Perceptions, concerns, and management of white-tailed deer among municipal officials Academic Article

abstract

• ABSTRACTMunicipal governments are emerging as important stakeholders in managing the populations and geographic distributions of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in urban and suburban areas of the Northeastern United States. To understand the variation in municipal-level concerns about deer and municipal policies related to deer management, we distributed a questionnaire to all 351 municipalities across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2017 (response rate= 74%) and collected data on local bylaws that influence hunting access. We found that concerns about deer vary across the state and some municipalities are taking action to manage increasing deer populations. In particular, our analysis established the importance of deer and deer management in the suburban regions of Massachusetts, while uncovering many local differences within similar suburban areas. The varying relationships between deer populations, public concerns, and municipal actions illustrated the complex role of municipal decision-makers in shaping wildlife management programs.

authors

• Casellas Connors, John

published proceedings

• Human Dimensions of Wildlife

altmetric score

• 1.85

author list (cited authors)

• Edelblutte, E., Short Gianotti, A. G., & Connors, J.

citation count

• 1

complete list of authors

• Edelblutte, E||Short Gianotti, AG||Connors, JPC

publication date

• August 2021

publisher

• Routledge  Publisher

published in

• Human Dimensions of Wildlife  Journal

keywords

• Municipality
• Odocoileus Virginianus
• Suburban
• White-tailed Deer
• Wildlife Management

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1080/10871209.2021.1959963

start page

• 1

end page

• 21

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10871209.2021.1959963