Page 28 - 2018 MAY/JUNE Outdoor Oklahoma
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For the Health of the Herd
Annual Studies Keep Tabs on State’s Deer Population
By Don P. Brown, Information and Education Specialist
For the HEALTH
of the HERD
Annual Studies Keep Tabs
on State’s Deer Population
By Don P. Brown, For several weeks just after the last Oklahoma deer hunting
Information and Education Specialist season of the year closes in January, a crew of Wildlife
Department biologists, technicians and volunteers assembles to
spend some long hours sampling and intensively studying some
of Oklahoma’s whitetails.
While the blaze orange and rifles used are familiar to deer hunters,
those are the only similarities these data collection activities
share with hunting. Instead of a recreational outing or a way to
put venison on the table, these efforts are a once-a-year scientific
survey whose goal is to monitor the health of Oklahoma’s deer
populations. The data gleaned from these Herd Health Evaluation
(HHE) studies allow the state’s big game biologist to monitor the
overall health of deer populations across the
If any deer health issues arise from the surveys, various regions of the state.
“It’s essentially a health checkup for
biologists become aware of them quickly, can the overall deer herd,” said Dallas Barber,
evaluate the situation, and then can tailor strategies big game biologist for the Oklahoma
Department of Wildlife Conservation. “We
to deal with those health issues if necessary. are painting with a broad brush; it’s a very
general view of the health of the herd and
the diseases that might be in the system.” If any deer health
issues arise from the surveys, biologists become aware of them
quickly, can evaluate the situation, and then can tailor strategies
to deal with those health issues if necessary.
“We are just making sure that the deer are in a healthy place.”
The idea for this intensive study has been around for several
years. Jerry Shaw, current program supervisor and former big
26 OUTDOOR OKLAHOMA
