2015-03-03_PR Comm Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Description of the plan. There are three basic components of any good natural resources management plan: monitoring, action, and education of the public. A deer management plan for the communities of Ramsey County is no different. In this section we will briefly describe the importance of each area. Nloiiitoriiicr/Iiiveiitor}7ino In order to effectively manage a resource of any kind, natural or otherwise, the management entity must first have working knowledge of the size, location, and type of resource to be managed. Inventorying and monitoring a resource allows managers to effectively allocate time and money in areas. To manage deer, managers must first know where the deer are likely to be and approximately how many deer in each area. While there are several ways to inventory and monitor deer, such as GPS tracking collars or manually identifying and counting deer, one of the most cost-effective ways to get a good approximation of the number of deer in an urban setting is through the use of aerial surveys. Aerial surveys of deer in Minnesota are typically done during the winter months of year where good snow cover and increased visibility through leafless trees provides ideal conditions for spotting deer. Helicopters are flown over an area at between 100 and 200 feet above ground level. Helicopter aerial surveys provide a quick, accurate, and economically feasible method for counting deer in urban areas. The more area covered the better or more accurate the estimated number of deer will be. Once a baseline deer population is established, fluctuations in deer population from year to year can give managers a better understanding of the effects of management actions (i.e., whether the deer population increasing or decreasing). Actions There are many established methods for controlling deer populations: chemical birth control, trap and release, and even introducing natural predators. The method which has proven the most effective and least costly is control through managed hunts. In Ramsey County communities, two types of hunts are currently available: a special archery hunt and specially trained sharp shooters. Through the Metro Bow Hunters Resource Base individual citizens can participate in urban archery hunts. During these hunts, hunters emphasize shooting antlerless deer in the hopes of reducing the number of does in the deer population. Deer populations are more quickly reduced when the number of does is reduced. Sharp shooting in is another method which has proven successful. Specially -trained deer sharp shooters are hired to come into a community with the purpose of removing a large amount of deer at one time. They are trained to shoot as efficiently and effectively as possible to minimize 9 1 P a g e