Human perceptions before and after a 50% reduction in an urban deer herd'sdensity

Overabundant white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations in urba n and suburban areas can be controversial because of potential damage to la ndscape vegetation, deer-vehicle collisions, and fear over transmission of tick-borne diseases. Herd reduction is often proposed to solve these proble ms; however, the ability of human residents to accurately perceive a herd r eduction has not been demonstrated. We used mail surveys to study effects o f a 50% localized deer herd reduction on the perceptions of residents in 2 areas tone control, one treated) on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, ove r 2 time periods (before vs. after herd reduction). Residents in the treate d area perceived a decrease (P less than or equal to0.001) in the relative abundance of deer using their yards after the herd reduction; residents in the control area (where no deer were removed) did not. Residents in the tre ated area reported seeing about 50% fewer deer after the herd reduction (P< 0.001); residents in the control area saw about the same number of deer. No npermanent residents did not perceive the herd reduction that was noticed b y permanent residents. Residents in both the control and treated areas want ed to see fewer deer in their yard in the future. Residents did not report a decrease in the money required to replace plants damaged by deer during o ur one-year study. Our results indicate that costs to implement deer-herd r eduction programs in urban and suburban areas may be justified based on the benefits perceived by the residents.