SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF WHITE-TAILED DEER CAPTURE METHODS AND MOVEMENTS IN SUBURBAN MARYLAND

Abstract

Regions of the United States continue to experience an increase in zoonotic diseases. White-tailed deer support tick populations and implicated the emergence of several tick-borne diseases. Urbanization has elicited a dramatic increase in white-tailed deer populations. Consequently, the rise in deer numbers close to suburban areas has placed the public at increased risk of contracting disease. This study is part of an USDA-supported tick control project in Howard County, Maryland. The objectives were to 1) evaluate capture methods and provide recommendations for suburban trapping programs; and 2) evaluate spatial and temporal movement patterns and resulting impacts on risk of exposure to ticks. We found trapping deer in urbanized parks, during cold and snowy weather likely increased success. Different patterns in movement and space use of residential land can have important implications for humans’ risk of exposure to disease, with females deer posing higher risk than males especially during winter months.