ABSTRACT
Managing deer density and impact to secure goals for natural resources in forestlands is one of the most complex of wildlife management challenges. This is so because of the wide array of natural resources affected, number of stakeholder groups involved, political and cultural influences, and sheer number of intersecting biological and human dimension factors. Revisiting Figure 1.1 (Figure 25.1 in this chapter) from the introduction helps refresh one's appreciation for the degree of complexity and number of interacting factors and management actions to consider. Some factors weigh more heavily than others depending on biological and human dimension factors respective to individual deer–forest management areas (DFMAs—see Chapter 9). Not all managers will choose to address all biological and human dimensions aspects of deer management; of the nine case histories presented below, only one (Chapter 34) incorporated them all. And it is critical to restate the reality that addressing and integrating these factors can only be accomplished at the DFMA level where deer and habitat are actually manipulated.
