The Deer Group managers use many techniques to estimate deer abundance. Real estimates are rarely needed, only trends in standard counts. One approach is the variable band-width count.
A well-known path through an area is selected (a foot trail, a logging road, a tape-marked or blazed pathway or any combination). This is on a diagonal across the ownership, or about 2 miles (without sharp corners or overlapping viewing areas). A circular band is very efficient.
Hunt club members walk the path. One "deer" takes a piece of brown cardboard (36 inches by 18 inches) to represent a deer, and holding it at deer-body height (3 1/2 feet), paces away from the road at a right angle. When the club member(s) on the road yells "stop" (because the board can no longer be seen due to shrubs, etc.), the distance is recorded. This same sequence is repeated every 100 feet, on alternating sides. About 50 such observations are made.
On some study areas, the distances are specific points marked, and the actual band in which a deer can possibly be seen is plotted. Otherwise the average width is used. A better estimate is to use the median width or the 2SD width. All of these are easily calculated with most hand calculators.
The Deer Group has available a program for making these estimates.
The study is repeated for fall or winter conditions and later for "leaf-on" conditions. The width is much less in the spring and summer.
Deer seen within the band gives a deer-per-unit-area estimate that can be expanded to the entire ownership or hunting area if the band is fairly representative.
An excellent use is made of observations within the band when before-hunt and after-hunt counts are compared. Before-hunt counts are usually lower (even though some animals may have been removed.) Bucks and fawns are more difficult to see in prehunt counts. Does move differently than bucks, are seen at different rates than bucks, so the herd composition -- sex ratio and age ratio -- can be useful in understanding counts made in the variable wide band through the deer area.
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This Web site is maintained by R. H.
Giles, Jr.
Last revision January 17, 2000.
