Landowners can help bring deer back

Want to get involved in deer management? This would be a good time.

With deer numbers down in some regions of Missouri, the Department of Conservation suggests that hunters and landowners could benefit from micro-managing their own land.

“Deer management is a collaborative effort,” said Emily Flinn, a deer biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. “We set the framework for dealing with a decline in deer numbers, but we need help from hunters and landowners.

“When deer numbers are down in a particular area, and everyone in the area continues to shoot as many does as they have in the past, what starts out as a moderate reduction in deer numbers can turn into a big reduction.

“Reducing doe harvest is a good first step.”

This story was originally published October 10, 2014 at 9:23 PM with the headline "Landowners can help bring deer back."