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 White-tailed DeerThe Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) White-tailed Deer Program goal is to provide a quality white-tailed deer population statewide and offer maximum outdoor recreational opportunity to the public without negatively affecting the resource. Alabama's deer population is estimated to be approximately 1.5 million, with hunters harvesting in excess of 300,000 deer annnually. WFF biologists provide deer related technical assistance to managers on private and public lands, conduct seminars, speak publicly, write articles for professional publications, conduct statewide disease surveillance, and cooperate with Auburn Univesity deer research projects to ensure Alabama's deer resources are managed in an appropriate manner. The Deer Management Assistance Program (DMP) is a comprehensive deer management program, consisting of data collection and cooperator education with which the WFF tries to put the landowner/cooperator in a better position to manage their lands for a healthy deer herd, while maintaing habitat integrity. Data from the program are used to develop site specific harvest recommendations, and have prompted numerous research projects to help better understand deer biology. Collecting harvest information including sex, age, weight, lactation rates and other attributes should be a facet of an active deer management plan. Chris Cook, Deer Project Study Leader, compiled instructions and developed data sheets for hunting clubs to collect the necessary information to take an active role in managing their white-tailed deer resources. In addition to working with private landowners, WFF biologists also provide technical assistance on various local, state, and federal public lands across the state. Some of the assistance provided to the Wildlife Management Area (WMA) program includes habitat modification recommendations, deer harvest analyis, reproductive health evaluations, population surveys, deer disease surveillance, and regulation recommendations.
WFF Deer Management Steering Committee
Statewide Deer Harvest Summary The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries has conducted an annual mail survey to obtain harvest and man-days of hunting information since 1963. The survey provides excellent trend data for biologists to evaluate and assist with management decision making processes. Mail surveys for the past several years are available on the publications page of this website.
Charts highlighting Alabama's deer harvest information are available by clicking on the appropriate links below:
Links of Interest
White-tailed Deer Biology and Management Resources Page Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan
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