gone way up! There’s a lot of deer being killed daily. No more control burns in our forest any more is creating less of a habit for the deer. It would be much better for our deer populations if our state allowed property owners to grow food plots for the deer and other wildlife like other states do for whitetail deer. Shouldn’t be a crime to hunt over a food plot! It’s not like you are putting a pile of apples right in front of your stand. This state is loosing out on a lot of $ because a lot of hunters are choosing to spend their $ hunting other states which have a much better wildlife management systems and higher success rates. The big problem is there are too many tree huggers making up laws in California that don’t understand about proper wildlife management and how hunters plays a key role. I’ll step off the podium now lol